Traditional Street Games · 2019. 3. 1. · Traditional Street Games 3 • Encourage fair play, honesty, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. As leader, you set the pace and can frame

Traditional Street Games

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UNP-0121 Traditional Street Games

Table of Contents

Why Street Games? .................................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1

The Problems ................................................................................................................................................. 1

Why Street Games......................................................................................................................................... 2

Helpful Hints for Game Leaders .............................................................................................................................. 3

Street Games ............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Egg or Balloon Toss ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Hit the Stick .................................................................................................................................................... 5

Hopscotch ...................................................................................................................................................... 6

Human Bowling .............................................................................................................................................. 7

Jump Rope and Rhymes ............................................................................................................................... 8

Kick the Can ................................................................................................................................................. 10

Punchball ...................................................................................................................................................... 11

Rat Tail Chase .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Red Light, Green Light ................................................................................................................................. 13

Ring-a-lievo .................................................................................................................................................. 14

Snake Dodging ............................................................................................................................................ 15

War Balls ...................................................................................................................................................... 16

References ............................................................................................................................................................... 17ARCHIVE

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TRADITIONAL STREET GAMES

Introduction

It doesn't take a rocket scientist tocalculate the effect of technology on thestate of children's health in the twenty-firstcentury. Manual levers have been removedfrom children's toys and replaced withbatteries or a combustion engine. Foot-pedaled cars are now pushbutton cars, andbicycles have become scooters or four-wheeled vehicles. Computers, videogames, cell phones, IPods, and other hand-held games have replaced the traditionalstreet games. With technological advancescomes the elimination of physical educationprograms and daily recess in order to"leave no child behind." The result isoverweight kids across the United States.It appears that contemporary lifestyles areleaving many children on their behinds andfew children outside.

A fast-paced lifestyle has familiesscrambling for carry-out meals, which onlycompounds the problem of consuming toomany high-fat, high-sugar, and high-caloriemeals. It's no wonder parents andguardians encounter more health concernsin children. Another tragedy is that many ofthese children will never learn thetraditional street games their ancestors

played. Perhaps it is time for parents andguardians to return to tradition andencourage children to play outside.

The Problems

Lack of direct, physical, positive, andemotional connections to nature, includinglife-long leisurely pursuits, result insedentary lifestyles, poor health, andnature-deficit disorders for Alabamachildren, youth, and families. The evidenceis obvious. Here are a few statistics:

• The National Health and NutritionExamination Survey (2003–2006)reported an increase in obesity forchildren ages 2–5; a 5 to 17 percentincrease in obesity among children 6–11years of age; and a 5 to 17.6 percentincrease in obesity among youth ages12–19.

• An assessment of children living in ruralBlack Belt Alabama conducted by theAlabama Cooperative Extension Systemrevealed that obesity is increasing andmore children are overweight thanpreviously recognized. In Alabama, 16.7percent of children ages 10–17 are

Why Street Games?

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obese; the national rate is 14.8 percent.And according to Trust for America'sHealth (2008), obese children are morelikely to become obese adults.

• In 2001, the American Academy of Childand Adolescent Psychiatry reported thatchildren watched an average of 3–4hours of television daily, and theamount of television children watchdirectly correlates with an increase inbody fat as a result of living a sedentarylifestyle.

• Physicians are three times more likelyto prescribe psychotropic drugs toAmerican children than in other coun-tries (Zito et al., 2008).

Why Street Games?

Physical activity and eating well-balanced meals are the two essentialingredients to improving one's health.Street games allow young people andadults to add physical activity to their dailyroutines. There is a rich heritage of gamesand play in all cultures, and structured andunstructured outdoor play is a vitalcomponent to healthy childhooddevelopment.

Author Mick Green (2002) writes,"during most of the twentieth century,urban youth spent their daylight after-school hours in their neighborhoods,playing outdoors with their friends inunsupervised activities." He continues,"Streets and sidewalks, the urbanequivalent of open spaces were adaptableto the full range of ball games and thewidest variety of play."

The Extension team project SavingTowns thru Asset Revitalization providespractical tools for intervention on howtraditional street games and outdoor playcan impact physical inactivity in Alabamayouth. While the focus of this work isfitness and outdoor play, anyone canlaunch a campaign to introduce traditionalgames and play. Why not start today?

Marilyn Simpson-Johnson,Extension Forestry, Wildlife and NaturalResources Specialist

Jerry Chenault,Urban Regional Extension Agent

2 Alabama Cooperative Extension System

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Traditional Street Games 3

• Encourage fair play, honesty, teamwork,and good sportsmanship. As leader, youset the pace and can frame theactivities so that games begin assmoothly as possible, and in the propercontext of fun and fair play.

