List of traditional children's games facts for kids

Hide and Seek (painting 1881)

This is a list of games that used to be played by children quite some time ago, some of which are still being played now. Traditional children's games do not include commercial products such as board games, but do include games which require props such as hopscotch or marbles. "'Traditional' games", have, "not only failed to disappear, but have also evolved over time into new versions."

Traditional children's games are defined, "as those that are played informally with minimal equipment, that children learn by example from other children, and that can be played without reference to written rules. These games are usually played by children between the ages of 7 and 12"

"Children's traditional games (also called folk games) are those that are passed from child to child, generation to generation, informally by word of mouth," and most children's games include at least two of the following six features in different proportion: physical skill, strategy, chance, repetition of patterns, creativity, and vertigo.

A

B

• Blind man's buff

C

• Chinese whispers (telephone)

D

• Dice
• Dodgeball
• Double Dutch
• Duck, duck, goose

E

F

• Four Square

G

H

• Hide-and-go-seek
• Hopscotch
• Hot potato

I

• I spy

J

• Jacks (jackstones)
• Jumping rope

K

• Knucklebones

L

• Leapfrog
• Limbo

M

• Marbles
• Musical chairs

N

O

P

• Patty cake
• Pick-up sticks

Q

R

• Red Rover
• Ring a Ring o' Roses
• Rock-paper-scissors

S

T

• Tag

U

V

W

• What's the time, Mr Wolf?

X

Y

• Yo-yo

Z