2 Chin Chopper

A mother holds her child on her lap and touches the baby's chin, mouth, nose, eye, forehead, and then tickles the child under the chin to the rhyme :

3 Rock-a-Bye-Baby

Rock the child in your arms as though the wind is blowing and sing:

As the last line is sung, the child is gently lowered to the floor amid much laughter.

4. Piggie Went to Market

After the child has put his nighties on and before going to bed, you tweak each toe, from the big to the little and recite:

5 Trotty Horse

In the evening while sitting with your legs crossed, a little one would often come sit across your top foot. You would then take the child's hands, and while rocking your foot, recite the rhyme

On this last line the parent might toss the child up in the air, or maybe tease him that he is falling off.

When a child became school age they started playing group games. I will tell you about some of these.

Several children hold hands and form a ring. They then drop their hands to their sides. One child is chosen to be 'it' and this child runs around the outside of the circle with a handkerchief until he decides to drop it behind someone. The kid where the handkerchief is dropped then picks it up and chases after the kid who is 'it.' If he catches 'it' before 'it' gets back to the empty space, the kid that was 'it' is still 'it' and the game starts all over. If he doesn't catch 'it', the kid with the handkerchief is the new 'it'. We played this game in country school many, many times.

This is a game played by very small children. They would hold hands and go around in a circle while singing :

Ring around the Rosie,

As this last line is sung, everyone squats down real fast.

This was a game played indoors with several children. One child is blindfolded by tying a large handkerchief over his eyes, and then turned around several times. The other children tiptoe to different places in the room, after which the blindfolded child tries to find them. When he succeeds in finding someone, he tries to identify who it is by touching his clothes, measuring his height, or something. If he guesses correctly, the two persons exchange places, and the game starts all over again.

This was a game played in the house, perhaps on a rainy day. The players sit in a circle, while 'it' holds a button between his hands, with the palms flat together. Each player also holds their hands in the same way. As 'it' goes around the circle, each player opens their hands slightly as 'it' places his hands inside them, looking as though he dropped the button in their palm. After he has gone around the circle, he says "button, button, who's got the button?" Of course while going around the circle he dropped the button in the hands of one of the players. Each in turn tries to guess who has the button. The one who has the button is 'it' next time.

Children playing alone often did this. A pan of water and a bar of soap are all that was needed. Try to make a lot of suds with the soap. Then use a spool of thread your mother has discarded and put the spool in the frothy suds and swish it around. Then lift it to your lips blow carefully. Beautiful bubbles of many colors were sent out into the air.

This was another game that could be played with only two players. If your mother wasn't busy, you might be able to coax her to play with you. The one who was 'it' would hide a thimble anywhere in the room while the other one had their eyes covered. As you searched, 'it' would say you are cold, or you are warm or you are hot depending how close you were to the thimble. After the thimble was found the other player became 'it'.

In the wintertime when there was nice clean snow we enjoyed making angels. We especially liked to make them along the grade bank that ran along the road next to the school. We would carefully go down into the ditch and stand with our backs to the bank. Then we would flop down on our backs with our arms and legs outstretched. Then we moved our arms back and forth in the snow to make the wings. It was easy to get down, but the trick was getting up without ruining the shape of the little angels that were imprinted in the snow.

When the neighbor children gathered together the most popular game was 'ante over'. All that was needed was a ball and a building, such as the garage. We would divide into two groups with a group on each side of the garage. The one with the ball would call 'ante over' as he threw the ball over the garage. If someone on the other side caught the ball, he would run around one of the sides of the garage and try to hit one of the other kids with the ball. The members of the other team would try to run around to the other side of the garage. If a player is hit by the ball, he would become a member of the opposing team. The two teams took turns throwing the ball over the building. If by chance it didn't go over the roof, the thrower would call 'pig tail,' and the other side would know the ball was not coming over the roof. Many an evening was spent playing this game until it got too dark.

This game was played in the wintertime, preferably with newly fallen snow. When the children went out for recess, all would form a line, with one older boy in the lead. All would then follow the leader as he made a large circle in the snow. All would shuffle along, in this way a visible circle was formed.

The leader would then cut across the circle, making spokes such as are found in a wheel. After the wheel was finished one player was chosen to be the fox. This was usually one of the older boys who could run very fast. One child was chosen to be the goose. This was usually a younger child who could not run so fast. The fox stood at the center of the wheel where the spokes crossed. This was his den. Each of the other players stood just outside the circle, between the spokes. The goose stood in front of any player he chose. When the goose stood in front of a player he was safe, but he had to run from one player to another. While he ran, the fox would try to catch him. The fox had to stay on the spokes, or the circle at all times. The goose had to stay on the circle when he ran from one player to the next. When the goose was caught, he then became the fox.

