Goodfellow Games from Childhood Past

Cats Cradle, Hide and Seek and the Royal Game of Ur
1. Auflage 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7524-8982-7
Verlag: The History Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 222 Seiten

Games make up a huge part of childhood, and memories of specific games stay with us throughout our lives. They form an integral part of growing up and stimulate imagination and creativity. From hide and seek to complex card and board games, street games that require no equipment to elaborate rainy day amusements, we all have experience of entertaining ourselves as children. In this fascinating trip down memory lane Caroline Goodfellow explores the history of childhood games and how they have changed throughout the ages. From ancient board games to childhood pastimes of the Middle Ages through to the street games of the 1950s and '60s and the experiences of children in the current decade, she delves into the differences between games over time and region. Bound to awaken pleasant memories, Games of Childhood Past transports the reader to another time, providing a nostalgic look at how we played.

CAROLINE GOODFELLOW was the Curator of Dolls and Toys for the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She has written a number of books and articles on dolls and games and continues to lecture on these subjects as well as being an expert advisor for television and radio programmes. She is a member of Board Games Studies, an international society of experts studying board games. She lives in Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Goodfellow, Caroline

Leseproben

1

Games with Little or No Equipment

Anywhere there are children, they will be skipping or running, playing with a ball, or walking backwards. This is not restricted to school playgrounds or organised events, children use their bodies to express themselves, to show the sheer exuberance of being young and fit. Handstands, cartwheels and wheelbarrow races, intricate step movements and rolling on the ground are some of but many games children will play by themselves and with others without adult supervision.

One child or many children in any open space may play such games. At one time, children moved freely around their neighbourhoods, played in the parks, fields, school grounds and even in the streets. Sadly, many areas in the developed world are now restricted through health and safety or traffic. Parents and school authorities are often worried that their children will be harmed by games they themselves played. However, many adults do not see what the children get up to when by themselves; they will organise tag games and running games and play conkers.

Some games require an object to facilitate play and there is always a crossover between playing a game and playing with a toy. The simplest, or arguably the most complex, are games without equipment or formal rules. Many of these games formed the basis of the original Olympic Games which represented feats of skill and endurance.

Running Around

Running around is a real child characteristic, particularly for those under fourteen. It may be a simple chase between two, a well defined game of or perhaps a run with a start and finish point.

The most common game is Found throughout the world, it has many names such as , or This is a simple game requiring more than two people, with energy and imagination. The players divide with one person being the chaser or IT, and the rest being chased. The aim is for the single player to catch one of the others, so that the caught player becomes the IT. With the cooperation of all the players, games with more sophistication can be played. There are many variations and these are but a few of the well-known universal games.

is the best known variation of . The chaser must turn his back on the others, count as quickly as possible to a set number, usually 100, while the others attempt to hide. When the counting has finished the usual statement is, ‘Ready or not I am coming.’ The player turns, locates the others and chases around while attempting to catch one player from the group.

Some games bear simple names reflecting the activity. For example, the players may decide that some items may be deemed , such as trees if in a park, so any chased player is safe if he is touching one. requires a player who has been caught to hold that part of his body that was touched by the chasing player. If it is a sunny day, a player may be caught if the chaser steps on his shadow, thus

has lines of players, each holding the hand of the one in front, attempting to block the chasing player from attaching himself to the end of a line. Should he do so, the player at the front of the line becomes the chaser.

In , the players form a circle by joining hands, with the IT inside and the player being chased outside. The chased player may go in and out of the circle, the others allowing him to do so by raising their hands and the IT must follow exactly or forfeit the game. When tagged, the player returns to the circle, the IT becomes the chased one and a player from the circle is chosen to be IT. A similar game of may be played where the cat inside the circle attempts to escape to catch the mouse. In this game, the hands are not linked but the players may use their bodies as blocks.

