The Games of Colonial
America
By Alex Paseka 7C ID1
Summary
• Back then children didn’t have the kind of
technology to play virtual games so they
played real out door games
• Some kids made their own games
• Some girls made their own dolls
• Some boys made wooden horses to ride
them
Games
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The Game of Jackstraws
Iroquois Snow Snakes
Whirligig
Chore Games
Tops
Rolling Hoop
Nine Pines
Bilbo Catcher
Riddles
Hopscotch
The Game of Jackstraws
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First you need 2 or more players and 21 broom straws or any other thin stick
thing.
Cut all straw to a length of 6 inches.
Player 1 will hold several straws with the fingertips of one hand at the top of the
straws. The bottom of the straws much be on your playing area. Then let go of
the straws so that they land in a little pile.
After that, Player 1 will try to pick up 1 straw off the pile without touching or
causing any others to move. If he/she succeeds without moving any other straw
then he/she keeps that straw and tries to get 1 more.
If someone moves a straw by accident when try to get a straw the that player’s
turn is over and they must put the straw back.
The game continues until all straws are picked up. The player with the most
straws wins.
Iroquois Snow Snakes
• Choose one side of your stick to be a head. Decorate the rest
of your snow snake with colored paper, dots, markers, or even
stickers. Draw a tail on the opposite side of the head. Each
snow snake should have a special look. Use a rag to apply a
coat of furniture wax to the entire snow snake.
• Go to your special sliding track and hold the snake by the tail
and throw it under hand. Take turns with others to throw the
stick. The person who throws it farthest gets 1 point. You win
when you get 10 points.
Whirligig
• Cut a 4 inch circle on a piece of cardboard or
use a large button.
• Make two holes in the cardboard about 3/8 inch
from the center.
• Put a piece of string about 2 feet long through
the holes and tie it together. Continue by
spinning the circle until the string is tangled and
then pull.
• Continue doing this to have fun with the
Whirligig.
Chore Games
• Kids made games out of their everyday chores.
• When boys were tasked with carrying wood or
finding berries they made contest to see who
could do the task faster or who can find more
berries than the other or carry more wood then
the other.
• This was a fun thing for them to do when they
were bored.
Tops
• Tops was a game played indoors.
• Children spin tops and tried to either hit
the other player’s top to make it fall before
his/hers did or to spin it and see whose top
will last longer.
Rolling Hoop
• Kids have a 2 and a half foot diameter hoop and
a wooden stick. They need to roll the hoop with
the stick.
• This is very simple. They had races with the
hoops to see who could get to the finish first
without messing up their hoop.
• If you grab the hoop and run or push with
something other than the wooden stick then you
are disqualified.
Nine Pins
• This is a game like today’s bowling but
there are only 9 pins and u only get 1
chance to throw the ball for a score.
• This was a indoor game so the pins were
only 5 inches tall
• Kids played several round and who ever
had the most points at the end would win
Bilbo Catcher
• Bilbo catcher is a game where kids had a
ball and a cup. They had to make the ball
go in the cup with out shake/flick of the
cup.
• I don’t understand why they didn’t just call
the game “Ball in a Cup”.
Riddles
• Kids told riddles to pass time when they
had nothing to do.
• A few of the riddles were:
• 1- What can be seen falling down, but
never crying?
• 2- What kind of room is not in a house?
• 3- What has three feet, but cannot walk?
Riddle Answers
• 1- Rain
• 2- A mushroom
• 3- A yardstick
Hopscotch
• Hopscotch is played by marking squares on the
ground and jumping into other squares in a pattern.
• Kids would throw a rock at a the hopscotch area and
the square it lands closest to they must jump there.
• If they lose balance, step on the line, or missed the
rock when going back then they lose.
• To win you must throw the rock jump to the end and
on the way back pick up the rock while jumping and
get back to the start.
Bibliography
• American Kids in History Colonial Days Discover the Past with
Fun Projects, Games, Activates, and Recipes by David C. King
pgs.94-97
• http://www.ushist.com/victorian_toys-and-games_f.shtml
• http://www.pencaderheritage.org/main/teachtool/games.pdf