Children’s street games in NYC are as iconic a fixture of the streetscape as the very stoops and fire hydrants they often integrate. Untold generations have recreationally come of age in the city with the help of stickball, double dutch, hula hooping, and four square, among others. While many of these traditional pastimes have fallen somewhat by the wayside among contemporary youngsters—more often glued to the glow of portable screens—some organizations are making a point to reintroduce some classic street games to newer generations of New Yorkers.
On Saturday, April 27, NYC Parks will host its sixth annual Street Games in Thomas Jefferson Memorial Park on 114th street and First Avenue. Parents and their little ones are invited to indulge their playful sides and take part in any one of the event’s featured activities, from pogo-sticking lessons and a handball clinic to a soapbox derby. For families interested in learning more about fun and imaginative games for their children to play in the neighborhood, this is one event you won’t want to miss.
What’s more, in 2010, PBS premiered New York Street Games, an elaborate documentary on the genesis, history, and legacy of interactive urban pastimes. Featuring cameos from dozens of native New Yorkers, the documentary addressed the important social development facilitated by street games in the 20th century and underscored their fading popularity with kids today.
For parents looking to work some throwback recreation into their children’s daily fun, here’s a rundown of some still-pertinent New York street game standards.
Stickball
A low-budget adaptation of America’s favorite pastime, stickball resonates today as a once-iconic fixture in postwar urban New York. All it requires is a broom handle or rod, a rubber-based ball (Spalding hi-bounce or tennis balls are ideal as they won’t break windows), and some general moxie and awareness of local traffic patterns.
Four Square
This simple game of box-by-box domination has stood for generations as a make-or-break playground rite of passage. Incredibly easy to play and requiring only a stick of chalk and a medium-to-large rubber ball, four square is a straightforward game for kids looking to build teamwork and develop hand-eye coordination.
Double Dutch
A classic activity for collaboration, conditioning, and hand-eye coordination, double dutch involves a minimum of three participants: two rope-turners and at least one jumper. This game has a boatload of interpretations, but the constants are the two ropes (moving in opposite directions) and a simple objective: don’t trip and fall.
Red Rover
The action takes place between two parallel lines of players standing abreast about 30 feet apart. The game is initiated by one team provoking the other by calling “red rover, red rover, send [name of an individual on the other team] over.” At this point, the named player rushes toward the opposing line, which has linked arms tightly in anticipation of attempted breakthrough. If the player fails to unlink the chain, they absorb into the opposing team. In the event that they can break through, the player can then return to his or her original team with one of their opponents’ number in tow. The game is won when the losing team’s last remaining player charges and fails to break the chain.
Kick the Can
A good way to keep anywhere from three to a few dozen kids occupied for a while, kick the can is a classic stealth and strategy game, not too far removed from capture the flag. The game requires a singular soda can, the participants, and a good location such as a quiet street, a deserted parking lot, or an open park. A single player is chosen as “it” and is tasked with protecting the can; every other player is charged with sneaking up to the can and tipping it over without being detected by “it” first. Players caught in the act by “it” are held in the game’s chosen jail area, typically within plain sight of the can. The game is over once the can has been kicked or all players have been captured trying to do so.
Hula Hooping
A terrific way for kids to develop core strength and balance, hula hooping is quite possibly the simplest activity to keep a kid busy on a warm day. All you need is a hoop and some motivation to move your hips.
Wallball
Requiring only a rubber ball and a wall with about 15 feet of leeway, wallball is a terrific way to develop motor skills. The game is initiated when the server (typically the one who provides the ball or the winner of the last game) delivers the ball into the wall. From that point, the other players must hit the ball back into the wall before it bounces twice. No player can hit the ball into the wall consecutively. If a player fails to hit the ball back to the wall in the air or is standing nearest the ball when it bounces a second time, they’re out. Last man standing wins.
Hopscotch
A quintessential city street scene usually involves a girl happily making her way along a handmade hopscotch course. The game can be played alone or with a group and all it takes is a stick of chalk and a bean bag or pebble (or other tossable marker of some sort). Simply draw a series of interconnected numbered single or double boxes. Then, toss the bean bag or pebble squarely into the first box before hopping through the course, skipping the box that has the marker within it. Be sure to only place one foot in each box–so single boxes should be entered hopping on one foot and double boxes should be entered hopping on both. Once you get to the end of the course, take a 180-degree hop and make the return trip, picking up the marker and skipping its designated box along the way. Repeat the sequence tossing the marker into the next sequential box. Continue until you step on a line, lose your balance–or your breath!
