14 Games… Every Child of The 20th Century Played

There’s nothing we like more here at Her Towers than taking a trip down memory lane. This week, we decided to head back to our not so distant (*cough) youth and recall all of our favourite outdoor games that really shaped our childhood. Sure the young ones these days don’t know what they’re missing! Here are some of our favourites… ______________________________________________________ Red Rover, Red Rover Come hail, rain or shine, there was nothing better than lining up for a good old-fashioned game of Red Rover. The key tactic was sussing out the opposing team’s weakest link and then making sure they were the first one you captured. Evil, but genius. Blindman’s Buff One of the best games to play when those long, dark winter nights kicked in, there was nothing we liked more than blindfolding one of our friends, turning off the lights, spinning them around and around before leaving them to fend for themselves against the furniture. (*smacks head off inconveniently located wall). Stop the Lights Often also known as Stop the Bus the best part of this game was when you got to be the one running the alphabet through your head, as you were able to stop on the letter you knew you had all the answers to… boy, girl, fruit, flower, picture, programme (plus whatever other random category came into your head)… Cheaters? Who, us? Kerbs A game we still wish we could play every time we drive through a housing estate that has perfect equally distanced kerbs on either side of the road. Oh that feeling of joy when the ball bounced perfectly off the kerb and right back into your arms. Winning. Forty/Forty Again, another one with many different names including Tip the Can, this was the cool kids version of hide and seek which involved a lot of running, screaming and numerous disagreements over who got home (tipped the can) first. Fun times. Pogs Now although we said we’d be looking at outdoor games, a list of childhood games just wouldn’t be complete without mentioning pogs. And sure couldn’t you play it outdoors if the wish took your fancy… or indeed, if you knew how to play it… All we know is that we had hundreds of the things and all we did was swap them. What time is it Mr. Wolf? Hours of endless enjoyment came from this game – even when we were probably too old to be playing it. Cue hysterical screaming when the wolf said it was dinner time. Spin the Bottle The more mature version of kiss chase (sigh, who doesn’t love a bit of kiss chase?), spin the bottle was the minefield of teenage hormones and mortification. The reason it’s in this list is not for what we got to do in the game, but for the evil delight you got out of your friend’s humiliating kiss with the fella up the road. Chain tig Ah the terrifying politics of school ground play time. Watching as the chain became longer and longer and knowing that you were going to be caught eventually. This follows the Red Rover principles though – always look for the weakest link and outrun them as fast as you can. Knick Knack Also known as knock knock run, door knocking, runaway-knock, this was the best reliever of boredom ever. The rules? Knock on your neighbour’s door and run away. Simples. Stuck in the Mud Ah running around like lunatics in the playground only to get caught by whoever was ‘it’ and have to stand as still as a statue until you were freed. Cue lots of children toppling each other over as they tried to crawl under each other’s legs. Simon Says The best part of this game was being the leader – end of. You got to get everyone to do all your stupid moves. Skipping Remember the days of the Skipathons? Where you would get a full afternoon off school to do skipping? How awesome was that? *begins proposal for team bonding exercise in work*. And all the rest… The list is endless really, but other Her Towers favourites included Chinese whispers (which always went wrong), talking in Pig Latin (to wreck your little sister’s head), hopscotch, conkers, rounders, man hunt, hand clapping games, thumb war, rock paper scissors and being allowed to punch someone and say jinx. See, we told you – there’s too many good ones to count!