Children’s

games in the

past and

nowadays

It’s true that children’s games have changed a lot during the last few decades.When we were young we played outside a lot. We used our bodies. We had plenty of physical exercises. There were usually team games more sociable

then today’s ones, and we had a lot of fun with friends. We didn’t need expensive equipment to play. We just needed friends, good humor and our

imagination. All we had was a rope, a stone, a stick or a ball. The games were fantastic and really amusing.

The team games which I remember from my childhood are gradually disappearing.

Those days children were playing team games such as football, hare and hounds, classes, hopscotch, dodge ball, tomato play, deaf telephone, hide-and-

seek, war of ships etc.  

Hare and hounds This game was full of mystery. Two teams had to find

"TREASURE". Hidden letters and notes or arrows on the ground were leading to the goal. It was excellent !!!

Classes

When I was a child I often played badminton, skipping and classes.

The game called “classes” was played in the backyard. Children drew a rectangle divided into seven squares on the ground. Every

square symbolised a class. „1” stood for a first class, „2” for a second class, etc.

A square with a circle meant a possibility to take advantage of a break. To start the first class you had to throw a flat stone into the

first square . You had to jump on one leg from one square to another and push the stone with your fingers. After pushing stone

through all the squares you finished the first class. If the stone landed on the line, you had to repeat the same class. In order to win you could neither throw the stone on the line, nor push it on

the line separating the classes.

4

O

3

5

2

6

1

7

The hopscotchThe hopscotch is a game very similar to classes. It was my favourite game when I was a young girl. I used to play this game with my girlfriends. We

drew „a little man” with chalk on the pavement. Then we jumped on one foot from one step to the next one. The winner was the one who jumped the most

steps.

DodgeballIn this game children need a ball and a playing field (very often it is a

playground). They divide themselves into two teams. The playing field is also divided into two parts. The players stand facing one another and throw the

ball. The goal is to hit all the participants of the opponents’ team with the ball. Each team selects one player called “mother”.

When all the players of one team are hit, „mother”, who is usually the best player in the team, steps up. If she gets hit three times, her team loses and the

game is over.We liked this game and we played it very often. We used to come back home

feeling excited and hungry!

Tomato playTomato - that was a very popular children’s game. It is not complicated. To start the game there must be more than two participants. Among all players

one person is chosen to ask other people several questions. For every question it is necessary to answer: Tomato. Questions have to be personal or funny to

make questioned person laugh or at least smile. If somebody makes a mistake and gives another answer or bursts out laughing - the game finishes.

Deaf telephone While playing "Deaf telephone" children sit on the chairs round the table.

The first player makes up a word and whispers it to the second one, the second whispers it to the following one and so on...

When the last player speaks aloud misheard word everyone bursts out laughing.

Then the other player makes up a new word and the game starts from the beginning.

It is common that during the game, the word from the beginning changes its’ form or even the whole meaning.

Hide-and-seekThe basics of the game are as follows:

One person covers his eyes with his hands and counts to one hundred or to ten. In the meantime, the rest of participants of the party have to hide

themselves before being looked for. Then, the seeker speaks loudly -"I am looking for you". The person who is found as the first one becomes the seeker

in the next round, while the last found person wins the current round.

War of ships  

This is the game for two players. Every player must draw two big squares (look at the example) on a sheet of paper. Each of them must draw ten ships in one of them. Second square must be empty. One of the players asks question about ships’ item of a partner. If for instance a ship will be hit, this ship must

be drawn on an empty square. Item of ship defines as in chess (6A, 7G, and so on). Player who hits all the ships of the opponent first is the winner.

A B C D E F G H I J A B C D E F G H I J1                     1                    2                     2                    3                     3                    4                     4                    5                     5                    6                     6                    7                     7                    8                     8                    9                     9                    

10                     10                    

Currently children focus on individual development, e.g. tennis, swimming, languages, computer etc. People communicate with each other less and less.

Nowadays, technical devices have changed the way of spending free time. Our grandchildren and their generation spend a lot of time indoors, playing all

kinds of TV or computer games, or watching TV alone or on-line with virtual friends. They put on weight, do not receive enough fresh air and have

problems with building relationships.

Computer games 

 These days one of the most frequent activities of our children is playing computer games.

 A personal computer game is a video game played on a personal computer or

a video game console. Computer games have evolved from the simple graphics to a wide range of visually very advanced projects.

PC games have long been a source of controversy, particularly related to the violence that has become commonly associated with video gaming in general.

Video game violence increases children's aggression.

Video game addiction can have a negative influence on health and on social relations. Alongside these problems

associated with computer game addiction have grown similar worries about the effect of computer games on

education.

In my opinion, computer games do not have only negative influence on children but they have some positive features as well. PC games can increase

children’s reflex and enlarge their knowledge, if only they are used in sensible time proportions.

Jigsaw puzzles  One of the most popular children's game in the past and now is putting the jigsaw puzzle together.Jigsaw puzzles were originally created by pointing a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood and then cutting the picture into small pieces with a jigsaw, hence the name. John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker and engraver near 1760 year, used the puzzles for teaching the geography. He cut off from the map pointed on the flat piece of wood the shapes of the individual countries. Most modern jigsaw puzzles are made out off cardboard, since they are easier and cheaper to mass production than the original wooden models. Photographs or printed reproductions are glued onto the cardboard before cutting. Now there are also three dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

The interesting thing is that Alzheimer Society of Canada consider that doing puzzles is one of many activities that help keep the brain active and may help to reduce the development of Alzheimer's disease. So they are very good for

children and grandparents.I think that doing puzzles is the better way of spending your free time than

playing computer and mobile phone games.

                  Mobile phones

 Mobile phones have been one of the most popular things these days, even

treated as toys by very young children. Parents buy them because they want to have contact with their children. They want to know what the children are

doing and where are they. The children like mobile phone because they use it for communication by sms with friends/ it is cheaper than calling/, they can

play less complicated games, take photos or even make short films. Also teenagers can connect with the Internet which is another source of those days

games. You can play any game you like online with a person from another part of a world at any time and in any place.

 THE END  

Thank you for your attention

  

This presentation was created by participants of the “Discovering the world anew” project from Sopot, Poland.