• Allow participants to take leadershiproles in the games. For example, allowthem to set boundaries, explain rules,and officiate under your guidance andsupervision. It will help them to developleadership skills.

• Stop the game before the fun stops.End on a happy note and not when tiredplayers become argumentative oraggressive.

• Participate in the game, but don'tdominate or make the game dangerous.Remember, games are about having funand not just winning.

• Change the rules as needed. Don't beafraid to be creative. Make an old gamedifferent or fresh to accommodategroup members or conditions, such asavailable space or weather conditions.

• Encourage only positive commentsbetween players and equal play for allskill levels. Sitting on the bench is nofun for anyone.

• Keep kids active! Many individuals inour society live sedentary lifestyles, butwe want active, healthy, and smilingkids.

Other Outdoor Games

FrisbeeKickballDodge ballWater gun battlesVolleyballDuck, duck, gooseLimboHot potatoFreeze tagHide-and-seekWheelbarrow or other racesHula-hoop or jump rope contestsTug-of-warLeap frogRaces

Helpful Hints for Game Leaders

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Egg or Balloon Toss

Ages8 and up

Materials• 50-gallon plastic bags (with three holes

cut in them to allow access of arms andhead)

• Eggs or water balloons• Tarps or other coverings (to cover

ground)• Whistle• Wet wipes (to clean hands after egg or

balloon breaks)• Prizes

Note: A local commercial hatchery maydonate unusable double yolk eggs. Ifdesired, cover ground with tarps. However,the preferred method is to simply let theturf absorb the broken eggs. Broken eggshells are picked up at the end of thecompetition. Team members are alsofurnished with wet wipes or moist towels toclean their hands after their egg breaks orthe competition ends. This can be a messy,but fun competition.

How to PlayEach player is teamed with a partner. Teammembers put on plastic bags. Partners lineup across from each other at arm's length.All players stand in straight lines. The linesbegin about 3 feet apart and will back up astep after each successive toss. Theobjective is for a team member to toss theegg or balloon in the air to his or herpartner. The receiver attempts to catch theegg or balloon without breaking it. Thisbecomes more difficult as the lines getfarther and farther apart after eachsuccessful toss. A team that breaks an eggor balloon is eliminated from thecompetition. Prizes are awarded to eachteam that does not break their egg orballoon.

It is a good practice for game coordinatorsto have volunteers at the end of each lineto act as human "markers" of where theproper line should be. This helps to keeplines at the correct place and provides aquick and reliable standard for teammembers to line up on. Traffic cones maybe used to further identify line ends. Eachround of competition lasts approximately15 minutes, depending on number ofteams and time spent in lining up aftereach toss.

Note: Younger participants may havedifficulty tossing required distances asspacing increases during the game.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Skagway, Alaska is the site of theworld's largest egg toss with 1,422people.

(Source: Wikipedia, 2009)

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Hit the Stick

Ages3 and up

Materials• Bouncing rubber ball• Level sidewalk with two (uncracked)

squares

How to PlayThe players stand at either end of theconcrete squares and toss a stick or coin inthe center.

The object of the game is to hit the stick orcoin with the ball and make it flip over.Each hit yields 1 point, and each flip countsas 2 points. Players take turns throwing theball. The game is usually played to a scoreof either 11 or 21.

As the game continues, one player will hitthe stick and knock it closer to the otherplayer who has the advantage of droppingthe ball directly on the target. A soft touchcan keep the stick from jumping away, butthis requires skill.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?To be environmentally conscious,you can recycle Popsicle sticks foruse in this game.

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Hopscotch

Ages3 and up

Materials• Playing court (usually drawn with chalk

on pavement, or purchase a Hopscotchmat)

• Markers• Rocks (or bean bags)

Note: Playing court squares should be 2 X2 feet.

How to PlayThe first player tosses his or her markeronto the first square. The marker mustland inside the square without touching anylines or bouncing out. If it lands in thewrong square, the player loses his or herturn. If successful, the player hops throughthe entire grid, beginning with squarenumber 1.

To navigate the grid, side-by-side squaresare straddled while single squares arehopped on one foot. Players can utilizeeither foot on the first square. Somesquares may be designated as "safesquares" or, alternatively, "rest" or "home."They can be jumped on in any mannerwithout penalty.

