A friend and I spent some time hula-hooping the other day, using some giant adult-sized hula hoops that were given to me by another friend. Tom had recently shown me some videos that had caught his eye of some amazing adult jump-ropers. I got to thinking about "recess for grown-ups." What games would a group of adults enjoy playing and how could they be updated and refreshed so they become more than just a nostalgia trip?
1. Hula-hoop with dance music. Instant fun!
2. Jump-rope, individual and also the type with two people holding and others jumping in and out. What new rhymes and songs could we come up with to go along with this?
3. Partner hand-clapping games. These seem like such a good medium for solidifying memories that I assumed there would be some new chants with educational content, but I haven't found any online. My sister pointed out that some of these games are similar to the "butterfly hug" (crossing arms and tapping the opposite arms or shoulders) as a strategy for calming anxiety. Additionally, "crossing midline" is an important developmental stage for children, and it seems from my quick reading that these motions of crossing the midline help the two sides of the brain integrate. Rich material for further exploration here! Probably we could all benefit from playing some hand-clapping games regularly!
4. Hopscotch. What if each space had a word or image in it, instead of a number? Of course, it's also just fun to draw on the sidewalk with chalk!
All of these would be fun done in the traditional way, but it could also be a lot of fun to come up with new ways to play! What other playground games did you enjoy?
Four-square, monkeybars, tag, catch, keep-away, red rover, simon says, duck-duck-goose, hide-and-seek...
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