Hopscotch is an old traditional game that can still bring loads of fun and laughter in school yards everywhere. With these easy steps you can create your own hopscotch at home, inside or out!
1. Draw a traditional hopscotch. (Chalk is best for asphalt and pavement outdoors. If you’re playing inside, use masking or painter’s tape.)
2. Throw a small stone, twig, bottle top, or bean bag into the first square. (If it lands on a line, or outside the square, you lose your turn. Pass the marker to the following player and wait for your turn in the next round.)
3. Hop on one foot into the first empty square, and then every subsequent empty square. Be sure to skip the one your marker is on.
4. At the pairs (4-5 and 7-8), jump with both feet.
5. At 10, hop with both feet, turn around, and head back toward the start.
6. When you reach the marked square, pick up the marker — still on one foot! — and complete the course.
How Does Hopscotch Help a Child’s Development?
Cognitive Development
In order to play the game, a child has to follow a set of rules and play with a purpose.
There are many thought processes that go into a game of hopscotch, such as:
- Learning where to throw the object
- How to jump through the squares
- Which foot should land in which square
There is a lot of brainwork happening at the same time as the physical work, which makes this game a great way to stimulate cognitive development!
By Aida Esquival, Early Childhood Teacher
