Primary school, a place of intense nostalgia often associated with the games we played when we were little. From hopscotch to the circle game to the classic chicken-fox-viper, here are the top 24 games from our childhood. The names may not be the same, there will surely be some missing, but you won't be able to say that you haven't played at least 7 of the games on this list!
Hide and Seek
The classic, so classic that even after 15 years, we can still play it. Moreover, even if our first games probably took place in our playgrounds or at home when we were little, this game has an infinite range of possibilities! A hospital in Japan, in a former abandoned and haunted industrial area…
Hopscotch
A beautiful classic, too, more associated with girls, like others in this ranking, and which taught you to have a certain balance. And also to count if you started playing it really early. I even wonder if that's not the primary goal of this game, when you think about it… The only game that allowed us to throw stones without being told off.
The rubber band
Whoever invented this game smoked dope. I promise this is not a judgment! It's an observation. It's true that I didn't play this game when I was little, but by observing my classmates, I came to the conclusion that I would never understand anything about this game. The layout, the fact of succeeding in a choreography on the first try. Using friends as a pillar to support the elastic in question… I call it slavery, but all the girls in the yard played it.
The bowl
The principle: kick a ball while yelling, shouting, whispering, whatever you want, someone's name. This someone, who we'll call Roger, will get the ball to put it back in its place. Meanwhile, all the other players will hide! As soon as Roger sees someone, he will hit the ball with his hand, shouting the name and hiding place of the person he just saw, the person who is being taken prisoner. To free everyone, a player must kick the ball. Simple, isn't it?
Cops and Robbers
You form two teams, preferably equal in number: the cops and the robbers. A prison is defined and the cops slap the hands of the robbers in order to put them in prison. To get them released, a thief must high-five thieves in prison, who can form a chain by holding hands.
He really changed the game… But I don't want to make anyone jealous
The Sparrowhawk
The hawk, previously designated, must catch all the prey that wants to go from one end of the field to the other, delimited by lines. Going from one line to another, each prey touched becomes a hawk. The winner is the last prey, if there is one, or the hawks, as in 99% of games. Not forgetting the little song to sing each time before the start of a race.
Marbles
A timeless classic that all generations play. Marbles have seen a few mini-games try to replace them, but they always manage to make a comeback. Cat eyes, caps, meteorites, orcs… There's something for everyone! All that's left to do is decide whether to play pot or tick.
Pokémon Cards
We've all had HP cards and not PV cards and we've all had that reaction “oh, but they're fake!” When we just weren't bilingual in English. This goes for EX cards. Life used to be simple, two types of cards, energy cards and weird gray cards that no one ever wanted!
Beyblade
At 6 years old, seeing two tops crash into each other could keep us on the edge of our seats for several minutes. It's true that when you compare it to cartoons… It's not the same thing
Chat
The Nutella of our snacks, our Avengers of afternoon movies, our Ça CartoonSunday night. A classic… The classic. The one that shows everyone how slow or fast you are. The game that keeps you on the edge of your seat even though you hate the 3 times 500 in high school, yet the principle is the same, you have to run.
The game of palm
For our ancestors, the Gauls, the game of a lifetime. Take a tennis ball and bounce it on a wall, several times, with your hand. Alone or with others, with your hand or foot, the version involving a petanque ball was, strangely, much less popular.
The tomato
We stand in a circle, we lean over and… NO! In short, everyone has played it at least once, we throw the ball and the goal is to get it between the legs. A nice game, but from a distance, it really looks silly.
Dodgeball
This game turns out to be a total blast when there is someone you don't like on the opposing team. Free the prisoners, throw the ball at your opponents, hear the opposing team shout “EARTH FORWARD” or “REBOUND”… It's priceless.
Blind Man's Buff
This is the official spelling of this game. A game where the goal is to blindfold yourself in order to find your friends… And to hit trees to end up like Vanessa Paradis.
The Circle Game
A quick way to break friendships, an old but destructive, shoulder-dislocating game. Make a circle with your fingers, NEVER go above shoulder height, if your buddy looks in, a blow to the shoulder. The real question is: are you good, or bad?
The jump rope
An activity that, I must admit, you can call me sexist, was more practiced by girls than boys. At least, the classic use of the skipping rope. To make a whip, a hammer, a vine, where to strangle people, it balances out.
Hula-hoop
Exemplary dexterity, a sense of positioning and support, a calculated rhythm of pelvic rolling. These are the ingredients of the hula-hoop fan.
The postman
The postman didn't come, he'll never come, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday… And there, you're running for your life, for your pride, but you're 5 years old and you look ridiculous.
The Little Bridge Killer
Those who read will remember the slaps taken on the back of the skull, the coconuts on the high base of the skull, the crutches… The goal? Several players aim to build small bridges. As soon as someone gets one, they are hit until they touch a previously designated object. “A dangerous and frankly not intelligent game”, exactly, a game for primary school children in a way.
Jacques said
How to liven up a party at 7 years old? Jacques said!!! And yet, I think that today, it is no longer the best way to have fun… Too bad. Nothing to see also Jacques Attali.
Pog
A temporary alternative to marbles, which finally saw the two games accommodate and exist in perfect synergy. With a kini, we watch our opponent's pogs fall over and belong to us, the favorite game of Dassault, Tapie and Balkany.
The beret
SALAAAAADE! Or how the evocation of an innocent lettuce becomes the main ingredient of a school's battlefield. The beret game is simple: two teams of the same number, each has a number, and a beret. It is placed in the middle of the two teams and a number is called, or several and it's war.
Knucklebones
Here is a game that dates back to Antiquity, it is the knucklebones gamewhere you have to demonstrate skill and agility. The aim of the game is to throw a knucklebone into the air, then pick up one or more other knucklebones before catching the one you threw into the air before it hits the ground.
1…2…3… Sun
The game 1, 2, 3, Sunis a great classic of playgrounds. A player stands facing a wall or a tree and says 1, 2, 3, Sun! while turning abruptly to Sun. The other players who advance while the player's back is turned must stop immediately. If he sees someone move, the latter must return to the starting line. The goal is to reach the wall without being seen moving.
The Frozen Wolf
The game of The Frozen Wolf is also a game that is very often found during recess with many variations. The goal of the game is to escape from the wolf that was previously designated. As soon as the wolf touches a player, he can no longer move, he is then frozen. It is possible to free it when a player from his team touches it. You have to know how to run very fast.