This game took several children to play it. The children coupled up by twos and stood in a line. One person was 'it' and stood in front of the line, with his back towards the line. 'It' would then call "last couple out." The last couple in the line would then run out, each one running toward the front on their side. "It" would try to catch one of these players before they touched hands at the front of the line. If 'it' caught one of the players, he would take their place and the one caught would be 'it'. The new couple would then stand in front of the line. If the old couple succeeded in touching hands before 'it' could catch them,then the same one would be 'it' again.

Several players stood in a line with their hands locked. The stronger players, probably the boys, took the position at the head of the line. They were arranged according to size with the smaller ones at the end -- called the tail. The boys at the head of the line ran in sort of a circle very fast. Then they would turn directions while going very fast the smaller ones at the end were either flung to the ground or the line was broken at some place. The big boys enjoyed doing this -- the little kids did not. The teacher finally forbid any playing of this game.

This was simply a race to see who was the fastest runner. All lined up against a fence or a building. Instead of just saying 'go' a rhyme was usually shouted:

With that all ran as fast as they could to the finish line. The boys especially liked to do this.

Another running game was pom-pom pullaway. All the players except one lined up against a fence or a building. The player who was 'it' stood out some distance in front of the others. The object of the game was to run from the first spot to another spot, such as the sidewalk or maybe another fence across the yard without being touched by 'it'. If those against the fence were reluctant to run, 'it' would say, "pom-pom pullaway, come or I'll pull you away". With that the players would all run as fast as they could to the other side. Anyone who was touched by 'it' became the new 'it' .

This was a game usually played during the evening after the dishes were done. It took several players to make an interesting game. As in so many games one person was chosen to be 'it'. With his eyes shut and facing home base, which was usually a tree, he would count to one hundred by twos, or maybe even fives. While he did this the other players would run and hide. After he had counted to one hundred, he would call out:

He would listen, and if someone was not hidden they would call out "I." Then 'it' would count again, and then he would call out:

He then hunted them down. Any kid that was hiding could take off for home base at any time, and if he got home before 'it' he would pat it three times and say, "One, two, three, I'm in free." If 'it' beat him to home base, he would say "one, two, three, you're out," and this kid would be 'it' for the next game. If 'it' found one of the hidden kids, both would race for home base. Occasionally, some kid was hidden too good to be found. When this happened 'it' would call, "all not found, come in free".

Seeing boys and girls on their knees playing marbles was a sure sign of spring. Each child kept his marbles in an old tobacco bag his father gave him, or perhaps one his mother made him. Marbles were either glass or clay. There were many kinds of glass marbles. There were Aggies (real agate), and Immies (imitation agate). These were the most desirable ones. The small clay (commonies) were the most common.

The first thing you did was take a stick and draw a circle on the ground about two or three feet in diameter with a hole in the center. The center was called, the 'pot'. Each player put one marble in the center hole. Each player chose a marble (taw) from his marbles to shoot with. The marble was held between the thumb and forefinger and propelled with the thumb. If he succeeded in knocking a marble from the pot, he kept the marble and got another turn. If he did not, it was the next player's turn. The game ended when there were no more marbles in the pot. At the end of the game all marbles were usually given back to their owners. Sometimes the boys would play 'keepsie'. In this case they kept the marbles won. The mothers frowned on this.

This was a very simple game that a boy usually played by himself. Find a narrow board about three feet long and another one about a foot long. Nail the shorter one to the end of the longer one, forming a T. Find a rim from an old wheel and you are in business. The rim should be about eight or ten inches in diameter. Just start the hoop (rim) rolling, and keep it rolling by using the stick which you have made. This takes a bit of skill, and is not as easy as it might seem.

 LEAP FROG

Two or more kids played this game. The more the better. Players lined up one behind about six feet apart. Except for the kid last in line, they all bent over, bracing their hands on the ground. The last kid then leaped over the others one at a time until he got to the front, where he bent over like the others. The new kid at the back then leaped over the kids ahead of him. This would continue until the players became tired.

This was played whenever one was alone. Just find an empty barrel, lay it on its side. Stand on it and start walking, thus making the barrel roll. If you walked backward the barrel rolled one way. If you walked forward it rolled the opposite direction.

Small children often used their mother's broom or a branch of a tree as a substitute for a riding horse. While galloping around the yard you might hear the child singing:

Stilts had to be made for small children by an adult. It took a couple of boards about five feet in length. A small step board was attached to the upright boards about a foot from the ground. Finally, a leather strap was nailed to the ends of the step boards and the uprights forming stirrups. The child could then walk along. The trick was to learn to balance oneself as you walked. After a great deal of practice one could run and do all kinds of tricks on them.

