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Classic American Children's Games

The life of an American child typically revolves around running through the neighborhood and playing games with their friends. Even with advances in technology, many of these games have remained a slice of Americana generation after generation. These are simple games that often just require children to use their imaginations to play them.

Red Light, Green Light
- Do not run through the red light in this game.
  
  This classic kid's game is a variation of tag, often played by schoolchildren during recess. One child is chosen to be the "stoplight," while the other children all line up about 50 feet away from him. The stoplight player faces away from the pack of players and begins calling out either "red light" or "green light." "Green light" allows players to carefully move toward the stoplight player, attempting to reach him before he calls out "red light," which forces all players to immediately stop wherever they are. If the stoplight player turns around and catches any players moving during a "red light," they are out of the game. The first player to tag the stoplight player wins the right to be the stoplight during the next round. If no players manage to tag him, the round starts over again.
Ghost in the Graveyard
- It is not recommended that children play this game in an actual graveyard.
  
  This is a classic spin on hide-and-seek, usually played on warm summer evenings or around Halloween. One child is chosen to be the seeker or "ghost," while the other children attempt to conceal themselves in nearby hiding places. The ghost counts to a designated number and then attempts to find one of the children. Children can achieve immunity to being tagged by the ghost if they reach the spot where the ghost began counting. This area is typically a porch or park bench. If a player is caught by a ghost, she becomes the ghost during the next round.
Duck Duck Goose
- No real ducks are involved in this game.
  
  This classic game is played in many American elementary schools. Children sit in a circle, while one child is chosen as "it." The player who is "it" walks around the circle tapping children on the head, each time saying "duck". If the "it" player taps a child on the head and calls out "goose," the goose player must get up and attempt to chase the "it" player around the circle and tag him before "it" can sit down in the spot the goose player got up from. If goose player can't tag "it," he becomes the "it" player during the next round. If the goose manages to tag the "it" player, the "it" player then sits in the center of the circle and cannot be released until another goose tags an "it" player. There are also Bulgarian and Ghanaian versions of this game which are typically played the same manner but use a different language.

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