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I know, with so many gadgets at hand and the ever present television and computers at home it is a tad bit difficult to get your kid to play games that you grew up playing or even get them to venture out of the house. But trust me, playing with your kid would be the best exercise and the best remedy to your stress levels. You must have come across numerous articles where people are opining about the finer things that a 90s kid had access to which is missing from the present hi-tech generation, the nostalgia itself is pretty heavy. However, since a lot of us 90s kids have become young parents now, why can t we take this opportunity to teach these amazing games from our childhood to our offspring and help them lead a less dependent existence on technology. Here are some of your childhood games that you must teach your child. Take a look:
1.Hopscotch/Kith Kith/Stapu Chucking a stone to a designated number and then hopping to get it across all the squares is no child s play but it has been one of the most entertaining and imaginative games ever. There is no need for any fancy and expensive play equipment (except the hunt of a perfect flat stone popularly called coin ) but it keeps one engaged for hours and the hand-eye and balancing co-ordination that you have to undergo will do wonders for your kid.
2.Hide and Seek This hardly needs any introduction. It is fun to play and the best part is that more the merrier. Even a toddler would be able to play this and when you actually surprise him/her you can watch them burst into peals of laughter.
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3. Aankh Micholi Blindfold the person who is playing den and then give him/her clues by shouting and see them get royally flustered.
4.Marbles This is played with shiny marbles called kancha . The player is supposed to hit the selected target with their own big white marble and the inevitable winner takes all the marbles of the rest of the player s home. Quite lucrative, trust me!
5. Carom This is a highly popular game not only with kids but with adults as well. Even championship matches are played for this sport. This game can be played with two or four players with different variations of the game. The main crux of the game is pocketing coin pieces using a larger piece called a striker . Here's what's making young India unhealthy.
6.Skipping Rope This is high on energy and the exercise will be good for the child as well as the parent. There are many variations that can be employed while skipping with a rope and if you remember you can teach some rhymes that accompany the game too.
7. Pitthu/Pitto/Laghori This game requires a few more players that have to be divided in two teams. A small stack of flat stones and a ball is all that is required to play this fun game. The teams take turns to hit the stack of stones with the ball and then they run around trying to rebuild the stack. The opponent team aims to hit the players with the ball and not let them rebuild the stack. The players who get hit are out of the game.
8. Kite Flying True you can still fly a kite as an adult during Makar Sankranti, but the exhilaration and excitement experienced during childhood is something else altogether. The sudden gust of wind and the difficulty of holding onto your kite make this game total kick-ass! Teach this to your kid and he ll never feel lonely.
9.Pillow Fight A sturdy pillow is all that you need and also an unsuspecting opponent! Wait for the opportune moment and unleash the beast. Best played when your kid s unstoppable energy is edging towards some mischief.
10. House Small kitchen utensils make believe and load of fun. Play host/hostess and dish out your culinary skills with aplomb. Did anyone mention a tea-party?
11.Lattoo/Top This needs some skill with a top but these days you get toy tops which have a key mechanism too.
12.Catch-Catch The best game to develop better co-ordination and good reflex. A ball is all that is required to play this game. Here are 10 things parents must do with their kids.
13.Five Stones This is a traditional game that is played both by kids as well as adults. This simple game requires five pieces of small stones. The trick is to spin one stone in the air while picking the other four without dropping the one in the air. The game does not require a fixed number of people.
14.Hand Clapping Games Do you remember Uma joshi, yay, yay, yay or Aao Millo, super sillo ? These are fun hand clapping games accompanied by a rhyming song usually with some trickery at the end like slapping the opponent s cheek. Two-four people can play this game.
15.Antakshari/Places/Rapid Fire These games have similar premise. In Antakshari you sing a song with the last letter of the word, in Places instead of a song you tell a name of a place (more intelligent and less noisy), whereas in Rapid Fire you don t let your opponent finish their song and start another song with a word which appears in the song that they were singing previously (a little chaotic, but loads of fun).
16.Poshampa Bhai Poshampa The nursery rhyme London Bridge is falling down was Indianised and turned into Poshampa bhai poshampa. This game needs a few more people; two of them lock hands above their hands and sing this song while the rest of the group pass under the bridge before the song gets over. The one who gets caught when the song gets over is out of the game. For your childhood s sake here is the poem:
'Poshampa bhai Poshampa
Dakuon ne kya kia
Sau rupe ki ghadi churayi
Aath aane ki rabri khayi
Ab toh jail mei jana padega
Jail ki roti khani padegi
Jail ka paani peena padega
Ab toh jail mein jana padegaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'....(hands come down with this one)
17.Name Place Animal Thing Best pastime in school. Take an alphabet and write down a name, place, animal and a thing that starts with it.
18.Langdi Hopping on one leg and trying to catch others in an enclosed area is what makes this game so much fun!
19.Denga-Paani/ Oonch Neench A fun running game where you need to touch the players who are safe only on Denga or higher ground. Once touched they play the den and you take their place on the higher ground. Denga here means a rock so you need to play this game on an uneven ground with rocks and boulders on which you can stand and be safe.
20. Pakdam Pakdai One of the most popular and easy to play game where the den needs to touch another person to relieve himself of the denner status.
21. Gilli Danda You re not a complete Indian if you ve never played this game. Even Bhuvan from Lagaan had played it!
22. Chor Police This is one of the most popular games. The players divide into two teams of thieves (chor) and police. The police have to catch the thieves and then the turn changes.
23. Colour, colour which colour This hardly needs any explanation. Most of us have learned the names of colours and their spelling through this one.
24. Chidiya Udd chidiya udd kabootar udd kauwa udd gadha udd. Did you lift up your finger? You re out!
25. Stories Just lie down cozily with your kid in a comfy blanket and spin stories around anything and everything. You can teach him about all sorts of stuff by making it fun and putting it in a story. Are mobiles and gadgets making you child unhealthy?
26. Playing with dough Make cute animals or teach him to roll chapattis with dough, bake them and have fun!
27. Akkad Bakkad Bambe Bo Reciting the rhyme was so much fun!
28. Lock and Key or Vish Amrit Great game where the den locks you or gives you vish and your friends need to give you amrit or key to let you rejoin the game.
29. Ludo Who hasn t played this?
30. Make Believe This is your ball game altogether. Get your creative juices flowing and help your child use his imagination to the fullest. Play a game which is made-up entirely by you and your kid!
Written by Vandana Srivastawa, an avid blogger and super fun mom!
Image source: Shutterstock