At the end of the grid, the player turnsaround and hops back through the entirecourt in reverse order. The player must alsostop and pick up the marker on the wayout. If successful, the player then tossesthe marker into square number 2 andrepeats the grid. If a player steps on a line,misses a square, or falls, his or her turn isover! This player's next turn will beginwhere the last player leaves off.

To win, a player must complete one coursefor every numbered square on the course.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Hopscotch was used as a militaryexercise with courts more than 100feet in length.


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Human Bowling

Ages3 and up

Materials• 26-inch fitness ball• Open space

How to PlayMark off boundary areas and tellparticipants they cannot touch the ball forany reason. If they do touch the ball, or ifa ball touches them, they are "out." Thegame can be played where participantseither stay "out" until the game is over, orthey can be asked to go to the sidelinesand perform certain exercises (twentyjumping jacks, for example).

A player on each end rolls the fitness balllike a bowling ball toward the other playersto try and tag them out.

Alternative VersionHave participants lie down on their backsand roll out of the way when an incomingbowling (fitness) ball comes toward them.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Fitness balls, or Swiss balls, werefirst used in medical treatmentprograms for newborns and infants.

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Jump Rope and Rhymes

Ages3 and up

Materials• Jump ropes• Open space

How to Play

Jump rope is a simple game and exercisethat is fun for children and adults. All itrequires is body coordination.Have a friend turn the other end of a rope"in sync" and begin a song or rhyme. Invitea friend to jump in and keep the beat.Double Dutch uses two ropes.

Example Rhymes

Blue Bells

This is a warm up rhyme:

Blue bells, cockle shells, easy, ivy, over

As it is recited, the rope is swung back andforth gently under the jumping feet, but itis not turned over. On the last word, over,the rope starts to turn fully, accompaniedby the jump rope rhyme of choice.

Street Games

Sweetheart's Name

Strawberry shortcake, cream on topTell me the name of your sweetheartA, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, etc.

Continue until the jumper misses. Theletter shouted when the jumper lands isthe first letter of the sweetheart's name.

Texico

TEXICO Texico, Texico (cradles)Over the hills to Mexico (on the word overthe rope begins going all the way aroundand continues until the end of the rhyme)Where the Spanish dancers do the kicks,the kicks (do kicks)Where the Spanish dancers to the splits,the splits (jump with legs apart)Where the Spanish dancers twirl around,around (twirl around)Where the Spanish dancers jump up anddown, up and down (jump high)Where the Spanish dancers get out of town(jump out of the ropes)

Texico, Mexico all the way to Texico(swinging rope on ground)Where they do the splits, splits, splits(spread legs as if to do the splits)And high heel kicks, kicks, kicks (bendknees)And turn around, round, round (spin)And touch the ground, ground, ground(bend down and touch ground with fingers)And they eat red hot chili peppers (spinrope quickly)

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Hand Jives

Gramma grams, sick in bed, called thedoctor; this is what he saidLet's get the rhythm of the head "dingdong" (shake head left to right)Let's get the rhythm of the hands (claphands two times)Let's get the rhythm of the feet (stamp feettwo times)Let's get the rhythm of the "hot dog" (whilesaying hot dog, rotate hips with hands onthem)Now put it all together and what have yougot? "ding, dong" (clap hands, stamp feet,"hot dog")Now put it all backwards and what haveyou got? "hot dog," (stamp feet, claphands, "ding dong")Red hot pepper in the pot,Who's got more than the leader's got?(jump double time) 10, 20, 30, 40, etc.

Go as high as you can go without missing.The jumper with the highest score wins.

Dum Dum Dodo

Dum dum dodo, catch me if you can, I can runfaster than __________ can.

The verse is sung, and then the person enters therope and picks someone else.

Cinderella

Cinderella, dressed in yellowWent upstairs to kiss a fellaMade a mistakeAnd kissed a snakeHow many doctors did it take?

Count until someone "makes a mistake."

Fire Alarm

Fire, fire, false alarm____ fell into ____ armsIs she/he gonna be the one?Yes, no, maybe so, yes, no, maybe so, etc.(double time)

Coffee/Tea

I like coffee, I like teaI like ____ to jump with me!

A person jumps in, then it repeats and they invitea third person, fourth person, etc.

Down by the River

Down by the river, down by the seaJohnny broke a bottle and blamed it on meI told ma, ma told paJohnny got a spanking so ha, ha, haHow many spankings did Johnny get?1, 2, 3…

Keep counting until the jumper "makes a mis-take.”

