You don’t need electricity, buttons or screens to have a great time. Playing means feeling the breeze on your face as you ride a bike, meeting in the same place at the same time, and picking teams with new friends. Playing means running, jumping, laughing, sweating, getting dirty, falling and standing right back up again. Playing means heading out to the street! Join our club by following these ten golden rules.
1. Don’t ‘friend’ people; forge friendships.
Make your friend requests by shouting from the street or ringing the buzzer. What a thrill when a friend calls you out to play!
2. Show up every day in the same place at 5 pm.
Things are different when you play on the street. There’s a different pace. To begin with, you always meet at the same time and in the same place.
3. Don’t go looking for an electrical outlet.
All you need to keep you going is a good afternoon snack. And if it has chocolate in it, all the better!
4. Be democratic and fair.
Take turns being captain and make sure the teams are an even match. Your best ally? “Rock, paper, scissors.”
5. Everybody gets to play.
Some people think football is just for boys. Others say jumping rope is for girls… Utter nonsense!
6. The whole team gets to help make the rules.
What’s great about playing in the street is that you and your friends make the rules, not
the adults. Your parents aren’t there to tell you what to do or what’s right. You have to
make the right choices!
7. Imagination is the best toy around.
Two rocks can be goal posts. A tree can be an enchanted castle. A wall can be a
canvas. Some tape on the ground can be a maze. What else can you dream up?
8. Be adventurous.
You’ve got to have attitude to play in the street. You can’t be afraid of falling down, or
sweating, or getting dirty. You shouldn’t be thinking about homework or school. You
can deal with that later.
9. Don’t hit the pause button.
There is no pause button. If you’re tired or you want to take a break, just yell “Time out!”
10. No one gets to say “Game Over”.
Don’t let anybody tell you “Game Over”. The game is over when you decide it has to
end. And when that happens, you know you’ll be back the next morning – same time,
same place – with your friends.
Ready for some more fun? Find some inspiration on our Instagram and Facebook pages.
