Peevers, peeverels, pabats, piko, bebeleche, kith-kith, laylay, potsy, pon, delech, avioncito, scotch hobbies, hop-score! Peregrina, rayuela, bebeleche, amarelinha, rrasavi, thikrya, marelle ronde, himmel und hölle, hopscotch! When a game dates back to the 17th century, and possibly to the Romans, it usually passed through cultures and played around the world, with variations in name and technique accordingly. Here’s an illustrated guide to hopscotch, one of those good old fashioned games that hasn’t wavered in popularity these four hundred years. Unlike jacks and marbles, there’s no need for revival, no generation missed – long live scotch hobbies!
First, toss the pebble into a square, not touching any scotches or scores.
Then hop, not touching a line, nor falling out, or forfeit.
Land on a pair with one foot neatly inside each square.
Leap over the square with the stone.
Hop. If one has no chalk and paving, a stick in the dirt will do. I admire a game with great simplicity of materials.
Turn at the end. Some variants have a safe square there, or a semicircle, for turning.
Pick up the marker, don’t lose your balance! And hop through. We shall have to try the variant which requires you to kick the marker along with you.
Sometimes we draw the spiral variation as in the French marelle ronde or escargot.
Grace, balance, aim.
We write numerals in, in contemporary fashion, but a square is all that’s needed.
There’s a good simple game. Did you grow up playing this one?
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