Another circle and blocking game, sometimes called , can be played when there several children from which one is chosen to be the rabbit and one the fox. The rest of the group divide and link hands to form warrens, each with a resident rabbit, in which the chased rabbit may hide. The aim of the fox is to catch the rabbit, which may enter any of the warrens but in doing do displaces the resident rabbit who then must evade the fox. Once the fox catches a rabbit, he joins one of the warrens and the caught rabbit becomes the fox.

also requires a circle but less running about. The chaser within the circle wears a blindfold and his aim is to chase another player. However, there are some rules to give him an advantage. Initially the players move round and when he says stop, he points and the player who is pointed at must move into the circle. If this player is caught, the chaser must identify him either by feeling his face or by asking questions. If successful, the chaser retires to join the circle.

All these variations require the group to play as a unit, all know the rules and yet there are no formal rules. Children of all cultures play these games and while there are many variations, the games of are still ones of running and chasing and being chased.

Racing Games

are more formal than the games as they have a start and finish point. Running in a straight line is the simplest but there are many variations, which bring skill as well as talent into the equation. To introduce a challenge to any race, these are a few of the changes players can make.

with a partner requires much cooperation and coordination between the runners. One leg of each player is tied to his partner’s and together they must run the race as a unit. Not an easy exercise, which often results in laughter as the runners fall, get up and fall again. A variation of the game that is a combination with the is to tie the legs of each runner together at the knee forcing them to hobble along rather than run or hop the race.

The needs balance, speed and the ability to hop. The players are each in a sack or pillowcase, which they themselves must hold up. They travel the course hopping rather than running. Again, usually there are tumbles as feet are caught in the sacks thus overbalancing the child.

, a slight variation on the game , requires the runners to follow a variety of movements governed by a chosen leader. If he runs, the rest run, if he hops, the rest hop and so on. Anyone unable to follow drops out and the winner is the one who remains at the end. Many decide a time limit on this game otherwise the same person tends always to be the leader.

is often a more organised party game, as the eggs need to be hard boiled; however, it is a good race game where the winner is the first person to finish with his egg and spoon intact. Sometimes cheating is involved, usually holding on to the egg, but again it is a laughter run.

The game requires the cooperation of an outsider, often a parent or older child who supervises the music. A group of chairs numbering one less than the number of children is placed in a circle. While the music plays the children run around the chairs and when the music stops they must gain a seat. The child who does not sit down leaves the game and a chair is removed. It is played until only one chair and two children remain and the child who sits on this last chair is the winner.

are formally arranged with two or more groups competing to win. When seen in the Olympic Games there is a baton passed between the runners; however, in the less formal arrangements of a school or children simply enjoying this game, the runners tap the next people to run. This type of race may be augmented by having a goal at each lap such as carrying a spoonful of water to a receptacle while running, the winners being the ones who transport the most water in the quickest time.

And finally, the all-time favourite with a song to match is Two players, one the orange and the other the lemon, form an arch through which all the others must run. As the song reaches its end with the words ‘Chop! Chop! Chop!’, the ‘arch’ collapses trapping one of the runners. He must say either orange or lemon and replace the appropriate player forming the arch. As with many other games, this one reflects a period of brutality in London. Other such games are and This is not restricted to England; many European events are retold as children’s games, often with nursery rhymes to accompany them.

Hopping, Skipping and Jumping

Not all games require so much running around. There are hopping games such as and , skipping games with one or two ropes and quieter games such as and

The traditional game of is played around the world. It requires a grid, marked out with chalk on a pavement or scratched into earth. Some school grounds have the design permanently painted on the tarmac. The grid may have as many as twelve or fifteen spaces, be a square, oblong or spiral. A counter is thrown onto the grid, sometimes square by square, and the child hops to that space, picks up the counter and tosses it forward again. The aim of the game is to throw and hop both up and down the grid without either the counter or the player’s foot touching a line. Variations include hopping with both feet together and hopping on alternate feet at each...