USSR games for children. Games of our childhood

My dear educators! The long-awaited summer is coming! And this means a playground and outdoor games! I suggest you remember our old favorite games and teach them to the children. I'm sure it will be great and fun! Let's leave the Winx fairies and all kinds of robots, let them get bored... But we won't be bored!

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"Rubber bands"
Target: develop the vestibular apparatus, coordination, attentiveness. Learn to train, win, lose with dignity, jump the highest and be friends with girls, even if at the moment they are rivals.
Progress of the game:
The main attribute of this game for girls is the elastic band. The ideal number of players is 3–4 people. Each participant performs jumping figures and combinations at different heights: from ankle level (the “first” jumpers) to neck level (the “sixth” jump). As soon as the jumper makes a mistake, another participant takes her place, and the girl who made the mistake puts on an elastic band. If there are four players, the pairs switch places when both players from one pair alternately make mistakes.

"Hopscotch"

Target: develop dexterity, accuracy, ability to concentrate and knowledge of numbers.
Requires crayons, an asphalt pad and a pebble (or washer). You draw small cells with numbers in a certain sequence, and you can jump even alone. The main thing is to hit the cage with a stone, jump to it on one or two legs and return back the same way. The luckiest player is the one who manages to go all the way from one to ten. There can be any number of hopscotch players.

"Boyars"

Target: develop the ability to be part of a team and win in a “one against all” situation.
Participants in this ancient Russian folk game are divided into two equal teams and stand opposite each other in ranks, holding hands, at a distance of 10–15 m. The teams move towards each other, pronouncing in turn a long chant: “Boyars, we have come to you, dear ones.” , and we came to you...” The dialogue ends with the words: “Boyars, open the gates, give us the bride forever.” The one who is chosen as the bride must then run away and break through the enemy’s chain. If the attempt is successful, the player returns to his team; if not, he remains in another. The losing team starts the next round. The goal of the game is to gather as many participants as possible into a team.

“If you drive more slowly, then stop”

Target: develop coordination, the ability to run quickly and react to changing circumstances.
The driver’s task is to stand with his back to the participants at the finish line (the greater the distance between the driver and the participants, the better) and say loudly: “The slower you go, the further you go - stop.” While the driver is talking (and he can do this at any pace), the participants try to run as far as possible towards the finish line. As soon as the driver falls silent, you need to freeze in place. Anyone who did not have time to stop or made an accidental movement is eliminated from the game. The winner is the one who gets to the finish line first and touches the driver.

"Wizards"

Target: develop the ability to run quickly, think quickly and react to what is happening.
Participants run away from the driver (this game is a type of tag). The driver catches up with the player and touches him - he gets dirty. The saluted person spreads his arms, and any other participant can run up, touch him and “help him out.” The driver’s task is not to move far from the person who has been greased and not to let anyone get a step closer to him.

"The sea is agitated once"
Target: develop imagination, spontaneity and artistry.
The presenter turns away from the players and says a little rhyme:
The sea is agitated once
The sea is worried two
The sea is worried three,
Marine figure, freeze in place!
While he speaks, the participants move chaotically in any order, depicting the movements of waves with their hands. As soon as the driver falls silent, you need to freeze in some figure. The driver approaches one of the players and touches him. The player depicts his figure in motion, and the driver guesses what it is. The player whose figure was not guessed becomes the driver himself.

"Cossack Robbers"
Target: develop basic scouting skills, terrain awareness, and resilience.
The players are divided into two teams - “Cossacks” and “robbers”. They agree on what territory they will play on. This could be a yard, an entrance, a street, several courtyards. The "robbers" guess a secret word. The “Cossacks” move to the side so as not to see the “robbers”. The “robbers” run away, marking the direction of their movement with arrows on the asphalt (walls of houses, curbs, trees, etc.). They begin to run in a group, and then scatter in all directions, trying to confuse the “Cossacks” with arrows. The task of the “Cossacks” is to find the “robbers” using the arrows.

"12 sticks"

Target: develop the ability to competently hide and quickly run when necessary.
The game is reminiscent of classic hide and seek. 12 small sticks are placed on a “lever” (for example, on a board and a pebble placed under it) so that stepping on the lever can scatter the sticks. The driver's task is to collect the sticks, put them on the lever, say a little count with your eyes closed and go in search of the hidden players. As soon as the driver discovers the player, he runs to the “lever” and breaks the sticks, calling the name of the one found. The player becomes the driver. If the one found manages to get ahead of the driver and reach the sticks first, the driver does not change.

"Dodgeball"
Target: develop the ability to dodge, dexterity, coordination of movements
“Bouncers” - two players - stand on both sides of the court. The remaining players are in the center. The task of the “bouncers” is to throw the ball to each other and hit any of the “central” players. The players' task is to dodge the flying ball. The one who was hit leaves the game. Other participants can “save” the eliminated player by catching the ball in the air (the main condition is not from the ground, otherwise you will also be thrown out). When there is only one participant left in the team of “central” players, he must dodge the ball as many times as he is old. If he manages to do this, all those who dropped out return to their original places.

