Pick-up sticks is a game enjoyed by both children and adults alike. The objective of this game is to pick up as many sticks as possible without disturbing or moving the other sticks. To begin, the player bundles the sticks with his hand, then slowly releasing it from his grip. This will lead the sticks to fall in an outward manner, usually in a messy circle. The player will decide on which stick to isolate so as not to create even a slight movement on the surrounding sticks. As easy as it may sound, the game requires much determination and focus to identify the best stick to pick up. Players who successfully pick up the sticks without touching the other sticks may continue to have a go, until he disturbs a stick. The game ends when the last stick is picked up, and the winner is the player with the most sticks.

Chinese checkers originated from a Victorian British game, Halma, converted into a star-shaped board. It was first patented by Ravensburger, a famous German games company in 1892, only a few years after Halma appeared. Originally called the “Hop Ching Checker Game”, it was renamed “Chinese Checkers” before it took off.

Chinese Checkers can be played by 2 to 6 people, each person starting with a set of uniquely coloured pieces in one point of the star. The objective is simply to be the first to move all the pieces across the board and into the star point opposite. Pieces move a single point or else hop over other pieces in order to advance their pieces as quickly as possible. The middle part of the game becomes quite a challenge as the options for hopping vary rapidly as the game changes shape.

The common theory states that chess originated from Chaturanga, mimicking a very similar war-game invented in North India around 600 A.D. The origins of chess continue to spark lengthy records of debates and findings about where, when and who invented this board game. Chess was taken to China by Buddhists over the mountains – over the Indus River or through the Khyber Pass, a key juncture point of caravan routes. The Chinese developed their own game of chess in 800 A.D.

Known today as xiang qi, Chinese Chess has also other variations such as wei qi, a similar concept with simplified rules. Each chess piece comes with its own rules of movement, requiring players to pit against each other in intellect, skill, strategy and mind agility.

Like many childhood games, Zero point was a simple activity that consisted of a long rope strung by elastic bands and hyper-active young girls hell bent on jumping highest.

At least three players are needed – one to jump across the altering heights and two to hold the rope on either end. As the rubber rope gets raised higher (usually elevated inch by inch), it gets tougher to manoeuvre over the rope. No part of the body should touch the rope and should that happen, his/her turn is forfeited and the next person starts his/her round.

Kids tend to create fancy game lingo and it’s no different with zero-point. One would be ‘twist’ where a player jumps around the rope – held at waist-length – five times repeatedly.

Photo Courtesy: Daquin Li

While many might remember the recent Channel 5 drama serial Fighting Spiders which was set in rural Singapore in the 1960s, the hobby of pitting these eight-legged creatures against each other was once considered a favourite past time of many school boys.

The fun begins by placing two spiders, one of each end of a long stick, lead them to the middle of the stick and a furious fight will ensue! The battle ends when one spider drops off the stick. Nominal bets of a few dollars might be made – for the young ones, this was quite a sum! In some cases, a win is considered only when the losing spider is eaten by its opponent.

What’s a fight without its warriors? These spiders are usually caught in trees and bushes. It’s believed that spiders that live in areas exposed to predators are more aggressive than those living in isolation and therefore better fighters. So are those with slender bodies and long legs!

Usually housed in used matchboxes, these spiders are well-taken care off though the trainer might intentionally starve the creatures before a match to increase their ferocity.

Small, spherical and splashed in colours or red, yellow or blue, marbles or goli are usually made from glass, clay or agate. Many versions of the game exist. The most common way is the Ringer which involves drawing a circle in the sand while players take turns to knock their opponents’ marbles out of the circle with their own marbles. Another alternative has one shooting marbles at target marbles or into ‘rolley holes’ which are essentially holes in the ground. A sly player may use this strategy of hitting a marble into a protected area should it miss the target.

Like many children games, rules are made up along the way and it’s of no surprise that a simple game as marbles can have complex rules concocted by youngsters!

Other versions of the game include using a taw or a shooter to fire the marbles. Marbles also come in all sizes. Any marble larger than average can be called a boulder, masher, popper, bowler or even a Biggie, while one that’s smaller can be termed a peawee or mini. For players obsessed with size (most men are!), the largest marble of all is a Grandfather which can be the almost the size of a pool table ball or tennis ball.

Marble collecting is also a trend and is a hobby of over 400 million people worldwide. The value of these ornate spheres are classified by condition, size, type, artisan, style, scarcity and even age! Though if you’re an ugly marble, hope isn’t lost for an unattractive but rare marble is just as valuable as those of exquisite quality!

Chapteh is a traditional Asian game probably best remembered by young boys who spent hours kicking this usually colourful feathered appendage. Using only the feet and other parts of the body (except the hands), players had to keep this heavily weight shuttlecock in the air. The game may be played in a court similar to badminton or volleyball, or among a circle of players.

