There have been many games over the years that have been created for kids or by kids for the sole purpose of having fun. Hide and seek or cops and robbers have more than likely been played by everyone at one point in their childhood. It is always fun to remember the classic games that have been passed down through time and teach them to our own children. It also is interesting to see how they have evolved.
Dodgeball - Murder ball
There is no better interaction game for kids than dodgeball. We all have fond memories of this game as kids and maybe a few dents as well. Dodgeball is not only fun, but it provides exercise and opportunities to think about strategy while kids avoid being hit by rubber balls. Some of the rules of the game have varied over the years, and many other games have evolved from it, but still the main goal in dodgeball is to be the last one standing. Avoid being hit by flying kick balls while using the same balls to get the other team's players out, and you will accomplish the task.
A variation of the game has player that are hit and removed from the field not being placed out of the game, but placed around the sidelines of the opposing team. There they can use any balls that roll out of bounds to get the other team's players out. Those that are put in this position can not win the game but can help their team win by removing the opposing players. However, by doing so, they are sending players to the boundaries of their team's side as well. In some cases a traffic cone with the tip cut off also is placed on each side. A large whiffle ball is placed on the cone. If the ball is knocked off of the opposite teams cone, the game is over and the team that knocked it off wins. This game is sometimes called murder ball.
Octopus Tag
Tag has had its place on the playground for too many years to count. Giving kids the chance to run as well as think out their plans to not get caught, tag has changed little over the years. Creative variations of the game include freeze tag, flashlight tag and octopus, but the main goal is simple--don't get caught or you'll be "it".
In octopus tag, once you are tagged you link arms with the person that tagged you. Together you try to tag others, collecting more and more links. Also those trying to avoid capture are not running around all over the place, but are running across from one end of an area to another. Once they make it to the other side they are safe until it is time to go again.
Rack-O
Rack-O is a 50-year-old card game that you can still buy, but you don't typically find in stores. Online is your best bet if you want to purchase it, or you can create it yourself. You will need to make a set of cards out of construction paper numbering 1 through 60. You will only use 1 through 40 if only two players are playing, 1 through 50 for three players, and all cards for four players. You will need to make a rack for each player that holds 10 cards in slots so that the player can see his cards. Try making small rectangular boxes out of cardboard, cutting slots at regular intervals.
The cards are dealt one at a time and the players place the cards in the slots as they get them. The first card they get goes in the slot closest to them, and each card after that is placed in the next slot working toward the final slot. The rest of the cards are placed face down in the middle with the top card turned face up next to it. The face down card pile is the draw pile and the face up card is the beginning of the discard pile.
The point of the game is to get your cards in order with the lowest being closest to the player and the highest furthest away. The numbers only have to be in order based on low to high such as 2, 10, 15, 22, 26, 33, 35, 39, 42, 49. When it is his turn, a player can draw a card from the draw pile or the discard pile. If he pulls a card from the draw pile, he can replace one of his cards with the drawn card and place his card in the discard pile. Or, if he does not like the card he draws, he can place it directly in the discard pile. If the player draws from the discard pile, he must use that card. Once a player has all his cards in order from low to high, he shouts "rack-o!" and the game is over.
Tags: discard pile, draw pile, have been, over years, card from