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Kick the Can

Ages3 and up

Materials• An empty or rock-filled can or bucket• Concrete, asphalt, dirt, or grass surface• Designated "home base" (with chalk or

by digging a 6-foot perimeter with ashoe)

How to PlayYou can start the game anywhere.Someone is chosen to be "It" whilesomeone else gets to kick the can. Afterthe can is kicked, all the players scatterand hide. "It" picks up the can and beginsto count to some agreed upon number,such as 10, 50, or 100. "It" runs to homebase and yells, "Freeze or ready or nothere I come!" Then, "It" sets out to findthe players.

If "It" sees someone, he or she runs backto home base and calls out something like,"I saw Leonardo behind that dog house."Kick the Can is similar to hide-and-seekand other tag games. When all the playershave been found, a new person is chosento be "It."

Note: A person hiding may not move to anew spot to avoid being called out. Honestyis important to the game.

One additional point: A player that has notbeen found may run to home base to freethe other team members by either taggingthem before "It" gets there or by kickingthe can before "It" gets there and calls outhis or her name. Once the can has beenrekicked, "It" runs and picks up, counts,and begins searching for the hidingplayers.

Much like hide-and-seek, players seek andmove around to avoid being caught. Aplayer is caught when spotted and calledout.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Kick the Can is also called Tip theCan and is similar to the gameCapture the Flag.

(Source: Wikipedia, 2009)ARCHIVE


Punchball

Ages5 and up

Materials• Bouncing rubber ball• Concrete or asphalt surface

How to PlayPunchball requires teams with two totwelve players per team, a ball, and roomfor bases. It uses many Little LeagueBaseball rules; however, in Punchball, afoul counts as a strike. By the way, thebatter's fist is the bat. And there is nopitcher! There are three outs per inningand either 1–3 strikes make an out. Theplayers decide.

To set the game in motion, the "batter"tries to hit the ball with the palm side of hisor her fist in a big swinging motion. Then,the batter attempts to round the basesbefore being "pegged." A runner is peggedwhen the ball is thrown at the runner foran out. The player can be tagged with theball for an out, or the ball can be "homed."In "homing," if the ball reaches home plateor if there is no catcher before the runnermakes it all the way around, the runnermust return to the original base. If acatcher is at home plate, homing is notallowed.

Advanced "batting" techniques range fromsimply hitting the ball to letting it first takeone bounce to even tossing it up for atennis-like "serve." Younger children mayhold the ball in one hand and swing at itwith the other. Enjoy!

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Punchball is also called speedballand is used to train boxers.


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Rat Tail Chase

Ages3 to 12

Materials• 24-inch cloth strips, flags, or strings to

hang as tails

How to PlayEach player gets a flag, cloth strip, orstring to hang from the belt area at theback of his or her pants as a "tail." On cue,players try to grab the other players' "rattail" while keeping their own. They are notallowed to hold their own tail to protect it.A set area or a boundary is given, andplayers must not tackle, push, or strikeother players to pursue their tails.

Players must sit out for the remainder ofthe game once they lose their tail. Thewinner is the last player with a tail.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Punchball is also called speedballand is used to train boxers.


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Red Light, Green Light

Ages3 to 12

Materials• No materials are required!

How to PlayOne person is the "stop light," and all theother players try to touch the playerdesignated as the stoplight. The playersstart 15 feet from the stoplight.

The stoplight faces away from the otherplayers and calls out "green light" to begin.At this signal, the players begin to movetoward the stoplight. At any point, thestoplight may call out "red light" and turnaround to catch any moving players. If anyplayers are caught moving, they are out.

Play resumes with the stoplight againcalling out "green light" after turning his orher back to the players. The stoplight winsafter catching all moving players movingbefore they get to him or her. The firstplayer to touch the stoplight wins the gameand becomes the next stoplight.

In another version, players are in a largefield or yard and line up on one side while"It" stays in the middle of the field facingthe players. When "It" calls out, "greenlight," all the players run to the light. Whenthe players hear, "red light," they stop. Anyplayer that does not stop in 2 seconds isout. "It" continues calling "red light" or"green light" until all players are either outor have made it back to the starting line.The last player back to the starting line isthe new "It."

Note: Kneeling, falling, or flopping downare good ways to come to a fast stop at thecall of "red light."

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?Variations of this game are playedin France, Australia, and Mexico.

(Source: Wikipedia, 2009)ARCHIVE


Ring-a-lievo

Ages5 and up

Materials• An object or area designated as the

base (tree, playground set, bench, orchair)

How to PlayChoose up to two teams with any numberof players. One team is "the hunters" whilethe other is "the hunted." The goal of thehunters is to catch all members of theopposing team. The hunters need a homebase or "jail."

