The hopscotch game

Hopscotch court

   Hopscotch is an old game for children, played today in almost all countries of the world. Different forms of the game have developed in different countries. The players need good bal­ance in order to play well.
   In the United States, children play hopscotch on a marked surface, which is a sort of court. The players mark out a diagram, usually of 10 squares, on the ground or pavement. Each player has a small piece of wood or stone called a puck. In one form of the game, each player in turn tosses his puck into the first square. Then, he hops on one foot into the first square, kicks the puck back over the base line, and hops back out of the square. Then, he tosses the puck into the second square, hops into the first square, then into the second square. There, he kicks the puck back over the base line, then hops back through the first square and out. He then tosses the puck into the third square and continues until he has moved through all the squares, or until he misses. A player misses when he loses his balance, steps on a line, or drops his puck on a line or in a wrong square. When he misses, he loses his turn and must wait until the other players have had their turns. The first player to move his puck through all the squares wins. In England, players jump on both legs, holding the puck between their feet. The hopscotch court is shaped like a snail. In other forms, a puck is not used.