"I know 5 names"
Target: develop multitasking, erudition, the ability to correct your mistakes and move on.
The first player takes the ball in his hands, says: “I know one girl’s name,” hits the ball on the ground with one hand and says the name. Then he continues with different variations: “I know one boy’s name,” “I know one color,” “I know one animal,” “I know one city.” When all the combinations have been used, the player recites the same counting rhymes, only on the count of two: “I know two girl names” - and then in a circle. The game continues until ten. If, while hitting the ball, the player did not have time to say his name or hit the ball, the turn passes to another participant. When the ball, having passed through all the participants, returns to the first player, he continues to play from the phrase on which he made a mistake. The winner is the one who first gets to ten in this chant.

"Edible-inedible"
Target: develop a sense of humor, the ability to listen carefully and react quickly.

All players sit or stand in a row. The driver throws the ball to one of the participants and at the same time names an object. If the item is "edible", the player catches the ball. If not, he repels. The driver’s task is to confuse the player, for example, in the chain “apple-melon-carrots-potatoes” he suddenly says “iron”. If the player makes a mistake and “eats” the “inedible”, then he himself becomes the driver. The faster the driver throws the ball and names objects, the more exciting and interesting it is to play.

ring-ring
Target: develop the ability to monitor the manipulations of others, act quickly and decisively.
Players sit in a row and cup their hands. The driver holds a small object in his fist or folded palms, for example a coin, button, ring. He goes around each player in turn, putting his own into his “boat” and saying the rhyme: “I wear and wear a ring and give it to someone.” The driver’s task is to discreetly place a “ring” on one of the players and say “Ring, ring, go out onto the porch!” After this, the player who got the item jumps up and tries to run away. The task of the other participants is to detain the escaping person.

Will you go to the ball?
Goal: develop imagination, select synonyms and ask questions,the ability to think outside the box, monitor one’s own speech, maintain attention and quickly find a way out of the current situation.

The driver says the rhyme:

The lady sent you a piece of blanket

She told me not to laugh

Don't make a bow on your lips,

Don't say "yes" or "no"

Don't wear black and white.

Will you go to the ball?
After the counting, the driver asks the player a variety of clarifying questions: what will he wear, what will he ride on, what color will the dress or trousers be, what is the name of the groom, etc. The player's task is to answer the questions without using the words “yes”, “no”, “black”, “white”. The most interesting thing is to mix simple and complex questions, change the pace of speech and intonation.

"I was born a gardener"
Target: develop memory, attention, courage and willingness to be responsible for one’s actions.

Each player chooses a name for himself - the name of the flower and tells it to the “gardener”-driver and other players. The driver says a little rhyme: “I was born a gardener, I’m seriously angry, I’m tired of all the flowers, except ...” And calls the “name” (name of the flower) of one of the players. A dialogue takes place between the driver and the player. The player says the name of one flower from those on the team. The participant whose name was announced must respond. The dialogue continues. The one who made a mistake: for example, did not respond to his name, mixed up the name of the flowers, gives away a forfeit (any of his things). At the end of the game, forfeits are played out. The “gardener” turns away, they take out the thing and ask the driver: “What should this player do?” The “gardener” assigns a task (jump on one leg, squat, sing, recite a poem, etc.) - the player “works off” the forfeit and takes his item.

"Hot potato"
Target: develop dexterity, coordination of movements, attention.

All players stand in a circle and throw the ball to each other, hitting it. If one of the players does not hit the ball, he squats in the center of the circle (“cauldron”). Game continues.

Any player can help out the “offenders” if he wishes. To do this, when hitting the ball, he tries to hit those sitting in the center of the circle with it. The “released” one (the one who was touched by the ball) takes part in the game again.

Those sitting inside the circle try to catch a ball flying past. Important - you cannot stand up from your haunches to your full height; you can only try to jump without standing up to your full height. If one of the players succeeds, then all those “punished” return to the game, and the player who threw the ball takes their place.

For younger players it’s the same, but instead of hitting the ball, you can catch it in two hands and quickly (!!! - the potatoes are hot, we’ll burn ourselves!!!) throw it to the next player. If someone hesitates, he also goes to the circle of “guilty people.”

Participants – at least 4 people.

We use a counting machine to select the driver. He takes the ball in his hands and stands in the center of the circle that the rest of the players form. The driver throws the ball and calls the name of any player (for example, “Shtander-Pasha”; “Stander-Vasya”; another variation is “Hali-halo Pasha”). The one whose name was called must catch the ball, at this time everyone else scatters as far as possible from him. As soon as the ball is caught, the player shouts: Stander-stop! (Hali-Halo stop!)
Everyone freezes in place.

The player with the ball chooses any player to touch with the ball.