Considered a national sport in Vietnam, the Chapteh’s origins is believed to date back to the 5th century B.C in China. The Chinese fondly called it “ti jian zi” or “kick little shuttlecock”. The earlier version of the game had a football-like nature and was used in military training. Over the centuries, the game gained popularity around Asia, and soon, the world.

In 1936, the game travelled to Europe. It was during the Summer Olympics that year when a Chinese athlete from Jiangsu performed at a demonstration. The simple yet addictive game was soon played by Germany and other European countries and named it “shuttlecock”.

Since then, a film about this sport was created by a Chinese movie company; titled The Flying Feather, it won a gold award at an international film festival. Chapteh was also included as a sport in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games.

Recall the days of fun and play in today’s decade of computer games, Wii and Facebook interactives. One might recall stories from the past dating back to the 50s, while a good majority of us will chuckle softly of our made-up games in primary school. Try as we might, re-enacting these games in our present day and age proves too much of an embarrassment and energy for our worn limbs.

Throw one, pick up one. Throw one, pick up two.

Jacks, Onesies, Knucklebones, Snobs, Gobs, Kugelach, Chamesh Avanim, Best Tas, Gonggi. There are so many different variations to this old school game familiar to many, Five Stones. It is a rather complicated game that children played in early Singapore. It involved throwing, picking up and catching little pyramid-shaped bags on the back of the hand. These little cloth bags are usually filled with saga seeds, beans, rice or sand. The game would progress from throwing and catching one bag, to five bags. It improves hand-eye coordination amongst children and captures their interest, as the game gets more and more thrilling.

You may ask why the ‘five stones’ are bags of different fillings and not made of actual stones. Some children have been known to play this game with real granite stones, of which they must meet a certain criteria. These stones must be smooth and of the correct size, though they will eventually smoothen out after much game-play over time. Where do they find these stones then? Well, the children of the olden days would pick granite stones from the dirt road, where they were scattered to create friction for wheels of bicycles or trishaws on the road.

Five Stones is an interesting game as there is a certain rhythm to it and you need good balancing skills to sustain the pyramid-shaped bags on the back of your hand. It is usually played by two people, who would take turns when the opponent fails to catch the required number of stones. Through different games like this, children can make new friends and at the same time test their reflexes. Young ones would also have Five Stones tournaments and would either bet their allowance or other possessions, such as spiders or marbles.

Modern-day technology has seen the rising popularity of handheld games, computer games or mechanical games. Spoilt for choice, few children play Five Stones these days, which is rather sad as the traditional game might one day be forgotten. Five Stones are now given as cute gifts for people to place in cabinets and go gaga over the cute patterns on the cloth and the feeling of the sand or beans inside it, instead of playing with it.

In other countries, the five stones are not just pyramid-shaped, but also rectangular or take form of other three dimensional shapes. Five Stones is an international game with many different names, and this can be used to bond different people across different countries as they reminisce on their childhood days.

Everyone will surely remember their childhood days, where most led a simple, kampong life and played simple games with everyday objects, like five little stones on the dusty road.

Throw one, pick up one, throw one, pick up two…

Article written by: [Sarah Tong Ren Xuan], [National Junior College]

Hopscotch had always been a source of never-ending fun during my childhood. In kindergarten, being able to hop through all the boxes was a great feat, but in primary school you were seen as silly if you didn’t complete it with a fancy stunt or two. Looking back on those days, I realised that something this simple – boxes drawn on the floor, could provide us with that much fun, laughter and joy.

The origins of hopscotch are unclear, but there are stories of it being invented by the Romans or the Chinese. The first reference to hopscotch was dated in 1677. There are many varieties of hopscotch; with different names in different parts of the world.

Although it is not clear when exactly hopscotch came to Singapore, it can be safely said that it was here long before me and my peers were born. Children could often be seen jumping around these chalk-drawn boxes after school, or in the evenings. Even parents would get together and chat, while they were watching their children. Without modern-day technology, the people of the past had to settle for means of entertainment that were simple yet fun.

So, how does one play hopscotch? As its forms vary around the world, there is no definite set of rules, but in Singapore, it is played by the first player tossing his/her marker (e.g. stones, bean bags, wallets etc.) into the first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square without touching a line or bouncing out of it. The player’s turn is forfeited if the marker lands in the wrong square, otherwise, the player hops through the court, and if the player successfully finishes the course, he or she wins!

Today, hopscotch is a game commonly played in Singapore, especially in schools, or at the void decks of HDB flats. Even though it is such an age-old game, it still holds its charm and continues to be a great way for people, young and old, to bond together and have fun.

Article written by: [Janice Teo], [National Junior College]