Hopscotch is a classic game that kids of all ages can play. It’s a game that encourages counting while practicing coordination and balance and any number of players can play. You don’t need much to play hopscotch. You just need a space to play, game markers and written numbers to mark where each hop is.
For outdoor hopscotch, sidewalk chalk works great to set up the game space. You can shorten the playing area with fewer numbers if you don’t have a lot of space or you want to make it a little easier for younger kids.
For indoor hopscotch you can use the tiles on the kitchen floor as your game space and electrical tape to put he numbers on the floor. Check out the hopscotch fun at DollarStoreCrafts.com
To set up for the game, you need to:
- Draw squares and number in order from 1-10
- Use a flat object as a place marker such as a flat stone, a beanbag or some other object that will stay in place when lands from a toss.
Here’s how to play hopscotch:
The object is to see who can complete all 10 squares first.
- One player takes a turn throwing a flat object into a square (beanbag, stone, etc.) – if the marker lands outside of a square, the player loses their turn. Start with the first square, and with each square moving up one number. The player continues with new tosses until they miss their turn.
- Hop on the squares, skipping over the square with the marker.
- When the player reaches 10, they turn around and return back down to 1, making sure to pick up their marker on their way back.
Note: The double square spaces require both feet (one foot on each square), the single square spaces are a one foot hop.
Tips for younger players:
As long as the kids can hop (even with two feet only), they can play. Here are some ideas of things you can change a bit to allow your little ones to have fun playing hopscotch:
- Shorten and adjust the playing space so they don’t have to go all the way to 10.
- Allow hopping on two feet on all squares, double squares would be a wide stance for the hop.
- Allow for missed squares when tossing the marker rather than requiring the player miss a turn and instead of continuing turns, alternate players with each toss.
Squares are set up in a layout similar one of the following:
Learn to make beanbags to toss for hopscotch at DollarStoreCrafts.com