To all former Eastwick pupils :

Please read the pages under ‘Children’s Games’, and then – if anything comes to mind – please add to and/or comment on the list below via the ‘Leave a comment’ option at the end.  Thanks.

Do you remember any details of how we played these games ? Do you remember any other games/rhymes, etc. Please say if you don’t think we played a particular game or used a particular rhyme, etc :

Chasing games : Terms used for chaser – he or it (different terms are used in different parts of the country). You could also quickly say Baggsy not it !

Kiss chase
Line he – i.e. confined to the netball court lines painted on the playground
Ball he – i.e. throwing a ball to ‘catch’ the chased.
Off-ground he – i.e anywhere off the ground was ‘safe’
Chain he – each child caught then holds hand with catcher(s) to form a chain

– Was there a term and/or a gesture for stepping out of the game for a while so that you couldn’t be caught (e.g. while doing your shoe laces up) ?
– Was there a safe place where you could not be caught ?
– Could those who had been caught be released ?

Counting out – i.e. choosing who is to be it or he, etc :

Ibble obble black bobble
Ibble obble OUT !

One potater, two potater
Tree potater, four
Five potater, six potater
Seven potater, more
O U T spells OUT !

Eeny meeny miny mo . . . etc

Ip dip sky blue
Who’s it ?
Not YOU

– Counting out is often called dipping. Did we use that term ? Or some other ?

French skipping : like cats cradle, but with a long piece of elastic stretched between the ankles (then knees) of two players standing opposite each other a few feet apart. A third player has to jump over, catching the elastic with their feet, a number of times until the elastic is woven into a set pattern. Then they have to undo it by repeating their previous moves in reverse.

Hand-stands :
Get your knives and your forks and CUT IT !

Piggy-back fights : a boys game only I think.

Playing horses : two children grasp each others hands behind their backs and prance around pretending to be a pair of horses.

. . . . . . ?