The kids’ playground in Singapore Sports Hub.
PHOTO: GROVE
Do you remember your childhood? Chances are, many of you were born before iPads came around. In a time when mobile games and singalong YouTube videos didn’t exist, we had printed activity books and sang songs with our friends and family.
We discovered the world by venturing out into nature. Our parents would reprimand us if we scraped our knees or muddied our clothes, but we did so anyway, and that’s how we learned about life.
We also had games like Pepsi Cola and Police and Thief, which don’t need any gadgets or special equipment. Best of all, you can enjoy these games, too, and enjoy them anywhere.
Hunter, Fire, Earthquake
Great for groups of 10 or more, this game starts with dividing players into “trees” and “squirrels” in a 2:1 ratio. Next, form groups of threes where two “trees” hold hands above their heads and the “squirrel” ducks under these hands. Ready? When the game master shouts “hunter”, the squirrels have to leave their “homes” and run to find a new home each. When the game master shouts “fire”, the trees have to run and cover a new squirrel. When the game master decides to shout “earthquake”, everybody has to run. In each round, the game master counts the participants down and participants who do not find a new group of three in time are eliminated.
Country Erasers
When we were very young, we learned the flags of different countries from erasers. In this one-on-one game, players flip one eraser each to land their eraser flat on top of their opponent’s eraser. You have to flip your eraser with one finger and cannot lift the eraser off the playing surface. When one player manages to land his or her eraser flat on top of the other eraser, he or she wins. Country Erasers can still be bought from stationery shops and old-school game shops.
Pepsi Cola
This game is suitable for two or more. Participants of Pepsi Cola first number off, then say “Pepsi Cola 1-2-3” together. When the players say “1-2-3”, they jump as far back as possible. Players have to keep still in their spots and take turns to move. When players move, they have to shout their numbers and try to step on an opponent’s foot. If your foot is stepped on, you’re out. The game goes on till one player is left.
All you need to play hopscotch is friends and chalk.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Hopscotch
Sometimes the playground had leftover chalk, other times we took chalk from the classroom. Draw this hopscotch design on the floor and everyone takes turns. When it’s your turn, throw your chalk (or a bean bag or stone) onto square 1. Be careful with your toos, because if you miss or touch the line, you forfeit your turn and have to move to the back of the line. After landing your chalk in square 1, hop through the squares but skip the square with your chalk in it (square 1), then hop back across the squares in descending order and pick your chalk up along the way. Players must balance on one foot for single squares, and two feet for double squares in the example above. After you complete the course on square 1, you try to throw your chalk on to square 2 and do the process again. The first person to complete all the squares wins.
Police and Thief
An amalgamation of tag, catching and hide-and-seek, Police and Thief requires players to divide themselves into equal numbers of police officers and thieves. Find a suitable spot to label your “jail” — a spot on a playground or next to a big object like a tree will do. When the game starts, the objective of police officers is to tag thieves and for the thieves to run away. When thieves are tagged, they are locked in jail. Similarly, thieves will try to tag their friends who are in jail, which “breaks them out” of jail. This game carries on until participants are too exhausted to carry on or when someone needs to go home.
What were your favourite games when you were a kid? Bonding with your own kids through childhood games can be a great way to relive that energetic time in your own life.
Singapore Sports Hub’s playground is located on the roof of the Singapore Sports Hub Library, between the National Stadium and the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and includes plenty of places to slide, ride, see-saw and climb.
