Kids in the past loved to play, just like you! Fancy toys were hard to get... so, kids used simpler things to play with. Here are some old-timey toys that are still fun!

You can jump or skip rope on your own. It’s even more fun when two people turn a long rope for a friend to jump. The next level is “Double-Dutch,” with two ropes turning!

There are lots of old jump rope rhymes. They help you keep the beat while you jump. This one has actions to do while jumping!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch your shoe.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, that will do.

A game of jacks has 10 counters and a bouncy ball.

1. Scatter the jacks on the ground.

2. Toss the ball up and use one hand to grab 1 jack before the ball bounces. Catch the ball.

3. Do it again, but grab 2 jacks, then 3, then 4 and so on…

4. Your turn is done if you can’t grab the correct number of jacks or if you don’t catch the ball. Start over on your next turn.

5. Take turns with other players. The first person to get to 10 wins!

Back in time, kids collected marbles by playing a game. They drew a large chalk circle on the ground. Each player would put the same number of marbles in the circle. Taking turns, they’d flick their big ‘shooter’ marble from the edge. The goal was to knock out other marbles.

Playing for “keepsies” meant that the shooter kept marbles they knocked out (even if it was someone else’s)!

This game is played with a large piece of looped string. You hold it in a pattern between your hands. Your friend uses their fingers in a specific way to take the string. This makes a new design between their hands. You pass the string back and forth making fun designs.

Dandelions