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Children's Games in England

Children&'s games in England are similar to those played in other English-speaking countries. Most non-electronic games in England are very physical in nature, and often involve a lot of running and jumping. These games are good for fitness, although their popularity has declined because of safety fears and a preference for electronic gaming among modern children.

Tag (or Tig)
- This is one of the most popular playground games, as it can be played in a large or small group. One or more children is designated as "it," then gives the rest of the group a head start of roughly ten seconds. The players who are "it" then have to try and catch the other players. If a player is caught by "it," then they become "it" as well. Most games go on indefinitely, or until the children get tired, but in some variants the last surviving player who isn&'t "it" is the winner.
  
  There are multiple variants to this game. One of the more popular variations is called "stuck in the mud," where a player who is tagged by "it" has to stay in the place where they were tagged until another player can free them by touching them.
One-Two-Three
- This game is a variant of Hide and Seek. At the start of the game, a place is designated as a "safe area," then one person is designated the seeker. The seeker counts to 100 while the others hide. The hiders win if they make it back to the safe area and say, for example "one-two-three <hider&'s name>," with the last one to make it back being the loser. The seeker wins if he can find the person, touch them, and say "one-two-three <hider&'s name>" before the hider makes it back to the safe area.
Conkers
- Another popular English children&'s game is Conkers. This is played during the fall. Conkers requires the players to drill a hole into the seed of a horse chestnut, or conker tree. Players then thread a string through the seed. Once it is ready, the players take turns hitting each other&'s conkers, with the first one to break being declared the loser. With each victory, the conker is attributed a number. For instance, if a conker has won nine games, it is called a "niner."
  
  It is possible to cheat at Conkers. This involves putting the seed into a freezer or vinegar to harden the shell. One account on ProjectBritain.com tells of how a boy hollowed out his conker and filled the inside with glue, making it nearly indestructible.

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