The team being hunted tries to avoid beingcaptured and put into the hunter's jail.They also try to coordinate freedom orrelease of their teammates from jail, whichrequires strategy and physical endurance.

Hunters often travel in packs or groups,like wolves. Their strategy is to try andseparate one of the prey and capture themby grabbing them and saying, "Ring-a-lievoone, two, three!" That means the victim iscaptured and must walk to the jail wherehe or she will remain until the end of thegame or until freed by a teammate.

Players often sneak close to the jail in aneffort to fake or draw out the jailer so thatanother player can come in and free thecaptives. To free them, a player from "thehunted" team must make it to the jail andyell "home free!" This releases allprisoners, and they will then be free to runand scatter to set the game back at fullthrottle.

The game ends when all "the hunted"players are caught. Hiding is not allowed.Players should be seen frequently andshould try to "draw out the enemy."

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?This traditional street game isknown by various names such asRingolario, Ringoleavio,Ringolearyo and rules varydepending on the country of origin.

(Source: Streetplay.com, 2009)

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Snake Dodging

Ages3 and up

Materials• 10-foot rope (or a plastic rope with

handles)• Duct tape• Tube sock• Clean rags• Marker

How to PlayTape a tube sock to the end of a rope. Stuffthe tube sock with rags and draw a face onthe sock.

Participants gather in a circle as if to play"Duck, Duck, Goose." Have participantseither duck beneath the "snake" as it isswung around by an adult, who is stationedat the center of the circle, or have themjump over it as it comes by their feet. Thesnake can be swung in either directionaround the circle. Once touched by thesnake, a participant is "out" of the game.

Street Games

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War Balls

Ages8 and up

Materials• 6 soft rubber balls• 6-foot safe (free) zone marked off in the

center of a court

How to PlayParticipants are divided into two teams.Teams face each other across the court.The center of the court is the safe or "free"zone. Six soft rubber balls are placed in thefree zone. On cue, team members try togather as many balls in the free zone aspossible so they can throw them atopposing team members across the freezone. Once a player is hit, he or she iseither out of the game or must do a certainnumber of push-ups to reenter the game.Push-ups are optional and left to thediscretion of the game official. However,this game rule must be stated before thegame begins.

Each player does his or her best to dodgeincoming balls while gathering balls tothrow back at the opposing team members.

Street Games

DID YOU KNOW?War balls does not have to beplayed on a solid surface. Havesome fun and play the game in apool!

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Budi, H. (2005). Hopscotch 101: Rules. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/home2004/HEND0004/cs227/project_1/rules.html.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009, February 10). Childhood overweightand obesity. Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/.

Egg tossing. (2009, April 9). In: Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 3,2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_tossing.

Green, Mick. (2002, Spring-Summer). Alley cats. Voices. Retrieved June 3, 2009, fromhttp://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voicjl28-1-2/alleycat.html.

Kick the Can. (2009, May 31). In: Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 3,2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_the_can.

Niebor, G. (2009, March 28). Kid games. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www.gameskidsplay.net/.

Red light/Green light. (2009, April 8). In: Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. RetrievedJune 3, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_light/Green_light.

Streetplay.com. (2009). Streetplay rulesheets. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www.streetplay.com/rulesheets/.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2001, March). Children andwatching tv. Facts for Families. No. 54. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_watching_tv.

Trust for America's Health. (2008, August). F as in fat: 2008. Reports. Retrieved June 3,2009, from http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2008/Obesity2008Report.pdf.

Zito, J., et. al. (2008, September 24). A three-country comparison of psychotropicmedication prevalence in youth. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health.Retrieved June 3, 2009, from http://www.capmh.com/content/pdf/1753-2000-2-26.pdf.

References

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Jerry Chenault, Urban Regional Extension Agent, Lawrence County ExtensionOffice; Introduction by Jerry Chenault and Marilyn Simpson-Johnson, ExtensionForestry, Wildlife and Natural Resources Specialist, Alabama A&M University

For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory underyour county’s name to find the number.

Published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S.Department of Agriculture. An Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer.

New August 2009; UNP-0121

© 2009 by Alabama Cooperative Extension System. All rights reserved.UNP-0121UNP-0121UNP-0121UNP-0121UNP-0121

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Traditional Street Games · 2019. 3. 1. · Traditional Street Games 3 • Encourage fair play, honesty, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. As leader, you set the pace and can frame