Arguably the best thing about school was the hours spent in the playground having fun with our friends and getting competitive while playing a variety of games and activities.
Like many areas across the UK, Manchester has a handful of playground games that children have enjoyed for decades. Some are still popular today, while others are lesser known - especially those that are considered a little violent nowadays.
Below is a selection of some of the most iconic playground games that the majority of us will remember fondly - or not so fondly, if you were rubbish at them!
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Conkers
A game that could sometimes cause injury is Conkers. Two players each have a conker threaded onto a string or shoelace which is wrapped around their hand. They must hold the string still and take it in turns to hit each other’s conker. The aim is to break your opponent’s conker, resulting in yours being the only one remaining.
Tag/It/Blind Man’s Bluff
Probably the simplest playground game there is, but one that can go on for what feels like hours. A child is chosen as “it” and chases the other players around the playground trying to tag one of them. If you get tagged, you become “it”. Blind Man’s Bluff makes the game a little harder, with whoever is “it” wearing a blindfold.
British Bulldog
Many of us will remember the cuts and bruises we often received while playing British Bulldog. Usually the game involves one or more children being selected as the bulldog and standing in the middle of the playground or playing field.
The remaining players stand at one end of the area and attempt to leg it to the other side past the bulldog(s) without being caught. If you get caught and can’t break free before the bulldog has said the phrase “British Bulldog!” or “British Bulldog, one, two, three!” you become a bulldog and join the others in the middle. The game continues until one person remains - they are declared the winner.
Duck, Duck, Goose
I’m sure many people can remember the panic of being named “goose” in this game. Players sit on the floor in a circle and whoever is “it” walks around patting each person on the head.
If they say “duck” as they pat your head, you’re safe, but if they announce “goose!” you have to get up and chase them around the circle. If they sit down in your space before you tag them, it’s your turn to be “it”.
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What’s The Time Mr Wolf?
A simple game that causes a lot of screaming! Whoever is Mr Wolf stands at one end of the playing area with his back turned to the players who are standing at the other end.
The children ask “What's the time Mr Wolf?” with the wolf then saying a time, such as “It is 3 o’clock”. The children then take three steps towards the wolf, and play continues like this until Mr Wolf can sense the players are really close.
When asked what time it is on this occasion, the wolf will reply “lunch time!”, prompting the children to scream and run away as the wolf tries to catch one of them. The wolf then chooses who takes on the role next.
Skipping/Double Dutch
A simple but adored playground game is skipping, including Double Dutch. The latter involves two children holding the ends of two ropes and turning them simultaneously in opposite directions. One or two players stand between the two ropes and jump over them as they turn. Some children also chose to sing a chant or rhyme while the players jumped.
Piggy In The Middle
A playground game that wasn’t too fun if you were short. Two players stand a few metres apart, with a third player known as the “piggy” standing in the middle.
The Piggy’s aim is to catch the ball which is being thrown over their head between the two players standing either side of them. If they catch the ball, whoever threw it is now the Piggy.
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Stuck In The mud
This iconic playground game would often involve a lot of shouting from children who had been stuck. The player who is “it” runs around and tags as many players as they can.
When you are tagged, you become “stuck in the mud” and must stand with your legs and arms apart. You cannot move and the only way to be freed is for a non-tagged player to crawl through your legs.
Marbles
There are many different ways to play Marbles, with the main aim usually being to knock as many marbles out of the centre circle as possible using your shooter marble. If you knocked a marble out of the circle, you were able to keep it and have another turn,
However, if you failed to hit a marble out of the circle, your turn would be over and play would pass to the other player. Whoever has the most marbles when they’ve all been knocked outside of the circle is the winner.
The Floor Is Lava
A playground game that always kept you on your toes was The Floor Is Lava. Someone would randomly shout “the floor is lava!” and everyone nearby would have a few seconds (usually five) to get off the floor by climbing onto benches, tables, play area apparatus or whatever else was nearby. If you were still standing on the floor when the time was up, you’d be out.
Hide And Seek
A simple playground game that is sure to get your blood pumping is Hide and Seek. There was nothing like the excitement of finding a brilliant hiding place and impatiently waiting in the hope you wouldn’t be found. If you were found, we bet you jumped out of your skin!
The seeker closes his eyes and counts to a figure, usually 100 seconds, giving players plenty of time to hide. The first person found is the next seeker, while the last player found is the winner of the game.
What was your favourite playground game? Let us know in the comments section below.
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