Hop Scotch Game Instructions

Hopscotch is an entertaining activity for kids of all ages.

Hopping and skipping games along a backyard sidewalk can keep children happily busy for hours. An old-fashioned jumping game, hopscotch requires little equipment and just basic hopping skills. Teach children the simple rules for hopscotch and help them set up a hopscotch playing surface. Once children understand the hopscotch game instructions, any number of children can entertain themselves playing this enjoyable backyard game.

Things You'll Need

• Sidewalk chalk
• Small stone or button

Instructions

1. Draw a hopscotch playing field on pavement or concrete with the sidewalk chalk. The hopscotch playing field requires interconnected squares, numbered in sequential order. A simple hopscotch course has six or eight squares, each square having 12 or 18-inch sides. More advanced hopscotch players can make as many squares as they desire. The standard hopscotch playing field starts with two squares beside each other (squares 1 and 2), a third square beyond the first two squares, which is centered between the first two squares and shares the same lines (square 3) and beyond that two more squares beside each other (squares 4 and 5). Continue adding squares in the same fashion or alter your playing field if you desire.

2. Proceed with the first player's turn. This player stands behind the first two squares and throws the scotch onto square 1. This player must hop around square 1 without hopping on it because it contains the scotch. The player hops one foot on square 2, one foot on square 3, jumps with both feet on squares 4 and 5, hops on square 6 and jumps on squares 7 and 8. The player then turns around and hops and jumps back. When the player comes to the square with the scotch, the player stoops, picks up the scotch, jumps on both squares and finishes his turn.

3. Continue playing with the next player taking her turn. This player throws the scotch onto the next square and hops and jumps through the course while avoiding the square with the scotch. If a player throws the scotch onto the wrong square (out of sequential order), hops or jumps onto a square with the scotch or falls over while hopping, jumping or picking up the scotch, this player loses her turn.

4. Give each player a turn to toss the scotch into the next square, hopping and jumping through the hopscotch course. Allow the players to take as many turns as they desire.

Tips & Warnings

• According to the book "Hopscotch," by Elizabeth Dana Jaffe, the word "hopscotch" is English. In England, players call the stone or button used as a marker a "scotch." Players hop over the "scotch" when playing hopscotch.

References

• "Hopscotch"; Elizabeth Dana Jaffe, Sherry L. Field and Linda D. Labbo; 2001