Push-pin (game) facts for kids

Push-pin was a fun game played by children in England a long time ago. People played it from the 1500s to the 1800s. It was also called "put-pin." This game is a bit like other old Scottish games named "Hattie" and "Pop the Bonnet."

How to Play Push-Pin

Push-pin is a game for two or more players. Each player places one pin, like a sewing needle, on a table. Players take turns trying to push their own pin across another player's pin. The goal is to make your pin cross over your opponent's pin.

Playing Pop the Bonnet

"Pop the Bonnet," also known as "Hattie," is a similar game. In this game, players put two pins on the edge of a hat. They then take turns gently tapping or "popping" the sides of the hat. The idea is to make the pins move and cross over each other. If a player makes the pins cross, they get to keep those pins.

Pins were quite valuable back then because they were not easy to get. So, winning pins meant gaining something useful. Boys and men sometimes kept extra pins on their clothes, like on a sleeve, so they were always ready to play a game.

Images for kids

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  1797 James Gillray cartoon depicting push-pin

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  1777 etching depicting a couple playing a game of push-pin