1. Draw a traditional hopscotch diagram like the one to the right below the photograph.

(Chalk is best for asphalt and pavement outdoors. If you're playing inside, use masking
or painter's tape.)

2. Throw a small stone, twig, beanbag, or other marker into the first square. (If it lands
on a line, or outside the square, you lose your turn. Pass the marker to the following
player and wait for your next turn.)

3. Hop on one foot into the first empty square, and then every subsequent empty
square. Be sure to skip the one your marker is on.

4. At the pairs (4-5 and 7-8), jump with both feet.

5. At 10, hop with both feet, turn around, and head back toward the start.

6. When you reach the marked square again, pick up the marker -- still on one foot! --
and complete the course.

7. If you finished without any mistakes, pass the marker to the next player. On your next
turn, throw the marker to the next number.

8. If you fall, jump outside the lines, or miss a square or the marker, you lose your turn
and must repeat the same number on your next turn. Whoever reaches 10 first, wins.

Try one of these unique variations:

Watch The Time

Set the timer for 30 seconds. Each player must complete the course within the time
frame to proceed. If you go into overtime, you lose your turn.

Sign On the Line

Instead of throwing the stone in numerical order, toss it in any square. When you
complete a successful turn, initial the square where your marker landed and pass it to
the next player. The game ends when all spaces have been initialed. The person with
the most initialed squares wins.

Kick It

Try kicking the marker from space to space -- with your hopping foot -- as you jump
through the course.
 1
Draw a hopscotch design on the ground. Chalk is the best drawing medium on
asphalt, patio stones or concrete. The squares should be large enough to fit one foot
and to make sure that a stone thrown into the square will not bounce out too easily.
While there are variants on drawing the design, a common schoolyard design is shown
here.
It is common to designate the "10" section shown here as a rest or stop area. This is
where the player can take a moment to turn around and/or regain their balance.
Sometimes a more creative name, like "Heaven" is given to the space

2
Throw a flat stone or similar object (small beanbag, shell, button, plastic toy) to
land on square one. It has to land inside the square without touching the border or
bouncing out. If you don't get it within the lines, you lose your turn and pass the stone to
the next person. If you do get it, however, go on to the next step.
Hopscotch can be played with just one person. If that's your case, make up the rules as
you see fit!
 3
Hop through the squares, skipping the one you have your marker on. Each square
gets one foot. Which foot you start with is up to you. You can't have more than one foot
on the ground at a time, unless there are two number squares right next to each other.
In that case, you can put down both feet simultaneously (one in each square). Always
keep your feet inside the appropriate square(s); if you step on a line, hop on the wrong
square, or step out of the square, you lose your turn.

4
Pick up the marker on your way back. When you get to the last number, turn around
(remaining on one foot) and hop your way back in reverse order. While you're on the
square right before the one with your marker, lean down (probably on one foot still!) and
pick it up. Then, skip over that square and finish up
 5
Pass the marker on to the next person. If you completed the course with your marker
on square one (and without losing your turn), then throw your marker onto square two
on your next turn. Your goal is to complete the course with the marker on each square.
The first person to do this wins the game!
Ashrita Furman holds the Guinness World Record for completing the fastest game of
hopscotch, coming in at 68 seconds.[2] In case you were curious
HISTORY OF HOPSCOTCH- PAGE 1 OF 2
Regardless of your location youll likely have played or heard of hopscotch (or some
variation thereof), a game which finds its origins way back in Roman times. All it takes is
a hopscotch court, usually etched in chalk on a playground, and an object you can toss
into any of the courts numbered spaces. A simple enough concept which continues to
teach young kids the essence of healthy competition, and keeps them fit at the same
time.

The game is still popular all over the world, finding slight variations in the way the
course is drawn and the actual rules of the game. There are no language barriers in this
age-old kids game, and as long as you sketch your course anyone can start hopping
their way to victory watch out for those pesky pebbles your opponent might have
casually laid out.

Whether youre quite the pro, with your potsies tucked away in a bag ready for
unleashing, or youre just out to have fun on one leg, its safe to assume youll know
how to play a game of hopscotch, even if you call it Laylay or Amarelinha.

Just How Old is Hopscotch?:

Yet, questions inevitably come to mind regarding this ancient game, like exactly how old
is it? Who had the bright idea to sketch a numbered course, stomp on it and make a
game out of it all? And why on earth is it called hopscotch? Put your potsies away as we
take you thourgh our brief history of hopscotch.

Hop-full Beginnings
Its hard to pinpoint exactly where the game first began, though some texts say Roman
soldiers used to play it to keep fit, on courses which were as long as 100 feet (fancy
doing that in your lunchtime break). Soldiers played the game fully clad in heavy
armour, leaping about the course with the idea of improving their stamina and
endurance. In some hopscotch courses, the home base or top box is marked as
London as a tribute to the Great London Road dating back to Roman times. The most
common account of the games origins has Roman children drawing their own courses,
though just for fun, which is how the game eventually became popular throughout
Europe.