Steps:

Giant - step over the entire span of the leg

Human - ordinary steps

Lilliputian - when the heel of one foot is placed immediately in front of the toe of the other

Ants - take small steps on their toes (one step immediately before the other)

Umbrellas - circle around yourself on one leg

Duck - squat steps

Frog - jump

Camel - you had to step where you spat

It’s better to name a bunch of “entertaining” steps to make it more fun. For example: “Before Katya there are 7 giant ones, three umbrellas, two Lilliputian ones...” After all the steps are named, the player with the ball performs them and must throw the ball towards the target player. If the player catches the ball or dodges it, the driver throws the ball up again and everything repeats all over again. If hit, the player becomes the driver.

The main occupation of children in all centuries has been and remains play. It is precisely this that is one of the eternal things in the world, or maybe it is a special world where adults have no access... Times change, and with them, games. Adults often say that children today are not the same. So, after all, modern adults were once the “wrong” children for their parents. Nothing stands still: society, its interests, and games change along with them. Let's try to draw a parallel between the games of children of the 70s and 80s and those that are popular now.

Games from the 70s and 80s .

It was a time when you could only learn about mobile phones from Soviet science fiction. Most children were content with a communication device in which two matchboxes were connected by a silk thread. This phone provided communication up to 10 meters. By the way, at such a distance you can hear without a phone, but it’s more interesting!

At a time when there was no MTV or NTV, not to mention consoles and Playstation, children spent most of their time on the street. Many children of different ages gathered in the yard, united by the same yard games.

The girls were constantly jumping over an elastic band, knitting something, embroidering and keeping their painted notebooks with interesting rhymes, questionnaires for girlfriends and fortune tellers. All of them were dressed in terrible brown school uniforms and white aprons. Their cuffs and collars were altered almost daily, as they quickly got dirty from some kind of needlework. And, of course, the entire courtyard of that time was painted with classics! You can't go anywhere without them.

The boys also had their own games. Their characteristic features were the use of something forbidden, the disapproval of adults and a health hazard. And it’s not drugs and sex, as many people think. Boys' fun includes war games, slingshots, self-propelled guns, bungee jumps and, of course, a pocket knife! The knife was a symbol of involvement in power and was used for games outside the school walls. The most famous knife game was called "Earth". Two players drew a large circle on the ground, divided in half. It was necessary to throw a knife at a piece of the enemy’s land and, based on its position, it was determined which piece of the firmament would go to the occupier. They played until one of the players had no place left on the ground to put his foot.

Both boys and girls of the 70s and 80s were united by such outdoor games as “Cossack Robbers”, where you had to run fast, hide well and show a lot of ingenuity in placing marks, “Knock Sticks for Yourself”, “Lapta”, “The Fisherman and the Fishes”, “Tag”. Ball games such as “Square”, “Ten” and “Dodgeball” were also very popular.

The role-playing games were based on the most “fashionable” films of that time: “The Elusive Avengers”, “Chingachgook” or “The Three Musketeers”. All these games were exciting, with a captivity scenario and very moving.

Of all the games that bravely faced time, the most desired for children was an electronic game with a Wolf who caught eggs in a basket, called “Well, wait a minute!” Without a doubt, children who scored more than 1000 points would be able to defend the Brest Fortress alone, since they had great nerves and reactions.

What do children of our time play?

The progress of the 21st century has eliminated the need for children to make houses for dolls or cars from natural materials. Everything is already ready. Our time offers a wide variety of computer games that are increasingly taking over the brains of modern children. And they, in turn, do not particularly resist this influence. Thus, the majority of modern children spend all their free time near the computer. Many of the “feats” of the youth of our time are virtual. Nowadays, children with slingshots and crossbows are not seen, since all children's aggression remains on the Internet. Nowadays children don’t write on their desks: why should they, because there are numerous social networks and forums.

As we see, computer games and social networks in which the current generation lives their childhood are not so harmful. There are many educational and useful games, for example, games created to teach children languages and train logical thinking.

At all times, children never stop playing war. It’s a pity, but throughout history humanity has lived without war for about a year, so this game will never become obsolete. It’s just that before all the children were Chapaevs, but now the majority want to become Batman and Harry Potter. Children's games mirror the life and interests of society and its time, and nothing can be done about it.

I would like to note that not everything has gone into oblivion. Just like many years ago, children dance in circles, play hide and seek, catch up, choose a driver with a counting rhyme, and play with toys. At some point, some adjustments were made, but their essence will remain unchanged for many years.

Everyone has their own childhood and we are all children of our time. It’s just that sometimes parents should engage their children with their games more often. This is the only way to preserve the continuity of generations.

In the 21st century, children quietly disappeared from the courtyards of big cities - now they play computer games or have a well-behaved time in specially organized children's clubs. Along with the children, the culture of yard games and yard socialization (with all its features) disappeared. And while kids can still be found on the playgrounds under the supervision of relatives, schoolchildren are almost completely invisible. Gazeta.Ru looks around at the empty spring courtyards and remembers the disappeared games that in many ways made us the adults we have become.

