How to Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a game that was born in Britain as a course for Roman soldiers to improve their footwork. Over the years it has developed into a beloved children's game. This article describes the American hopscotch design.
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Instructions
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Observe the hopscotch course. Pictured is an old American design. The modern course has three single blocks numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then there are two side-by-side blocks numbered 4 and 5 drawn to make the single line of blocks be on the middle of the two block sets. Continue with a single 6, a double 7 and 8, a single 9 and a single 10. Although single, the 10 is the size of two blocks.
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Play by turn. Toss your token into the one square, which will be right below your feet since you start the game at the bottom line of the course. The marker cannot bounce out or touch a line. Jump over the square with the token, in this case landing on square two. You must land on the square with one foot and cannot touch a line or lose your balance. Hop through the course using one foot for single squares and both feet to straddle the two-square numbers. Do not touch lines; do not lose your balance and fall and do not go out of bounds.Pick up your token when arriving back at square one. You may now jump in it. Upon clearing the square you may move forward.
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Typically, you are allowed to have a "free space." You designate it. Often the 10 space can be used where the player can use both feet without fear of an internal line as they turn.
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Toss your token into the second square. Proceed as with the first play only this time you may jump into square one with one foot and then you must jump over square two because it has the token.Continue with this play until you fail to get your token cleanly into a square or you step on a line or lose your balance.When this occurs it is the next player's turn.
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Pick up exactly where you left off when it comes back to your turn. It is important to remember where you left off.Sometimes it is good to take turns sitting out a game to act as judge since there are often disputes as to whether a line was touched.
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Complete the entire course. If you are the first to do so, you win.Change the course as many times as you like to change the challenge level.You have completed the game of hopscotch.
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Tips & Warnings
Change the Course Design for a Different Challenge
Stay Away From Lines
Resources
- Photo Credit GNU Free Document Wikipedia: Ytrottier, Cuba Students: J. Emery
