Please or to access all these features

Sponsored threads

This topic is for sponsored discussions. If you'd like to run one with us, please email [email protected].

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Tell Unicef UK the playground games you loved as a child - £300 voucher to be won!

687 replies

EmmaMumsnet · 14/01/2019 09:56

NOW CLOSED

Unicef UK are launching this years Soccer Aid Playground Challenge and would love to hear about the playground games you used to play at school and what games your children play now. The playground is the highlight of the school day where children can burn off all their energy and play with their friends; share below what you loved to play when you were at school and if any of the games have passed down generations.

Here’s what Unicef has to say: “This year, we’re asking all schools across the UK to join us for the Soccer Aid Playground Challenge to help raise money to help give more children around the world a childhood full of play. The idea is simple – teachers team up with their pupils, design an obstacle course that they will take on together, and fundraise to help children in danger in June 2019. Ask your school to sign up here and we’ll send everything you need for kick off - including fundraising and teaching resources to bring Soccer Aid to life for the whole school.”

Alex, Head of Sports for St Dunstan’s RC Primary School, Manchester says: “The Playground Challenge was the perfect way to get the whole school together for a great cause. Everyone (including staff!) had the best time raising money to help children all over the world.”

So what playground games did you love as a child? Were you Queen of hopscotch? Or perhaps you practised your circus skills with stilts? Maybe you created your own playground football league or were seriously skilled at skipping? Do you know if your children still play the same games now at school?

Everyone who posts below will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list)

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Terms and conditions apply

Tell Unicef UK the playground games you loved as a child - £300 voucher to be won!
Tell Unicef UK the playground games you loved as a child - £300 voucher to be won!
Tell Unicef UK the playground games you loved as a child - £300 voucher to be won!
OP posts:
Bumblebeans · 16/01/2019 16:23

I loved skipping. I was never any good but used to bribe my little brother into helping me practice for hours

PurpleGoose · 16/01/2019 16:31

I think most of these have already been said, but:

Red Rover (until it was banned)
Polo
Cats Cradle
Skipping
Stuck in the Mud
Kiss Chase (until it was banned)
Top Trumps
Pogs
Conkers (until it was banned)
Handstands

choccyp1g · 16/01/2019 17:22

Colour blackbirds, and we made up our own game "Budge"

Theimpossiblegirl · 16/01/2019 17:45

I loved cats cradle and was happily surprised to see it being played at DDS school this week. :)

Justbackfromnewwine · 16/01/2019 19:22

Happy memories of ‘forty forty’ and ‘grandmothers footsteps’ in the playground. As well as re-enacting the dance from dirty dancing!

callmecrazybut · 16/01/2019 19:54

I live in a pretty windy area in Scotland and a plus point to this was holding our coats wide open at a certain part of the playground and seeing who could get carried back by the wind the farthest! Great fun!

mrsminx · 16/01/2019 20:14

I loved playing football when I was at school, there were no girls teams then so I played on the local park field with friends, mainly boys. I also loved the handstand game 'knifes, forks, spoons'. Like others that have commented we played what British Bulldog which was later banned, as was the kiss chase in the primary school playground!!

WishUponAStar88 · 16/01/2019 20:32

Skipping, tag, what’s the time me wolf, tag rugby Smile

lostmywayrightnow · 16/01/2019 21:46

Skipping with double ropes as you jump in and out. Would love to try again. There were rhymes. Jump in for Jan (birthday month etc). Fun times!

April2020mom · 16/01/2019 22:51

Hopscotch!! I loved playing it as a child growing up in the nineties.

smithsurvey14 · 16/01/2019 23:42

Skipping. "All in together girls"
Hand clapping games
Swinging round the railings
Cartwheels
Hide and seek
Tig
Kiss catch

Cobblersandhogwash · 17/01/2019 00:00

Elastics.

Big loop of elastic draped over two people and stretched tight between them.

Third person would jump over the elastic in various ways. When they failed they would swap with one of the two people with elastic around them. And so on.

caringcarer · 17/01/2019 01:56

2 balls and you had to do plainsy, upset, overs and dropsey. If you were really you could do 3 ball but i could not do that. Hopscotch, 999 all prisoners free where it was like hide and seek but if found you became a prisoner and to wait in certain place. The seeker had to go to look for hiders but if one hider got back to base unseen then they screamed 999 all prisoners free. French skipping, hand clapping games with singing rhymes often my mother told me if i was goody that she would buy me a rubber dolly. Handstands against wall. Sadly as we grew older the games stopped and we just chatted.

IWouldBeSuperb · 17/01/2019 05:16

It was British Bulldog and Tag for us - but those don't seem to be as popular now.

All the girls also used to love skipping - our primary school even had an annual skipping competitions with different categories - and that's something that kids and friends are really enthusiastic about!

IWouldBeSuperb · 17/01/2019 05:17

Omg cobblers - I had completely forgotten about Elastics! Loved that! Grin

Monty27 · 17/01/2019 05:22

Skipping, hopscotch and Chinese elastics.
Chinese elastics was quite arty and you had to be skilled to make them and to use them. Smile

itsonlysubterfuge · 17/01/2019 07:17

I am American so a lot of my games are different. I loved Four Square and Red Rover. I also enjoyed playing tetherball.

BlackeyedPetitsPois · 17/01/2019 08:11

Sardines! And tig; bulldog; skipping games with songs.
Oh the good old days!!! Grin

MummyofTw0 · 17/01/2019 08:17

I can't remember what it was called but you had a massive lace and you had it between your hands and someone else would do things to it with their fingers so then it would end up in their hands x

burwellmum · 17/01/2019 09:47

Skipping with a long rope - particularly a game where one person joined each couple of turns until someone hit the rope, can't remember what we sang or the name. Also elastics.

kungfupidge · 17/01/2019 11:24

I loved hop scotch n also playing marbles in the playground grid xx

StickChildNumberTwo · 17/01/2019 12:41

Skipping, tick (in all kinds of variations), in and out the fairy bluebells (which used to cause all kinds of debates about whether said bluebells were fairy or dusky, depending on which school you went to!), clapping games.

Now my daughter is 7 I'm starting to hear some of the rhymes we used to sing, usually with regional variations!

foxessocks · 17/01/2019 12:44

British bulldog, IT, stuck in the mud

Beeziekn33ze · 17/01/2019 12:59

Loved playing in the strain the evenings. Grandma’s Footsteps, What’s the Time Mr Wolf? both played across the street as very few cars around. Best was Kick The Can, whoever was on kicked a can, we all ran and hid. The kicker had to find us and the last one to be found was on next time.

anitagreen · 17/01/2019 13:30

Can't beat tag your it Grin