Rubber bands

wikipedia.org

How to play. The main attribute of this game for girls is the elastic band. The ideal number of players is 3-4 people. Each participant performs jumping figures and combinations at different heights: from ankle level (the “first” jumpers) to neck level (the “sixth” jump). Jumping through a rubber band stretched at hip level had the mysterious name “pozhepe”. As soon as the jumper makes a mistake, another participant takes her place, and the girl who made the mistake puts on an elastic band. If there are four players, the pairs switch places when both players from one pair alternately make mistakes.

What develops: vestibular apparatus, coordination, attentiveness. Teaches you to train, win, lose with dignity, jump the highest and be friends with girls, even if at the moment they are rivals.

Classics

wikipedia.org

How to play. Requires crayons, an asphalt pad and a pebble (or washer). You draw small cells with numbers in a certain sequence, and you can jump even alone. The main thing is to hit the cage with a stone, jump to it on one or two legs and return back the same way. The luckiest player is the one who manages to go all the way from one to ten. There can be any number of hopscotch players.

What develops: dexterity, accuracy, ability to concentrate and knowledge of numbers if the players are very young.

Boyars

wikipedia.org

How to play. Participants in this ancient Russian folk game are divided into two equal teams and stand opposite each other in ranks, holding hands, at a distance of 10-15 m. The teams move towards each other, pronouncing in turn a long chant: “Boyars, we have come to you, dear ones.” , and we came to you...” The dialogue ends with the words: “Boyars, open the gates, give us the bride forever.” The one who is chosen as the bride must then run away and break through the enemy’s chain. If the attempt is successful, the player returns to his team; if not, he remains in another. The losing team starts the next round. The goal of the game is to gather as many participants as possible into a team.

What develops: the ability to be part of a team and win in a “one against all” situation.

If you drive more quietly, you will continue - stop

How to play. The driver’s task is to stand with his back to the participants at the finish line (the greater the distance between the driver and the participants, the better) and say loudly: “The slower you go, the further you go, stop.” While the driver is talking (and he can do this at any pace), the participants try to run as far as possible towards the finish line. As soon as the driver falls silent, you need to freeze in place. Anyone who did not have time to stop or made an accidental movement is eliminated from the game. The winner is the one who gets to the finish line first and touches the driver.

What develops: coordination, ability to run quickly and react to changing circumstances.

Sorcerers

wikipedia.org

How to play. Participants run away from the driver (this game is a type of tag). The driver catches up with the player and touches him - he gets dirty. The saluted person spreads his arms, and any other participant can run up, touch him and “help him out.” The driver’s task is not to move far from the person who has been greased and not to let anyone get one step closer to him. The summer option for sorcerers is to run around with “sprinklers” and pour water on each other from holey bottles. Usually, five minutes after the start of the game, everyone is wet, but very cheerful.

What develops: the ability to run quickly, think quickly and enjoy life to the fullest.

The sea is agitated once

How to play. The presenter turns away from the players and says a little rhyme:
The sea is agitated once
The sea is worried two
The sea is worried three,
Marine figure, freeze in place!
While he speaks, the participants move chaotically in any order, depicting the movements of waves with their hands. As soon as the driver falls silent, you need to freeze in some figure. The driver approaches one of the players and touches him. The player depicts his figure in motion, and the driver guesses what it is. The player whose figure was not guessed becomes the driver himself.

What develops: imagination, spontaneity and artistry.

Cossack robbers

wikipedia.org

How to play. Players are divided into two teams - “Cossacks” and “robbers”. They agree on what territory they will play on. This could be a yard, an entrance, a street, several courtyards. The "robbers" guess a secret word. The “Cossacks” move to the side so as not to see the “robbers”. The “robbers” run away, marking the direction of their movement with arrows on the asphalt (walls of houses, curbs, trees, etc.). They begin to run in a group, and then scatter in all directions, trying to confuse the “Cossacks” with arrows. The task of the “Cossacks” is to find the “robbers” using the arrows. The “Cossack” brings each “robber” to the “prison” and guards him, trying to find out the secret word, for example, using nettle torture. The “Cossacks” win as soon as they find out the secret word or find all the “robbers”.

What develops: basic skills of scouts, the ability to navigate the terrain and not give up “our own.”

12 sticks

wikipedia.org

How to play. The game is reminiscent of classic hide and seek. 12 small sticks are placed on a “lever” (for example, on a board and a pebble placed under it) so that stepping on the lever can scatter the sticks. The driver’s task is to collect the sticks, put them on the lever, say a little count with your eyes closed and go in search of the hidden players. As soon as the driver discovers the player, he runs to the “lever” and breaks the sticks, calling the name of the one found. The player becomes the driver. If the one found manages to get ahead of the driver and reach the sticks first, the driver does not change.

What develops: the ability to competently hide and quickly run when necessary.

