How Many Playground Games Do You Remember?

Capture the flag is a children's game that requires 10 players separated into two teams and a wide play area. Each team member must find the flag that was hidden by the opposing team and make it safely back to their base without being caught by that team member.

The main objective of the game is for the children to find objects hidden across the playground. This game helps children to think carefully and clues may be given to aid in the search.

In this popular game, children use a skipping rope to play. Several variations of this game have sprouted, including double dutch and criss-cross. Rhymes can also be chanted to increase the excitement.

Children can play this game by taking turns to use the hula hoop. In the hula hoop relay, they can form a circle, join hands and try to pass the hula hoop to each other while still holding the hand of their peers.

In this game, the coordinator of the game designates objects and trees as "chairs." A nearby DJ plays music and participants must dance along until the music stops, then they must scurry to find a "chair" before they are caught standing.

In "hot lava," the ground is perceived as lava that must be avoided at all costs. Players must move from one end of the playground to the next and must be wary of playground equipment that could either bring them to safety or danger.

Children are lined up behind one another as they hold each other's shoulders, with the first person as the head of the dragon and the last person as the tail. The dragon's head must catch the tail, while the "body" prevents this and the line stays connected.

Giant marbles involves the use of big balls of different texture such as soccer and volleyballs, that are enclosed in a circle using rope. Players take turns using one ball to knock the others out of the circle.

One player closes his/her eyes and counts to 10/20/100, while other participants hide nearby. They lie in wait while the player who was counting tries his/her best to find them.

A play parachute can be used in many ways. A player can sit on the parachute while the others fluff it up. They can also place balls and other objects on top of the parachute and have fun watching them bounce around.

Traffic cop is a fun way to teach children about road safety, by allowing one player to direct traffic on an empty street or other designated area, while the others drive around on their bikes and other vehicles.

The playground is divided into four squares, with a player standing on each square numbered 1-4. The objective is to bounce the ball into someone else's square before they can catch it and to eliminate other players so that you may advance to a higher square.

A hopscotch grid is drawn and the squares are numbered from 1-9. The first player must toss their marker of choice onto square one then hop along the grip to square nine and back. The player must stop at square 2, pick up their marker and then just over square one.

In this traditional game, two or more players jump between two jump ropes as they are turned in opposite directions by two players- one at each end. There are different levels and players may incorporate footwork into the game.

This game usually requires three players: two with a rope stretched out around their legs connecting them to the other player standing opposite them. The third player systematically jumps in between the ropes and all players take turns.

Jacks are shaken in a player's hand and tossed onto any flat surface to begin the game. The player must then bounce a small ball and try to scoop up the jacks before the ball's second bounce.

One player pretends to be a traffic light and stands at one end of the playground. The other players stand behind and act according to the "traffic light's" commands- running (green light) and stopping (red light) when told.

One player stands at a great distance from the others, who must ask different questions, beginning with "Mother may I take steps forward?" The first player to tag the "mother" wins the game and becomes the mother.

This game requires attentive listening. One player is Simon and begins by saying "Simon says"- at which point the other plays must perform the action. If someone acts on the command without first hearing "Simon says"- they are out.

One player is chosen by the other players to be "it" and must chase the others around the playground so that they can become "it." Usually, you cannot tag someone who tagged you.

Marco Polo is similar to tag, but it is played in a pool or a body of water. The person who is "it" closes their eyes and shouts "Marco" and the other players yell "Polo," then the "it" person opens their eyes and tries to tag someone.

This is another way of playing tag, where the person who is "it" is blindfolded. He/she must then try to tag the other players using only their sense of touch.

In this variation of tag, players are "outed" when the person who is "it" tags their shadow. This game should be played outdoors with lots of players to increase the fun.

Two teams of players stand in a long line, facing each other, several feet apart. They alternate by shouting "Red Rover, Red Rover, let (name) come over!" and players of the opposing teams take turns trying to break through the joined hands.

Seven students stand to the front of the class while their peers sit at their desk, head down and arms extended with a thumb up. Those to the front of the class pass around pressing down the thumbs of their peers, who must, in turn, guess who did it to them.

This action game begins when players crowd around the person who is ‘it' and runs away as they toss the ball into the air. "It" then calls the number of any of the players, who must run back to catch the ball and the other players must freeze.

Freeze tag is another modification of the traditional tag game. The players run away from the person who was chosen to be "it." "It" then chases the players and, when one of the players is tagged, he or she must "freeze" in place.

In this game, players form a circle and the game leader or "it" as he/she is called, passes around with a button, putting their hands into everyone else's outstretched hand. The players must guess who has the button.

Cat's cradle is a simple game where a looped string is used to create various shapes and figures. It usually starts off with the first player making a cat's cradle, then the next player taking over and making their own variations.

Hand clap games refer to a series of different games played using the hands and the clapping motion. They vary in complexities and clap patterns and are usually accompanied by rhymes and song.

Players in this game form a line while holding hands and wearing their ice skates. The player at the end moves around and twists and turns on the ice ring/grass while the other players try to keep up with the movement and maintain the line.

This is a silly game where players sit in a circle and each whispers into the following person's ears any secret of their choosing. The secret makes its way around the circle and the last person must say it out loud.

While one person coordinates the music; the other players have fun dancing to it. When the music stops, everyone must freeze and anyone still moving about is "out" of the game.

Players are divided into two teams and toss balls at each other while also trying to avoid being hit by one. Anyone who has been hit by the ball is "out," and the aim is to "out' the players of the opposing team.

This is a guessing game that helps children to be creative. Players usually begin by saying something like "I Spy with my little eye..." and finishing off the sentence with a clue about an object in the surroundings. The child must then guess what the object is.