Hopscotch - Children's Game

Hopscotch is a popular playground game, in which players toss a small object, called a marker into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone.

The Court

To play Hopscotch, first have to draw the court. The court may be drawn on the ground with the help of a stick or a chalk can be used to draw on concrete surface. We also used a small broken brick piece to draw the lines of the court when chalk was not available.

The court is divided into blocks which may vary from 8 to 10.

Now let me tell you how we played Hopscotch in our childhood.

Here’s the court.

It is divided into 8 blocks. The first 3 numbers are in the large rectangles. The next numbers 4 and 5 are from a large rectangle that is divided into two from the middle. Next number 6 is large rectangle. Numbers 7 and 8 is again a large rectangle, divided from the middle. And the last house is on the top, a small square where you reach when you have played all the houses. It is called the Home. From there you can stand and throw the marker and win a block of any number. This becomes your own and other players cannot hop or play on it. More like winning your own space.

To play we have to have a marker to throw on the different blocks. This marker can be a small piece of stone, a coin, small metal chain, anything that can be thrown to land safely on a block. I used a bunch of safety pins to play. It was always easy to throw on the correct block.

You can have your own way of lining up players if you have many. The first player throws the marker on the first block from the start. Then have to jump this block on to the next one. When you reach block 4 and 5 you can put two feet on the two numbers. Next a one leg jump, and, then again two legs where the block had a divide line. You turn back from there and come back the way you went forward but before jumping out you have to collect your marker and then jump out. You go on playing as long as you place your marker on the blocks one by one. But if your marker misses the block you are to play on with your throw you miss your chance. It passes on to the next player. This way each player gets a turn to play.

Once you are successful in playing all the blocks, you reach the last block, the Home on the top. From there you turn your back to the court and throw the marker so that it lands in a block. Now this block becomes your and others cannot trespass it they have to jump over it or lose their chance.

This way the game goes on. Children enjoy this game. The one who gets possession of the maximum number of blocks, is the winner. There is no fixed rule for playing this game. Children sometimes make addition and alterations in the rules for their pleasure. No national or international events ever organized for this game.

All that can be said of Hopscotch, is, it’s a game every child will enjoy. Its requirements are that can be found around. But what else is needed when children are happy.

© Gouri Guha 2021