Bouncers

wikipedia.org

How to play.“Bouncers” - two players - stand on both sides of the court. The remaining players are in the center. The task of the “bouncers” is to throw the ball to each other and hit any of the “central” players. The players' task is to dodge the flying ball. The one who was hit leaves the game. Other participants can “save” the eliminated player by catching the ball in the air (the main condition is not from the ground, otherwise you will also be thrown out). When there is only one participant left in the team of “central” players, he must dodge the ball as many times as he is old. If he manages to do this, all those who dropped out return to their original places.

What develops: the ability to dodge fast-flying objects, think about your neighbor and endure pain.

I know 5 names

How to play. The first player takes the ball in his hands, says: “I know one girl’s name,” hits the ball on the ground with one hand and says the name. Then he continues with different variations: “I know one boy’s name,” “I know one color,” “I know one animal,” “I know one city.” When all the combinations have been used, the player recites the same counting rhymes, only on the count of two: “I know two girl names” - and then in a circle. The game continues until ten. If, while hitting the ball, the player did not have time to say his name or hit the ball, the turn passes to another participant. When the ball, having passed through all the participants, returns to the first player, he continues to play from the phrase on which he made a mistake. The winner is the one who first gets to ten in this speech.

What develops: multitasking, erudition, the ability to correct your mistakes and move on.

Edible-inedible

How to play. All players sit or stand in a row. The driver throws the ball to one of the participants and at the same time names an object. If the item is "edible", the player catches the ball. If not, he repels. The driver’s task is to confuse the player, for example, in the chain “apple-melon-carrots-potatoes” he suddenly says “iron”. If the player makes a mistake and “eats” the “inedible”, then he himself becomes the driver. The faster the driver throws the ball and names objects, the more exciting and interesting it is to play.

What develops: sense of humor, ability to listen carefully and react quickly.

Knives

wikipedia.org

How to play. Players mark a circle on the ground. Then, one by one, they try to get a knife into the enemy’s delineated territory and thus conquer as much land as possible from him. The knife can be thrown from the shoulder, with a flip, from the nose and even from the head. There are many versions of the game of “knives” under different names: “land”, “cities”, “benches”, “grandparents”, “tanks”, “ships”, “football”, “sea battle”. The knife can be stuck into the ground, sand and even a wooden bench.

What develops: ability to handle edged weapons, attentiveness and caution.

ring-ring

How to play. Players sit in a row and cup their hands. The driver holds a small object in his fist or folded palms, for example a coin, button, ring. He goes around each player in turn, putting his own into his “boat” and saying the rhyme: “I wear and wear a ring and give it to someone.” The driver’s task is to discreetly place a “ring” on one of the players and say “Ring, ring, go out onto the porch!” After this, the player who got the item jumps up and tries to run away. The task of the other participants is to detain the escaping person.

What develops: the ability to monitor the manipulations of others, to act quickly and decisively.

Will you go to the ball?

How to play. The driver says the rhyme:
Don't say yes or no
don't call it black and white
Will you go to the ball? How to play. Each player chooses a name for himself - the name of the flower and tells it to the “gardener”-driver and other players. The driver says a little rhyme: “I was born a gardener, I’m seriously angry, I’m tired of all the flowers, except ...” And calls the “name” (name of the flower) of one of the players. A dialogue takes place between the driver and the player. The player says the name of one flower from those on the team. The participant whose name was announced must respond. The dialogue continues. The one who made a mistake: for example, did not respond to his name, mixed up the name of the flowers, gives away a forfeit (any of his things). At the end of the game, forfeits are played out. The “gardener” turns away, they take out the thing and ask the driver: “What should this player do?” The “gardener” assigns a task (jump on one leg, squat, sing, recite a poem, etc.) - the player “works off” the forfeit and takes his item.

What develops: memory, attention, courage and willingness to be responsible for one’s actions.

Kiss meow

wikipedia.org

How to play. The driver and one of the players stand in front of the other participants: the driver with his face, the player with his back. The driver points to one of the participants and asks: “Kitty?” If the player with his back turned responds “Shoot,” the driver continues to choose. As soon as the player says “meow,” the driver asks him: “What color?” The player chooses a color and turns to face the other participants. Depending on the chosen color, the player and the team member complete the task. The player has no right to refuse the task. White is the scariest color. The two should retire in the entrance. What they do there - history is always silent. Green - three questions to which the player can only answer “yes”. Usually the questions are tricky like: “Do you love him?” Red - kiss on the lips. Pink is the same, but on the cheek. Yellow - three questions in private. When choosing orange, you need to walk hand in hand, preferably past adults. Blue - kiss the hand. Purple—commit a bad deed. For example, stepping on your foot, pulling your hair, or taking away your jewelry.

What develops: the ability to communicate with the opposite sex, control your impulses and find socially acceptable forms for your desires.

There are fewer and fewer schoolchildren in modern courtyards. At home - iPad, computer, TV. What's on the street? Maniacs and curfews. In the 80s everything was different. There was mortal melancholy at home, and we spent whole days on the street! And for us ! Shall we remember?

