Games Children Play Trivia Quiz

Answer: Double Dutch

The name of the game gives a hint since the word 'double' refers to two. The game involves two skipping ropes, or jump ropes, depending on which part of the world you're from. Two players turn the ropes in different directions while another player, or more than one person, jumps them without getting tangled up.

The game has been around for centuries with nobody knowing where it originated. It was formalised as a sport in the 1970s, though. There is even a World Championship held for Double Dutch and other skipping games.

Answer: Jacks

The game of jacks is also called 'knucklebones' as bones were used as playing pieces originally. The typical pieces used in modern times are six pointed star shaped items, often metal but sometimes plastic.

One version of the game involves bouncing the ball while grabbing as many of the pieces, the jacks, as possible before the ball hits the ground (or table) again. There are other variations, such as throwing the jack up first before bouncing the ball.

Answer: Roller skating

The earliest roller skates were used for theatrical performances in the eighteenth century, before they became adapted for use as a leisure activity. The type of skate around in the mid twentieth century consisted of four wheels on a metal base with the resulting skate being strapped on to the feet over normal shoes.

By the 1980s new designs had the wheels in a straight line formation and attached to a boot. This made the skates more manoeuvrable and are the type you are likely to see in the twenty-first century.

Answer: Hopscotch

This game was very common when I was young and is still sometimes seen in playgrounds, where the grid used is more likely to be permanently painted. The usual layout, often drawn on a driveway or pavement, consists of nine numbered squares - numbers one to three above each other, four and five next to each other above the three, six on its own followed by seven and eight in a pair and then nine at the top.

The player has to throw a marker, often a handy sized stone, into each square in turn, starting with number one. If successful, they hop through the grid, avoiding the square with the marker, before turning round and hopping back to the beginning. If they fail, or put a foot in the wrong square, their turn is over.

Answer: Hula-hoop

Swinging a ring around your waist has been part of life for many years in some parts of the world but it was the arrival of a plastic version in the 1950s that made hula-hoops popular. Although most people use them around their waists, they can be swung around the neck or feet as well.

The name of hula-hoop comes from Hawaii as the hip movements needed to keep the hoop in motion are similar to the hula dance in that island state.

Answer: Conkers

The fruits of the horse chestnut are known as 'conkers'. They are hidden inside a prickly case, which opens when the fruits are ripe. The fruits themselves are a glossy brown colour and are not edible, unlike those of the sweet chestnut.

The game of conkers involves making a hole through the fruit, feeding a string through it and then fighting an opponent's conker to try and break it. The one whose conker breaks first loses the battle.

Answer: Sardines

Sardines is a type of hide and seek, often played indoors. One person hides and when they are found, the finder has to join them in that hiding spot. Each new person has to fit into the spot as they find the hidden players, cramming themselves in as the spot gets smaller.

The name comes from the way the fish called sardines are fitted tightly into a tin can.

Answer: Solitaire/Patience

When you're on your own, you can amuse yourself by opening a pack of playing cards and using them for various games. In the USA the games are called solitaire while in the UK we use the name of patience.

There are lots of different types of games, some of which are fairly easy to solve while others are much more tricky. To give you just a few names, there is Clock Patience, Free Cell, Spider Solitaire and Elevens, but there are hundreds available.

Answer: Yo-yo

A yo-yo consists of two discs, joined together by an axle which has string wound around it. By holding the end of the string, which has a loop in it, the player, and gravity, allows the string to unwind. The player then has to master the skill of getting the string to rewind itself around the axle.

The concept of the yo-yo is very old - relics from Ancient Greece have been found depicting a child playing the game - and it has remained popular through the centuries since. Various tricks can be performed with the yo-yo and there are competitions in both the USA and Europe for experts in the techniques.

Answer: Croquet

These are the items of equipment needed for the game of croquet. The mallets are used to hit balls through hoops, which are wire shapes and can also be called wickets. The game is usually played outdoors on grass.

If you've ever read 'Alice in Wonderland', you will probably remember that, in the book, hedgehogs were used for the balls and flamingos for the mallets. Please don't try that at home!