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Classic Games Trivia

Here are some fun facts about childhood pastimes that have been around for generations, even centuries.

By Ann Douglas
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  • The first hopscotch courts were over one hundred feet long. They were used for military training exercises in ancient Britain. It was believed that playing hopscotch would help to make soldiers more nimble and sure-footed.
  • The first “jacks” were sheep ankle bones. Players threw five of these “knucklebones” into the air and tried to catch them on the back of their hands as the bones came tumbling down.
  • The earliest marbles were made out of stone, clay, and wood. But even before that, children played with smooth pebbles and rounded nuts—nature’s “marbles.”
  • Kites have been around for at least two thousand years—and perhaps even longer than that. But up until the 17th century, kites were used in religious ceremonies rather than for fun.
  • The word “yo yo” wasn’t coined until the mid-nineteenth century, but the oldest surviving yo-yos date back to about 500 BC. They were made of stone and decorated with paintings of mythological figures.
  • Kites have played a major role in many important scientific discoveries. Leonardo da Vinci relied on kite-flying technology to come up with a method of building bridges. And the pioneers of aviation turned to kites for inspiration, too.
  • People used to believe that their crops would grow as high as they could jump. Jumping rope became an annual rite of spring—a way of “guaranteeing” a good crop.
  • There weren’t any playgrounds in North America until well into the nineteenth century. At that point, urban planners began setting aside some land for playgrounds so that children would have a safe place to play.

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