UNP-0121 Traditional Street Games

UNP-0121 TraditionalARCHIVE Street Games UNP-0121 Traditional Street Games Table of Contents Why Street Games? .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1 The Problems................................................................................................................................................. 1 Why Street Games......................................................................................................................................... 2 Helpful Hints for Game Leaders .............................................................................................................................. 3 Street Games ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Egg or Balloon Toss ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Hit the Stick.................................................................................................................................................... 5 Hopscotch ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Human Bowling .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Jump Rope and Rhymes ............................................................................................................................... 8 Kick the Can................................................................................................................................................. 10 Punchball ......................................................................................................................................................11 Rat Tail Chase.............................................................................................................................................. 12 Red Light, Green Light ................................................................................................................................. 13 Ring-a-lievo .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Snake Dodging ............................................................................................................................................ 15 War Balls...................................................................................................................................................... 16 References ...............................................................................................................................................................ARCHIVE 17 TRADITIONAL STREET GAMES UNP-0121 Why Street Games? Introduction It doesn't take a rocket scientist to played. Perhaps it is time for parents and calculate the effect of technology on the guardians to return to tradition and state of children's health in the twenty-first encourage children to play outside. century. Manual levers have been removed from children's toys and replaced with The Problems batteries or a combustion engine. Foot- pedaled cars are now pushbutton cars, and Lack of direct, physical, positive, and bicycles have become scooters or four- emotional connections to nature, including wheeled vehicles. Computers, video life-long leisurely pursuits, result in games, cell phones, IPods, and other hand- sedentary lifestyles, poor health, and held games have replaced the traditional nature-deficit disorders for Alabama street games. With technological advances children, youth, and families. The evidence comes the elimination of physical education is obvious. Here are a few statistics: programs and daily recess in order to "leave no child behind." The result is • The National Health and Nutrition overweight kids across the United States. Examination Survey (2003–2006) It appears that contemporary lifestyles are reported an increase in obesity for leaving many children on their behinds and children ages 2–5; a 5 to 17 percent few children outside. increase in obesity among children 6–11 years of age; and a 5 to 17.6 percent A fast-paced lifestyleARCHIVE has families increase in obesity among youth ages scrambling for carry-out meals, which only 12–19. compounds the problem of consuming too • An assessment of children living in rural many high-fat, high-sugar, and high-calorie Black Belt Alabama conducted by the meals. It's no wonder parents and Alabama Cooperative Extension System guardians encounter more health concerns revealed that obesity is increasing and in children. Another tragedy is that many of more children are overweight than these children will never learn the previously recognized. In Alabama, 16.7 traditional street games their ancestors percent of children ages 10–17 are obese; the national rate is 14.8 percent. Author Mick Green (2002) writes, And according to Trust for America's "during most of the twentieth century, Health (2008), obese children are more urban youth spent their daylight after- likely to become obese adults. school hours in their neighborhoods, • In 2001, the American Academy of Child playing outdoors with their friends in and Adolescent Psychiatry reported that unsupervised activities." He continues, children watched an average of 3–4 "Streets and sidewalks, the urban hours of television daily, and the equivalent of open spaces were adaptable amount of television children watch to the full range of ball games and the directly correlates with an increase in widest variety of play." body fat as a result of living a sedentary lifestyle. The Extension team project Saving • Physicians are three times more likely Towns thru Asset Revitalization provides to prescribe psychotropic drugs to practical tools for intervention on how American children than in other coun- traditional street games and outdoor play tries (Zito et al., 2008). can impact physical inactivity in Alabama youth. While the focus of this work is Why Street Games? fitness and outdoor play, anyone can launch a campaign to introduce traditional Physical activity and eating well- games and play. Why not start today? balanced meals are the two essential ingredients to improving one's health. Street games allow young people and Marilyn Simpson-Johnson, Extension Forestry, Wildlife and Natural adults to add physical activity to their daily Resources Specialist routines. There is a rich heritage of games and play in all cultures, and structured and Jerry Chenault, unstructured outdoor play is a vital Urban Regional Extension Agent component to healthy childhood development. ARCHIVE 2 Alabama Cooperative Extension System Helpful Hints for Game Leaders • Encourage fair play, honesty, teamwork, Other Outdoor Games and good sportsmanship. As leader, you set the pace and can frame the Frisbee activities so that games begin as Kickball smoothly as possible, and in the proper Dodge ball context of fun and fair play. Water gun battles • Allow participants to take leadership Volleyball roles in the games. For example, allow Duck, duck, goose them to set boundaries, explain rules, Limbo and officiate under your guidance and Hot potato supervision. It will help them to develop Freeze tag leadership skills. Hide-and-seek • Stop the game before the fun stops. Wheelbarrow or other races End on a happy note and not when tired Hula-hoop or jump rope contests players become argumentative or Tug-of-war aggressive. Leap frog • Participate in the game, but don't Races dominate or make the game dangerous. Remember, games are about having fun and not just winning. • Change the rules as needed. Don't be afraid to be creative. Make an old game different or fresh to accommodate group members or conditions, such as available space or weather conditions. • Encourage only positive comments between players and equal play for all skill levels. Sitting on the bench is no fun for anyone. • Keep kids active! Many individuals in our society live sedentary lifestyles, but we want active, healthy, and smiling kids. ARCHIVE Traditional Street Games 3 Street Games Egg or Balloon Toss How to Play Each player is teamed with a partner. Team Ages members put on plastic bags. Partners line 8 and up up across from each other at arm's length. All players stand in straight lines. The lines Materials begin about 3 feet apart and will back up a • 50-gallon plastic bags (with three holes step after each successive toss. The cut in them to allow access of arms and objective is for a team member to toss the head) egg or balloon in the air to his or her • Eggs or water balloons partner. The receiver attempts to catch the • Tarps or other coverings (to cover egg or balloon without breaking it. This ground) becomes more difficult as the lines get • Whistle farther and farther apart after each • Wet wipes (to clean hands after egg or successful toss. A team that breaks an egg balloon breaks) or balloon is eliminated from the • Prizes competition. Prizes are awarded to each team that does not break their egg or Note: A local commercial hatchery may balloon. donate unusable

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