Stapu (Hopscotch)

Players

2 or more

Time

15 minutes

You need

Chalk, a flat stone

Ages

5 and above

Type

Traditional Indian games

Who it suits and when to play

Stapu suits children from five upward and needs only chalk, a flat stone and a patch of smooth ground. Two players are enough, and it can be played alone for practice. It builds balance and patience. The court can be drawn in a courtyard, on a terrace or on a quiet pavement, and washed away afterwards.

How to play

1. Draw a grid of eight boxes with chalk: single boxes for hopping on one foot and double boxes for landing on two.
2. The first player throws a flat stone into box 1. It must land inside the box, not on a line.
3. The player hops through the grid, skipping the box with the stone, turns at the end and hops back.
4. On the way back, the player picks up the stone while balancing on one foot, and hops out.
5. Next, the player throws the stone into box 2, and so on.
6. Stepping on a line, losing balance or missing the box ends the turn. The first player to finish all boxes wins.

Tips and variations

• Draw big boxes for small children.

Common problems and how to fix them

• Players disagree about whether a foot touched a line. A player who is waiting for a turn acts as line judge for the one who is hopping.
• Small children cannot hop the whole court. Let under-sevens put both feet down in the double squares and rest there.
• The stone slides out of the square. Use a flat piece of tile or a small beanbag, which stays where it lands.

More traditional Indian games

• Pitthu (Seven Stones) 20 to 30 minutes
• Langdi 15 to 20 minutes
• Vish Amrit (Freeze Tag) 15 minutes
• Oonch Neech 15 minutes
• Chain Tag 10 minutes

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