If children were fortunate enough to have a grandfather living with them, they might be lucky enough to have two or three slingshots. Older grandfathers usually whittled a great deal. To whittle you just took your pocket knife and shaved off small bits of a tree branch. A slingshot was made from a forked limb of about six or eight inches long, and about half inch in diameter. It would look like the letter Y. A strip of rubber, probably cut from an old inner tube, would be attached to the two forks. Then a small stone could be put in the center of the rubber. Holding the handle of the slingshot with one hand, and pulling the rubber back with the other, one could aim for a certain post, or maybe a spot on the barn. Grandfathers also made whistles from willow tree branches.

Some games were played mostly by girls. I will tell you about some of them.

 PLAYING HOUSE

When three or four girls were together, they often played house. One would be the mother (every one wanted to be the mother), one would be the father, and the others would be the naughty kids. The kids were really naughty too. The mother and father would punish and yell at them. I think that is why it was enjoyable.

We often played school. Everyone wanted to be the teacher. One person would find sticks of different lengths, and hold them tightly in his fist. Each one drew a stick. Perhaps the one who drew the shortest stick was designated to be the teacher. The teacher was very strict, and the children were very naughty. This is what made the game so much fun. They could do things that they would never be allowed to do in school.

This too was a sure sign of spring, when you saw the girls jumping rope. All girls had a jumping rope, even if it was just a rope taken from a bale of binder twine. Some had a 'store bought' rope, and they were the envy of the class. At home a girl would jump for hours with her short rope. Quite often she would count the number of jumps she made. One hundred was the desired number. If a friend was visiting her, the friend would be invited to jump with her. While one swings the rope and jumps, the other runs in and jumps with her. At school a long rope was swung by two girls. The other children would line up to take their turn jumping. The girls swinging the rope would give the orders for jumping. Pepper meant they would swing the rope very fast, High water meant the rope would be swung high off the ground. Going in the back door meant going in the opposite side the rope was swinging.

Sometimes we would run through without jumping at all. The next time we would jump once, the next two and so on until you were jumping many times, or until you missed and stopped the swinging rope. Then you started over.

Two girls faced each other, holding each other's hands above their heads in the form of an arch. They then continued to hold hands as they each turned around, causing them to go under the arch. Their hands had to be held loosely so they could turn around. They would continue to go around and around, faster and faster, until they eventually collapsed in a heap on the floor.

 SKIN THE CAT

This required quite a bit of skill, and it helped if you were small and agile. You found a sturdy tree branch which was several inches above your out-stretched hands. You jumped up and grabbed the branch with both hands. You then swing your legs up between your arms and over your head all the way around so you would land on the ground on your feet.

Other games were played by both girls and boys, and were considered quiet games.

This could be played either inside or outside. One player was 'pussy'. The other players stood at places some distance apart. Pussy would go to one player and say 'meow'. This player would say something like, 'poor pussy', while patting pussy's head. Pussy would then keep meowing, but in such a way to try to get the person to laugh. If pussy couldn't make him laugh, pussy would then go to another player and proceed in the same way. The first player to laugh was the new pussy.

Eight to ten players are needed to play this game. They are divided into two teams who stand in lines facing each other. A line is drawn somewhere in front of each team, which defines that team's 'base.' One team is chosen to go first. This team, say Team 1, will then choose some activity to pantomime. This could be something simple, such as picking apples, washing clothes, or maybe rocking a baby. After an activity is chosen, both teams move toward each other. As they come Team 1 says

Team 1 "Here we come"

Team 2 "Where you from ?"

Team 1 "New York"

Team 2 "What's your trade?"

Team 1 "Ice cream and lemonade"

Team 2 "Go to work and show us some".

Team 1 then acts out whatever activity they had chosen. When someone on Team 2 is successful in guessing their act, the members of Team 1 run back to their base with the other team chasing them. If anyone is caught, they go over to the other side.

Rhymes were also popular. A popular one was

The players stood in a circle and this rhyme was said by everyone. As each word was said a different person was pointed to. The person being pointed to, as the last word was said, was 'it'. Today, we realize the insensitivity of this rhyme and would classify it as 'racist.' Back then, in our little country school, we had no intent to be insensitive to anyone. A popular book of the times was, Little Black Sambo, which we also realize now as demeaning to African-Americans. I guess we've opened our eyes to some things.

