I think I have just about finished this series of posts about childhood in the 1950's but I can't go without talking about playground games. They were so important!
The commonest game for girls was skipping, either alone or in a group with two people turning a long rope. Ropes were most often cut from a washing line which had been repaired just too often. My Mother favoured plastic covered washing lines which gave a very satisfactory sound when they hit the tarmac of the playground. There were skipping rhymes too, handed down among generations of girls (boys didn't join in, they just played endless football).
At certain times of the year "two ball" was the preferred game. One of my aunts was a keen tennis played and she often gave me old tennis balls. There were so many ways to play two ball: underarm, overarm, with or without a bounce against a wall, up into the air, alternating different throws.
In the autumn conkers came to the fore and that was popular with both boys and girls. It could get quite vicious in ways which I suspect wouldn't be allowed these days. Collecting conkers was a popular pastime in itself.
I remember playing a lot of hop-scotch.
ReplyDeleteWe played hopscotch but not at school. We weren't allowed to chalk the playground.
DeleteWe played creep mouse often, on person counts the others creep forward, when the counter turns around you have to stay still, if not you are out.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a summer game!
DeleteI was hopeless at two-ball [my Mum was brilliant though] We also did French Skipping aka "elastics" where two people stood opposite one another, and a loop of elastic round their ankles. The third person did various jumping and twisting activities [a bit like Cat's Cradle on your fingers only more energetic!] And I loved the singing game "The big ship sailed on the Alley Alley O" where you held hands in a line, and the first two people made an arch. You all danced through and then repeated with the next arch and so on. Finally everybody had hands crossed [like Auld Lang Syne] and you joined up the circle and danced and sang. We did that a lot at my first primary school. I moved when I was 7 to Co Durham - and nobody in my new school knew the game. I was extremely disappointed! Thank you for the reminiscences .
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten the big ship. We did French skipping too. I wonder how many games were regional?
DeleteI loved skipping and two balls with my classmates. The other thing we did was swapping scraps which were inside an old book for safekeeping. Thanks for stirring my memories. Catriona
ReplyDeleteNever swapped scraps but yes, I loved skipping and two balls.
DeleteI remember playing hopscotch and later four square. Never heard of two ball. Skipping was called jump roping here.
ReplyDeleteI've never played four square. I've just googled it though. Interesting game.
DeleteI used to teach singing, ball, skipping, and playground games for a whole term every year in all the primary schools I worked in. A lot of them became hugely popular with boys and girls, making life so much easier at break times.
ReplyDeleteWow. A teacher who played! It was just the dinner ladies with us and all they did was turn a rope for skipping!
DeleteI loved playing with 2 balls, and we had a song that accompanied it called 'Top Hat'. I played in the porch, which drove my Mum and the adjoining neighbours mad, with the constant banging on the wall. Loved 'french Skipping' as well.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of Top Hat. I wonder if that's a regional song too?
DeleteAmongst my female cousins, Jacks was a favourite. I don't remember much more than the name though.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. It was played by boys as well around here
DeleteHere it was skipping, doing a jump game over elastic bands attached together starting at the ground and working the way up. Lots of hopscotch as well.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Your "elastic game" sounds like French skipping here. See Angela's comment above.
DeleteIn 50s Yorkshire we also played cats cradle..and ma.rbles were very popular too
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten marbles!
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