Popular Childhood Games from 90s India

Popular Childhood Games from 90s India: Current is the era of technology & advancement where kids are indulged in smartphones & tabs. But this technology has snatched the opportunity from today’s kids to play & enjoy nostalgic games that 90s kids used to play. There was something special in the 90s when all the kids would gather & play some energetic games that used to keep them healthy.

Ask a 90 kid how they would relate to the happiness of jingling with friends & playing refreshing games. Today after lockdown kids have become more inclined towards video games & have turned into potato couches. They lack interpersonal skills & are not fond of playing enthusiastic outdoor games. But we can do something good for the new age kids by introducing them to some of the best Childhood Games from the 90s that are popular in India. We are sure that you will be amazed by these ’90s childhood games & will want to know more about them.

Top 10 Childhood Games from 90s India

• Pakdam Pakdai

Now our favorite & the one that grabs first place on the list of Famous Childhood games of 90s India is Pakdam Pakdai. This is quite an energetic game where a group of kids are involved. There is one dienner who has the task of catching other kids playing the game. Non-dienner kids will run away from the dienner & the one who got caught by the diener will become the new dienner. The same process goes on & on unless & until kids get tired & stop playing. This is one of the favorite games of 90s kids who used to play it during summers & winter vacation.

• Chupan Chupai (Hide & seek)

This nostalgic game surely deserves to occupy a place in the list of famous Childhood games played in the 90s in India. Chupan Chupai is every 90s kid’s beloved game & their list of to-do lists during vacations. In Chupan-Chupai also known as Hide & Seek, one person is the diener & the other kids used to hide at places where dienner can’t find them. After counting to certain numbers the diener will have to find their friends until he/she finds the last person playing the game. During the process, if any hidden participant does ‘Thappa’ by staying hidden from dienner’s eyes then the diener will have to again become a dienner. This is one of the games which requires active participation from all the players & is one of the best games which was played in India during the 90s.

• Stapoo (hopscotch)

Every girl’s favorite & one of the famous childhood games of the 90s in India is Hopscoth aka Stapoo. The hopscotch game is played by hopping or jumping in each block. This is a street game where the players draw a rectangular block with street chalk or with a stick on the mud. One by one they throw pebbles in the blocks & are supposed to jump on the block (in all the other blocks except the one in which the pebble is thrown) to retrieve the pebble. If the person is not able to throw in the right block in one go & byfluke put both the foot on the ground while hopping then they will have to start the game from the beginning.

• Aankh Micholi (Blindfold)

One of the top Childhood games played in the 90s in India is Ankh Micholi or blindfold. The game is played between the age group of 5-12. In this game, the diener is blindfolded with a dupatta or any other piece of cloth and they are supposed to find other kids playing one by one. This game is completely different from hide & seek where the diener is able to see while other players are hidden. This is a group game where a minimum of 4-5 players are involved & there is no maximum limit of players. This is one 90s game that will surely bring back the nostalgia of those days.

• Gilli Danda

Now when popular childhood games of the 90s in India are talked about how can we forget Gilli Danda? This game is popular in rural areas & small towns & is played not only in India but also in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan and also in some parts of Cambodia and Italy. However, the origin of Gilli Danda is India. Now let’s have a look at how this unique tarditional game is played.

The game is played using two sticks one stick is longer & called ‘Danda’ while the other is small and is called ‘Gilli’. In the game, the Gilli is used to hit with a Danda just as we hit the ball with the bat in Cricket. The person who has hit the Gilli farthest with the maximum spins in the air wins the game. What makes this game different from modern-day cricket is that the game can be played between two teams & as well as individually.

• Lagori (Seven Stones)

This is one of the oldest traditional games of India which is played by most of the 90s kids. Lagoori or Nigodcha is played between two teams. In the game, seven stones are placed above each other in a pyramid shape. One team is tasked with knocking the blocks down & the team whose blocks have fallen is supposed to build it as quickly as possible. The team building the blocks will have to rebuild them within a minimum time until the other team gets hold of the ball & hits the players of the other team preventing them from building the Nigodcha again.  If they can make it within the time limit without getting out by other team players they win otherwise they lose the game.

• Kancha (Marbles)

One of the famous Childhood Games of the 90s played in India is Kancha Marbles. It is one of the famous games which is popular among 90s kids. The way of playing this game is quite easy. Both the players place their marbles in the center which is similar to a carrom board. From a safe distance, each player attempts to hit another player’s marble. Any marble that goes out of the circle will directly go to the shooter. In the end, the winner will take away all the marbles from the other players.

• Kho-Kho

When Childhood games of the 90s are talked about, Kho-Kho comes into our mind. This outdoor game is quite famous among the 90s kids. Kho-Kho is a lively tag game where two teams compete. One team sends players (chasers) to tag opponents, while the other tries to avoid getting caught. The chasers aim to tag opponents below the shoulder, and the defending team strives to last without being tagged. Points are earned by either tagging all opponents or touching designated poles. It’s an energetic game, and the team with the highest points emerges victorious.

• Dog & the Bone

Dog & the Bone is one of the famous 90s childhood games played in India. In Dog & the Bone game the teams are divided into two teams where each child is given one number. Both the teams will stand opposite to each other & a handkerchief will be placed in the center. Now the players of each team will call out any number & the child having that number from both teams will come in front quickly. Then the players in front will be tasked with picking the hanky & running away quickly. If another touches the child having a hanky then he or she will get out immediately. The team who scores maximum number of points is declared as the winning team.

• Ludo

One of the best Childhood indoor games of the 90s is none other than Ludo. This exciting game can be played from anywhere at any time. Ludo is the best pastime of 90s kid & became quite popular during lockdown. Whether it was an adult or a child everyone was involved in playing Ludo during the hard times of COVID-19. It’s quite easy to play Ludo. Ludo is a classic board game enjoyed by all ages. Each player picks a color and takes turns rolling a dice. The goal is to move your four tokens around the board and into your home column. You can only move when you roll a six, and landing on an opponent’s token sends it back to the starting area. Strategy comes into play as you decide which token to move based on the dice roll. The first to get all their tokens home is the winner.

These are the top 10 Childhood Games of 90s India. These games bring back nostalgic memories & urge us to leave our work behind & play these games at least once again. The GenZ are deprived of the fun of playing these games which was felt every day by 90s kids.

So what are you waiting for? Choose any one of the games mentioned & give it a try. We bet you will not regret playing any of these enthusiastic joyful games. If you have

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