These games are lost, perhaps forever. Now in Tula they hold championships of yard games, but mostly nostalgic adults participate in them, those who are now 30-40, and then (in that wonderful “then”!) were 7-12 years old. Unfortunately, a love for “rubber bands”, “Cossack robbers” and “classic beats” can no longer be instilled in children.

"Rubber bands"

Perhaps the main yard hit of our childhood. It was played mainly by girls from the first to the fourth grade; some stayed a little late, “warming up” with their younger sisters and neighbors in the breaks between school and real dates.

An elastic band (ordinary, underwear, which we simply called “for panties”) was in the arsenal of every schoolgirl. For the game you needed about three meters, the ends were tied, or even better - sewn (either yourself or asked your mother).

I was lucky: my grandmother worked as a cashier in the Krivoluchy “Haberdashery”, so in addition to simple white elastic bands, I had both black and colored ones.

The point of the game: two stood at a distance, hooking an elastic band on their legs, the rest jumped through this elastic band. There were many levels (in height and complexity): from the ankles (“first”) to the very neck (“seventh”).

The jumping ones especially surprised the grandmother fans sitting on the benches with “eighths”: in this case, the elastic band was held with hands at ear height.

A girl who was unable to jump the required combination was considered to have “missed” or “lost” and became a “pillar” with an elastic band on her legs. The next one came out to jump. At least three people could play rubber bands. Although... If there were no people in the yard, and you were literally impatient to play “rubber bands,” two people would play, attaching the edge of the rubber band to a tree or a swing.

"Classics" or "beats"

A long time ago, my dear children, when there were sidewalks in Tula courtyards... But seriously, in our childhood, in the old courtyards of our city there really were wide, smooth pedestrian paths. And all of them were certainly covered with chalk. And at each entrance, rectangles were drawn, divided into numbered cells. These were the “classics”.

The point of the game was that you had to go through (or rather, jump on one or two legs) all the cells in order. And not just jump, but at the same time kick the puck, which was called a “beat”.

Any number of players could participate in the game. It was possible to jump alone.

The main artifact of the “classics,” of course, was the cue ball. By the way, you could buy it in a store, although they rarely came across them. Store-bought copies were made of light metal and decorated with a “bas-relief” of the cartoon characters “Well, wait a minute!”

If there was no purchased cue ball, they made it themselves. First of all, they stole shoe polish from their parents in flat jars, mercilessly throwing away the remains and filling the contents of the tin box with sand. To prevent the cue ball from opening inadvertently, its edge was pressed against the asphalt. The same beautiful balls were obtained from monpensier boxes.

I don’t know about other areas of Tula, but in Krivoluchye there was another deposit of the most luxurious cue balls - the Vtormet scrap metal collection enterprise (we called it “chermet”). The ferrous metal was located across the railway tracks from Priupskaya Street. So for us, 7-8 years old, going there was even more interesting: so far from home, without asking, and even crawling under a standing train... A real quest! And on the “chermet” itself we looked for (and found!) gorgeous washers, presumably lead. Even, smooth, heavy (you can’t miss it!) - only we had those!

"12 sticks"

This game was not much different from simple hide and seek. The same “voda”, the players are hiding. At the beginning of the game, they collected 12 sticks, placed them on the edge of the board, and placed a pebble under it so that they could step on the other edge of the chip and destroy the structure. The sticks were placed near the “chura” wall, towards which the driver stood (“Whoever didn’t hide, it’s not my fault!”). And when, during the game, Voda “caught” a hidden player, his task was to run to the chura as quickly as possible and shout “chur-sticks” (or “chur-sticks-caught!”) to destroy the structure.

We played “12 Sticks” with the whole yard, encouraging the driver with shouts and mantras: “Whoever doesn’t walk around the city drives four horses!”, “Axe-axe, sit like a thief and don’t look into the yard!” (this meant that the driver was close to the “chura” and it was too early to run from cover), “Saw-saw, fly like an arrow!” (it's time to rush to the chopsticks!).

"Paints"

It was a game of speed and dexterity. Ten people gathered to play “Paints”. All but two were “colors.” Everyone chose their own color.

The remaining two became, by agreement, the seller of paints and the buyer, who for some reason was a monk. This probably had some kind of sacred meaning, but the monk was not presented in the most favorable light. He approached the seller and seemed to knock on the door, then the dialogue:

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

I'm a monk in blue pants. There's a hole in the head, there's a bottle in the f**k. I came for PAINT.

Why the monk looked so terrible, why he came to the store in such an indecent appearance, I have never understood.

But as children, we didn’t bother with this issue at all. We just played, that's all.

