Not a child's play...

Was getting back home when I saw a group of kids playing Hide and Seek which is a rare sight now. A game which I used to play in my childhood days. Golden days!

Was wondering where the old fashioned games have gone? The Internet and video games have taken the place of these 'old fashioned' games. Sometimes, I hate the Internet! Anyways, the curious cat in me wanted to do some research on these old fashioned games. So, the Sherlock Holmes in me took over and I started my research on a cold winter morning, with a laptop on my table and a steaming cup of coffee to beat the winter blues. Got so many interesting stories about these games. Sometimes, I love the Internet! Um...er...it is a love-hate relation that I share with the Internet!

Hopscotch - Hopscotch was invented by Romans which was designed for as a training regimen for foot soldiers to improve their footwork. Wow! So much to a 'child's jump'!


Marbles - Marbles and marble games for children continued to be a popular form of entertainment well through the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, youngsters playing marble games came to be seen as delinquents, and efforts were made to restrict their marble-playing activities. Hence, the expression 'To lose one's marbles' originated which is used to refer to a senseless and stupid person.

Simon Says - This has a rather interesting story. In the 1930's Grossinger family owned a famous hotel. To keep the guests entertained, they invited Sheldon Seltzer, an old friend, to work as an onstage comedian. The guests were all old and to get them up and moving Sheldon invented the game 'Sheldon Says'. This became an instant hit. Soon, the name changed to Simon Says.What started as a game to get old ladies up and exercising ended up being a hit children's game.


Snakes and Ladders- This is considered to be a game of morality with ladders representing virtues and snakes representing evil. The squares of virtue on the original game are Faith (12), Reliability (51), Generosity (57), Knowledge (76), Asceticism (78); The squares of evil are Disobedience (41), Vanity (44), Vulgarity (49), Theft (52), Lying (58), Drunkenness (62), Debt (69), Rage (84), Greed (92), Pride (95), Murder (73) and Lust (99).


Noughts and Crosses - it is thought that the Roman Game Terni Lapilli was a similar game to Tic Tac Toe Grid Games like Noughts and Crosses have been found in ancient carvings in the ancient Roman Empire.

Hide and Seek - Interesting to know that this is the national sport of Estonia. This sport was founded in England by Myles family. The father used to come home drunk and chase his six children around the home with a broken bottle. To avoid their father, the children used to run and hide themselves around the house. The first league was founded in England in 1866 and the first world championships held one year afterwards.

Sometimes I wish I could turn back time, impossible, but I wish I could!

Phew! It is not a child's play!

Pics Source: Wiki, abate-il.org, historyforkids.org