Another rhyme that was popular and was sung by kids in a circle. I can only remember it partly as

Sometimes this last person was 'it', or maybe they just played this rhyme, taking one person out of the circle until just one was left. That person was then 'it'.

Maybe, when one player wanted to play a game he might yell, "Lets play hide and seek -- not it." Others would say, "not it." The last one saying this would be 'it'. Maybe one would say, "The last one to the gate is it," and all would run to the gate. The last one there would be 'it'.

Some games were usually played at parties with both boys and girls present. Some of these were:

 GOING OUT WEST

As the players sat around the room, the designated starter would say that he was going to California, and he was going to take something. This is an example of what might be said. I'm going to California, and I'm going to take a suitcase. The next player says that he is going to California and is going to take a suitcase and his dog. The next player says he's going to California and is going to take a suitcase, his dog, and his violin. This goes around the circle, with each player repeating what the former players had said, and adding something to the list. This goes on until someone can't remember everything. That person then is removed from the circle, and the others try to continue. It is interesting to see how long players can continue without missing an object.

This is a game enjoyed by younger children. The mother draws a picture of a donkey. A child is blindfolded and given a cutout donkey tail with a pin attached. The child then tries to pin the tail to the donkey which is set up somewhere. Each child takes their turn and the child who comes closest to pinning the tail in the right place wins a prize.

WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN

This is a game for older players. A sheet of paper is passed from one player to the next. The first player writes 'who'. This can be any person, or even a dog or some other animal. The paper is then folded down so that the next person in line cannot see what was written. The next person writes 'what'. This can be any activity. The next person writes 'where'. This can be any location. The last person writes 'when'. This can be any time. The paper is then opened and read aloud. Of course the object is to write silly things on the paper, so that it will be ridiculous when read.

Many hours were spent outside during a summer afternoon, simply lying on the grass, under a shade tree, watching the clouds float by. Have you ever noticed the great pictures which the clouds form ?

If your mother wasn't busy maybe you could talk her into playing string games. You would take a piece of string about thirty inches long and tie the ends together. Then each person would pull the string around their hands and make crow's feet, or double crow's feet, or even rocking-the-baby patterns with the string. Crow's feet could be made by one person, but the other patterns took two persons.

At night, using the shadow of a kerosene lamp, a parent might make shadow pictures on the wall or ceiling to entertain small children. My father would entertain me with pictures of foxes, birds, horses, and other animals when I was very young.

A favorite game when you were alone was jacks. One had six 'jacks' and a small rubber ball. You began by scattering the jacks on the floor. You then sat on the floor and tossed a ball in the air, letting it bounce once before catching it. While the ball was in the air, you picked up a jack. You did this over and over until all the jacks were picked up. You then scattered the jacks on the floor again, but this time around you picked the jacks up two-at-a-time; the next time around three-at-a-time, and so on. There are other variations of this basic game.

Children loved to play tricks on each other. A first kid would say to a second kid:

The second kid is supposed to answer, pinch me tight, and the first kid would do just that.

One child one might walk up to another child and say:

Child 2 I two it

Child 1 I three it

Child 2 I four it

Child 1 I five it

Child 2 I six it

Child 1 I seven it

Child 2 I eight it

Then Child 1 would laugh at the other child's expense, usually chiding him, "you ate it, you ate it".

"Open your hands and shut your eyes and I'll give you something to make you wise," was something someone might say to you. But if an older boy said it, you had better be a bit skeptical, for it could be anything from a worm to a rock.

Of course, these are still played by kids everywhere (and adults too), but how they are played changes over time. Sometimes a child couldn't wait until April Fools' Day, so he'd try to fool someone at an earlier time. When he did this you would say, April Fools a coming, and you're the biggest fool a running. Sometimes he had so much fun fooling his playmates that he would continue for a day or so. The answer might be, April's gone and past, and you're the biggest fool at last.

In country school the teacher would go out and play with her students at recess. Usually she wasn't too much older than some of her pupils. In the town school the teachers didn't play with the pupils Sometimes they had students who acted as watchdogs over the others.

When a child was caught cheating or doing some other thing that did not please some of the other children, there was usually one who would go to the teacher and tell her all about it. Then you would hear some of the others sing-song a verse. Tattle tale, tattle tale, hanging on a bull's tail.

Sometimes a child might be unhappy and maybe cry. If the girl were Dorothy, a boy might say :

Dorothy's sad,

And a cute little boy to squeeze her.

This would usually end with Dorothy chasing the boy who teased her.

Games of today may be quite different from the games of many years ago, but the one thing we see is that children are children who enjoy playing together and having a good time during these wonderful days called childhood.