Hopscotch (Stapoo)
Hop the numbers without touching a line.
- Players
- 1 or more
- Ages
- 4 and up
- What you need
- Chalk and a small flat stone
Hopscotch grids have been found scratched into stone floors from ancient Rome to Roman-era India, which makes it one of the oldest games anyone still plays. In India it is Stapoo, Kith-Kith or Nondi depending on where you are. All you have ever needed is a piece of chalk and a small flat stone — and a child who cannot yet read numbers will learn them by hopping on them.
How to play
- 1Chalk a grid of numbered squares from 1 to 8 or 9 on flat ground.
- 2Throw your stone into square 1.
- 3Hop through the grid on one foot, skipping the square your stone is in. Land with both feet where two squares sit side by side.
- 4Turn at the end, hop back, and pick the stone up on the way.
- 5If you step on a line or put your other foot down, your turn ends. Next time, throw into square 2, and so on.
Good for the body
Hopping on one leg is the single best balance exercise for young children, and it strengthens ankles and feet in a way running never does.
Good for the brain
Number recognition, counting and sequencing, repeated with the whole body. Learning numbers while moving fixes them far more firmly than reading them off a page.
A note for parents
Perfect for the youngest children — it is counting, balance and number recognition all at once, and one piece of chalk is the entire cost.
Played today?
Ask a parent before going outdoors.