Historic Games
You've probably heard that kids in the past had less time to play than kids today, and also didn't have very many toys. That's mostly true--because people had to make pretty much everything they used, everyone was very busy, and kids had a lot of chores. Even with all their chores, though, kids found plenty of time to have fun, and they found ways to have fun even if they didn't have special toys. So next time you are bored, round up a few friends and try out some of these games!
Ducks Fly
One of the players is the leader, who names the flying animal, and whom all others have to imitate. So the leader says, "Ducks fly," then everyone (including the leader) uses their hands and arms to show how a duck flies. Then the leader names another flying bird (or animal): "Robins fly." Eventually the leader names something that doesn't fly: "Dogs fly," and anyone who moves his or her hands to imitate flying is out.
Laughing Games: Honey, If You Love Me, Won't You Smile?
The point of this type of game is for the person who is "It" to make another player smile or laugh. "It" must choose another player to try to make laugh by saying something silly, or by saying the phrase in a funny or silly way. For example, "It" says to another player, "Honey, if you love me, won't you smile?" (For added effect, "It" can be on his/her knees, or in any other pose to try to make the other person laugh.) The other person must reply, without laughing or smiling, "Honey, I love you, but I just can't smile." If "It" succeeds in making the other person laugh, the other person becomes "It;" if not, the same person must try again until s/he succeeds in making someone laugh.
Genteel Lady
This is a memory game. The first player says, "I, genteel lady, always genteel, come from the genteel lady, always genteel, beg leave to inform you that my ship has just come in from China laden with [something starting with the letter "A," like "apples"]." The next player says the same thing, but has to add something starting with "B," so that the ship from China is "laden with apples and buttons." Whenever anyone makes a mistake, s/he has to take a pencil and wear it in the hair or behind an ear, and no longer calls herself a "genteel lady," but rather a "one-horned" or "two-horned" lady, depending on the number of pencils s/he has.
Blindman's Buff
This was a very well-known game, and can be played indoors or outdoors. One person is "It," and is blindfolded and turned around three times. Then "It" must try to catch one of the others. Whoever is caught becomes "It."
These games appear in Games and Songs of American Children, collected by William Wells Newell, first published in 1883 by Harper and Brothers. Reprint 1963 by Dover Books.