Then the shameless monk chose the color of the paint, and while the seller named the price and made a calculation with the monk, the paint went to start. With the last ruble paid (a blow from the monk’s palm to the seller’s palm), the “paint” came off! If the monk, despite having bottles you know where, managed to catch up with the “paint,” he took it for himself and returned the money. Most often the paints were faster. That's understandable!

childhood artifacts

After us, these things will not say anything to any archaeologist. But we would sell our souls for them!

Chewing gum inserts “Love is...” (Love is...). Each insert contains different stories and explanations of what LOVE is.

A strikingly beautiful cue ball with a pattern under a layer of plexiglass. Now on sale for collections.

Tiles. Previously, they were used to cover the facades of houses. Children used assorted tiles for games and collections as a kind of equivalent for calculations in disputes and exchanges.

Let's remember the counting rhymes

A crocodile was walking, smoking a pipe, the pipe fell and wrote:
“He made a fuss, he fucked, he went out.”
(Sorry, but you can’t erase the words from the song).
Sometimes the pipe, falling from the clumsy paws of a crocodile, wrote:
“Shishli-myshli, snot came out.”

A truck was driving and ran over Nikolai. Nikolai shouts: “Hurray!”
Call Doctor A.
The doctor rides on a bottle
Right on the back of the German's head.
The German thought there was a war and made a cannon out of s**t. Loaded a cutlet into it, one-two-three, and there was no gun!

And while kids can still be found on the playgrounds under the supervision of relatives, schoolchildren are almost completely invisible.

Let's remember the disappeared games that in many ways made us the adults we have become.

Rubber bands

How to play. The main attribute of this game for girls is the elastic band. The ideal number of players is 3–4 people. Each participant performs jumping figures and combinations at different heights: from ankle level (the “first” jumpers) to neck level (the “sixth” jump). Jumping through a rubber band stretched at hip level had the mysterious name “pozhepe”. As soon as the jumper makes a mistake, another participant takes her place, and the girl who made the mistake puts on an elastic band. If there are four players, the pairs switch places when both players from one pair alternately make mistakes.

What develops: vestibular apparatus, coordination, attentiveness. Teaches you to train, win, lose with dignity, jump the highest and be friends with girls, even if at the moment they are rivals.

Classics

What develops: dexterity, accuracy, ability to concentrate and knowledge of numbers if the players are very young.

Boyars

How to play. Participants in this ancient Russian folk game are divided into two equal teams and stand opposite each other in ranks, holding hands, at a distance of 10–15 m. The teams move towards each other, pronouncing in turn a long chant: “Boyars, we have come to you, dear ones.” , and we came to you...” The dialogue ends with the words: “Boyars, open the gates, give us the bride forever.” The one who is chosen as the bride must then run away and break through the enemy’s chain. If the attempt is successful, the player returns to his team; if not, he remains in another. The losing team starts the next round. The goal of the game is to gather as many participants as possible into a team.

What develops: the ability to be part of a team and win in a “one against all” situation.

If you drive more quietly, you will continue - stop

How to play. The driver’s task is to stand with his back to the participants at the finish line (the greater the distance between the driver and the participants, the better) and say loudly: “The slower you go, the further you go - stop.” While the driver is talking (and he can do this at any pace), the participants try to run as far as possible towards the finish line. As soon as the driver falls silent, you need to freeze in place. Anyone who did not have time to stop or made an accidental movement is eliminated from the game. The winner is the one who gets to the finish line first and touches the driver.

What develops: coordination, ability to run quickly and react to changing circumstances.

Sorcerers

How to play. Participants run away from the driver (this game is a type of tag). The driver catches up with the player and touches him - he gets dirty. The saluted person spreads his arms, and any other participant can run up, touch him and “help him out.” The driver’s task is not to move far from the person who has been greased and not to let anyone get a step closer to him. The summer version of the sorcerers is to run around with “sprinklers” and pour water on each other from holey bottles. Usually, five minutes after the start of the game, everyone is wet, but very cheerful.

What develops: the ability to run quickly, think quickly and enjoy life to the fullest.

The sea is agitated once

What develops: imagination, spontaneity and artistry.

Cossack robbers

How to play. The players are divided into two teams - “Cossacks” and “robbers”. They agree on what territory they will play on. This could be a yard, an entrance, a street, several courtyards. The "robbers" guess a secret word. The “Cossacks” move to the side so as not to see the “robbers”. The “robbers” run away, marking the direction of their movement with arrows on the asphalt (walls of houses, curbs, trees, etc.). They begin to run in a group, and then scatter in all directions, trying to confuse the “Cossacks” with arrows. The task of the “Cossacks” is to find the “robbers” using the arrows. The “Cossack” brings each “robber” to the “prison” and guards him, trying to find out the secret word, for example, using nettle torture. The “Cossacks” win as soon as they find out the secret word or find all the “robbers”.

What develops: basic skills of scouts, the ability to navigate the terrain and not give up “our own.”