China the birthplace of Hopscotch?:

Other stories say the game was born in China, and it pretty much resembled the course
you see in many school playgrounds today, though the stone or object was used to
represent the players soul (scary stuff). The symbolism behind the game was to
overcome all the obstacles, which were portrayed by the lines, to eventually reach the
pot/cats cradle which represented heaven. Some hopscotch variants in England still
have the last square marked as heaven and if youll read on, as I hope you will, youll
see the German version of the game is still referred to as Heaven and Hell, though it
might be a bit too intense for my likings.
Yet there are other accounts which tell of hopscotch used as a rite of initiation for the
young, playing a similar part as the labyrinth in many cultures of the past (like ancient
Greece). Historians, who have researched hopscotch in relation to coming-of-age
ceremonies, believe the game has some hidden symbolism attached, in a similar way to
the Chinese version which we mentioned; the player overcomes various trials and
tribulations, marked by the squares and lines of the games course. In any case, most
historical accounts clearly make reference to it being challenging, despite its inherent
simplicity.

HISTORY OF HOPSCOTCH- PAGE 2 OF 2

Books Mentioning Hopscotch:
The first books mentioning the game are the Book of Games, by Willughby, and the
Poor Robins Almanac. Both were published in the 17th century and refer to the game
as Scotch-Hoppers, where a Scotch just means the line which separates the
numbered boxes. Fast-forwarding to more recent times, we find numerous references to
hopscotch in popular culture, from bands to films staking their claim to fame by
borrowing from the popular pastime.

Enough History, I Want to Play!

Wherever the game begun, or whoever invented it first, one thing remains: it is fun
because it is simple. You dont need any particular equipment to play hopscotch, and
its easy to draw the course on pretty much any ground surface, whether its asphalt,
sand or other.

The course is made of numbered boxes, usually from one to ten, the first three of which
are drawn on top of each other. Square four and five are drawn side by side, so if your
stone lands on any number other than those two you can use both feet. It then goes on,
with square six and nine drawn on their own, and seven and eight standing side by side.
The last square is usually curved and the player can rest with both feet (like the side by
side squares).

After setting up a course, all you need is a stone, coin or similar object to set you off on
your hopping frenzy. The player throws the object, usually a small stone, in order to land
in one of the numbered squares, though without hitting the lines which make up the
squares (the scotch). Once the stone lands, the player skips the number the stone is
on, while bouncing across the course, reaching the base (pot or cats cradle) then doing
the course backwards while skipping the same number. As mentioned, the player can
use both feet on squares standing side-by-side (i.e. four and five) as long as there is no
stone there.

Those are your standard hopscotch course and rules, though designs vary quite a bit
depending on country. Below well have a look at a few variations from around the
world, some of which have different rules and courses. There are all manners of
courses, from square to spiral ones.
Hopscotching Around the World
As mentioned the game is a bit different around the globe, and variations are plenty,
from the French version which features a spiral instead of the usual set up, to Ekhat-
Dukhat in India which only has two squares.

The New York version of the game is Potsie, which comes from pot or the home base
which a player gets too (if he doesnt fall off). The New York term for hopscotch, which
is played pretty much the same as the English one, dates back to the late 19th century.

The French version might be a bit harder to play if you are used to English hopscotch.
The course is a spiral, much like a snails shell, and players need to hop to the centre
and back. A player can also pick out a square of choice and can land on this square
with both feet; this is because there arent any squares side-by-side.

Hopscotch in German-speaking countries is called Heaven and Hell and has different
rules; players need to kick the stone from square to square when advancing, and
cannot stop at the Hell square which is the second-to-last in the game.

In Cyprus and Greece, they play Ayaktasi (try saying that with a mouthful) which is
similar to how the Australians play hopscotch. The player throws a stone into a square
in the usual way, but the game is played in stages and only ends once the stone has
landed on all possible squares.

Record Breaking Hops

As an incentive to keep kids fit, BUPA ran a hopscotching event involving 358 people
who merrily played the game for 10 minutes running, setting a new world record. This
was part of a scheme between Tower Hamlets council and BUPA to reduce children
obesity.

Dan OBrien, a former decathlete who won an Olympic medal after dominating the sport
at world level, managed to set another record for the worlds fastest game of hopscotch,
which took place in New Yorks Chelsea Piers. The whole game took exactly one
minute and twenty-one seconds, and it stood until Ashrita Furman broke it in 2010.

Ashrita Furman holds the record for the fastest hopscotch game, which took just over a
minute to complete. He also holds the record for most hopscotch games played in a 24-
hour period, totalling 434 in all which would be enough to give me cramps for a year! To
top all that, he also holds the world record for most hopscotch games played in one
hour, which is currently totalling 33. Furman holds several other Guinness records so
the feats are hardly surprising, yet it is still nice to see hopscotch so frequently
mentioned in the record books.

