Games we used to play

As I look back to a time long ago
Long before computers and tv shows
There were simple games children used to play
Hours were spent outdoor throughout the day

There were seven stones, hop scotch and skipping ropes
Coconut fronds were used to slide down slopes
What fun we had when we played hide and seek
When others hide, one person counted and he musn’t peek

Skipping to ropes, there were so many rhymes
We’d skip and sing while counting to time
These skipping ropes were strung from rubber bands
The richer children used double strands

Hopscotch would be played before school began
Squares and circles would be drawn on the sand
Some kind of token had to be thrown
A string of beads, a bunch of shells or any old stone

With seven stones, we’d sit on the floor
A game you can play with one person or more
You toss one stone and pick up another
You would have lost if you dropped either

So many more I can’t recall
But any of these were more fun than the Mall
I think children had more fun in the good old days
The games were all free, there was nothing to pay.

~ Liz Sammy-Chin ~