12 sticks

How to play. The game is reminiscent of classic hide and seek. 12 small sticks are placed on a “lever” (for example, on a board and a pebble placed under it) so that stepping on the lever can scatter the sticks. The driver's task is to collect the sticks, put them on the lever, say a little count with your eyes closed and go in search of the hidden players. As soon as the driver discovers the player, he runs to the “lever” and breaks the sticks, calling the name of the one found. The player becomes the driver. If the one found manages to get ahead of the driver and reach the sticks first, the driver does not change.

What develops: the ability to competently hide and quickly run when necessary.

Bouncers

How to play. “Bouncers” - two players - stand on both sides of the court. The remaining players are in the center. The task of the “bouncers” is to throw the ball to each other and hit any of the “central” players. The players' task is to dodge the flying ball. The one who was hit leaves the game. Other participants can “save” the eliminated player by catching the ball in the air (the main condition is not from the ground, otherwise you will also be thrown out). When there is only one participant left in the team of “central” players, he must dodge the ball as many times as he is old. If he manages to do this, all those who dropped out return to their original places.

What develops: the ability to dodge fast-flying objects, think about your neighbor and endure pain.

I know 5 names

What develops: multitasking, erudition, the ability to correct your mistakes and move on.

Edible-inedible

What develops: sense of humor, ability to listen carefully and react quickly.

Knives

What develops: ability to handle edged weapons, attentiveness and caution.

ring-ring

What develops: the ability to monitor the manipulations of others, to act quickly and decisively.

Will you go to the ball?

How to play. The driver says the rhyme:

Don't say yes or no
don't call it black and white
Will you go to the ball?

Its task is to confuse the player. After the counting, the driver asks the player a variety of clarifying questions: what will he wear, what will he ride on, what color will the dress or trousers be, what is the name of the groom, etc. The player's task is to answer the questions without using the words “yes”, “no”, “black”, “white”. The most interesting thing is to mix simple and complex questions, change the pace of speech and intonation.

What develops: the ability to think outside the box, monitor one’s own speech, maintain attention and quickly find a way out of the current situation.

I was born a gardener

How to play. Each player chooses a name for himself - the name of the flower and tells it to the “gardener”-driver and other players. The driver says a little rhyme: “I was born a gardener, I’m seriously angry, I’m tired of all the flowers, except ...” and calls the “name” (name of the flower) of one of the players. A dialogue takes place between the driver and the player. The player says the name of one flower from those on the team. The participant whose name was announced must respond. The dialogue continues. The one who made a mistake: for example, did not respond to his name, mixed up the name of the flowers, gives away a forfeit (any of his things). At the end of the game, forfeits are played out. The “gardener” turns away, they take out the thing and ask the driver: “What should this player do?” The “gardener” assigns a task (jump on one leg, squat, sing, recite a poem, etc.) - the player “works off” the forfeit and takes his item.

What develops: memory, attention, courage and willingness to be responsible for one’s actions.

Kiss meow

How to play. The driver and one of the players stand in front of the other participants: the driver with his face, the player with his back. The driver points to one of the participants and asks: “Kitty?” If the player with his back turned responds “Shoot,” the driver continues to choose. As soon as the player says “meow,” the driver asks him: “What color?” The player chooses a color and turns to face the other participants. Depending on the chosen color, the player and the team member complete the task. The player has no right to refuse the task. White is the scariest color. The two should retire in the entrance. What they do there - history is always silent. Green - three questions to which the player can only answer “yes”. Usually the questions are tricky like: “Do you love him?” Red - kiss on the lips. Pink - the same thing, but on the cheek. Yellow - three questions in private. When choosing orange, you need to walk hand in hand, preferably past adults. Blue - kiss the hand. Purple - commit a bad deed. For example, stepping on your foot, pulling your hair, or taking away your jewelry.

What develops: the ability to communicate with the opposite sex, control your impulses and find socially acceptable forms for your desires.

Cities

How to play. The presenter stands with his back and says: “Kali-kali....stop!” Dot!". The word Kali - as many times as the leader wants. While they are sounding, the children run away from the leader in the opposite direction. At the word Dot, the children stop. Then the presenter chooses a player and estimates how many steps there are to him - large and small. There are so many steps and steps to the city of such and such. Then he measures out this amount, if the presenter manages to touch the city with his hand, he wins, if not, he plays again.

What develops: ability to determine distance “by eye”

Threads

How to play. Children hold hands and “get entangled” by stepping over their legs and arms. Then they shout: “Grandma, the threads are breaking!” and the leading grandmother tries to untangle her threads (arms and legs) without breaking (without unraveling the players’ hands).

What develops: dexterity and ingenuity

Little Red Riding Hood

How to play. Children are divided into two parts. Some people hold hands tightly and don’t let you through. Those who are holding on shout: “Little red riding hood, white feather!” Give us.. (player name) well, Marina, for example, and no one else!” Marina accelerates and tries to make a hole in the wall of children in the middle. If he breaks through, then he takes one of the middle children and returns back to his own; if he doesn’t break through, then he joins the middle children.

What develops: strength and endurance

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Inna Morozova