As of October 2011, children support groups from Canada completed the worlds
longest game of hopscotch, which featured a course slightly over 18,000 feet long. The
groups which took part in the event were Step Up 4 Change, Right to Play and Free the
Children, all of which are based at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

So as a game which is played by many kids across the globe, which features a number
of world records and whichs history is shrouded in mystery, it is hard to dismiss
hopscotch as just a kids game.

HOPSCOTCH RULES GOVERNING BODIES

Rules of Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a game that has been around for over three hundred years. A favorite of
children everywhere, you can play it with friends or all alone. The word hopscotch
means hop-scratch, since players sometimes scratch the court into dirt or slate on the
ground, and then play by hopping over the scratched lines. There are many variations to
choose from, but they all have a few rules in common.

Start With Your Court

Begin by drawing a court on the pavement with chalk, or in firm dirt with a stick. You can
choose from various classic courts, or invent your own.

Youll want it to be between six and eight feet long by three or four feet wide, but it
doesnt have to be perfect. This game is for fun!

Get your Markers

Each player will need a distinct object to act as a marker. It will need to be heavy
enough not to blow away, and flat enough to not roll. Nearby rocks make great markers,
as long as you keep track of whose rocks are whose.

Determine Player Order

Choose who goes first, second, and so on. You will go in the same order every round.

Pitch Your Marker

Throw your marker, trying to make it land in the number one square. If you make it,
good for you! If not, your turn is over, time for the next person to try.

Hop
If your marker lands in the right place, now its time for you to hop. Avoiding the number
one square, hop on one foot in each of the other squares in order. If two squares are
next to each other, use both feet to hop on them at the same time. If you make it all the
way to home without tripping or missing a square, good for you! If not, you must try
again on your next turn. Either way, its now time for the next person to have a turn.

Ascend
Pitch to the next number in order and if your pitch was successful hop, avoiding the
stone that contains your marker. Each turn should either include a successful pitch and
hop, a successful pitch and unsuccessful hop, or an unsuccessful pitch. Only players
who have successful pitches and hops can try for the next highest number on their next
turn. It might take several turns to get some numbers right.

Winning
Win in a group by being the first to get all the way to home, having successfully pitched
and hopped every number in order. Win alone by getting all the way to home, having
successfully pitched and hopped every number.

Groups
Hopscotch has no boards or ruling authorities other than children everywhere
Engklek or hopscotch is a children's game that can be played by several players.
Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object into
numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or
jump through the spaces to retrieve the object. Usually this game is played by two or
five players.

They play at the garden or outside of the house because this game is played on a 3 x 4
meter land. To make the games arena, children usually use chalk, pieces of tiles,
charcoal or anything to draw engklek.

The simple traditional game is played by tossing a tile piece or thin stone. It is played
alternately. The players will draw the order of the player. The first player will throw tile
piece into the first nearest space. After that, she/he must hop to all spaces in turn by
using only one leg. The player must lift one of the legs and it is prohibited to touch the
land. The space which has tile piece belonging to the player cannot be trampled and
must be passed. And the player who is playing the game, is prohibited to touch or to
step the dividing line. The player who has finished one round, has a right to choose a
space to become his or her land. It means the space can be stepped, while the other
players cannot step during the game. The player who has most spaces will win this
game.

Engklek ot hopsctoch can be found in various regions in indonesia, such as

in sumatra, java, bali, kalimantan, and sulawesi. In every region, this game is known
with different names. It was told that the name of this game came from "zondag-
maandag" from the ducth and spread to the archipelago during the colonial era. In
europe itself, engklek traditional game was popular among little girl community in the
world war era. While in indonesia, during the dutch colonial there were many dutch little
girls played engklek traditional game. Certainly, this game is played by most little girls,
even though now, many boys also play this game. After indonesias independence, this
traditional game still survives and becomes popular among kids throughout indonesia.

To begin:

Draw a hopscotch game layout on the concrete with chalk.

Number the squares from one to 10.

There are many different varieties and you can make up your own.

Each player chooses a rock for their marker.

How to Play Hopscotch :

The two basic rules to remember -

1. Players can only have 1 foot in each square of the hopscotch board at a time.

2. Players have to hop over the square with the rock (or marker) in it.

First player throws their rock onto the first square. They then hop over that square to the
second square on one foot. On double squares you must land with your feet side by
side. Turn around and come back the same way only when you get to the square with
your rock you must balance on one foot and pick up your rock. If completed with no
mistakes then the player goes again and throws their rock to the 2 square and so on.

You may not at any time: step on a line, miss a square or lose your balance. If you do
any of those three things your turn is over.

If while throwing the rock you miss the right square or it lands touching a line then you
lose your turn.

Game Variations:

Make some squares special by giving special directions for that square. Such as when
in that square you have to hop three times or spin around.

Play hopscotch inside by making a hopscotch board out of painters tape on carpet or
tile surfaces. Use bean bags as markers.

Markers:
Make easy indoor (or outdoor) markers by filling small socks with beans or rice and
tying the sock closed at the middle.