by Adapt Training and Development
I was chatting with a friend recently about hopscotch of all things, and she shared with me that once upon a time she had organized the International Society of Hopscotch. She forwarded some of the previous promotional content they had created (which sadly, is no longer available online). I found this absolutely delightful and thought it should be shared.
Many of us played hopscotch on a playground or school yard at some point in our lives. But there is an argument to be made for adult hopscotch! A Gamesver article titled “13 Reasons Why Adults Should Play Hopscotch Too!” spells out some of the benefits. As my friend says, “hopping on one foot is a little test of bravery. You must convince yourself to shift your weight from two feet to one foot. You must trust your body to make a million little decisions so you don’t fall down.” She adds, “hopping is a little miracle actually. You are flying, just a little bit, every time you jump.”
According to Susan Whiteman at albany.edu, hopscotch “began in ancient Britain during the early Roman Empire. The original hopscotch courts were over 100 feet long and used for military training exercises.” She writes that, “Roman foot-soldiers ran the course in full armor and field packs to improve their footwork.” Wikipedia thinks the game is even older: “Hopscotch is attested c.1200 to 600–500 BCE from the Painted Grey ware era of prehistoric India.” Various sources suggest that the word hopscotch combines “hop” and with “escocher,” meaning to cut, a precursor of “scotch” and eventually scratch. Hopscotch can be found all over the world and according to Susan Whiteman is called “Marelles in France, Templehupfren in German, Hinkelbaan in the Netherlands, Elkaria Dukaria n India, Pico in Vietnam and Reyuela in Argentina.”
As my friend said, “If you allow yourself to get sucked into the idea of playing a game that involves hopping, you’ve already won.”
13 Reasons Why Adults Should Play Hopscotch Too!
https://www.gamesver.com/reasons-why-adults-should-play-hopscotch-too-benefits-fun/