In no particular order…

1. Street Games. As a young child, going out in to the streets in our neighbourhood was a common thing. Finding playmates was easy. And, I used to play things like ‘tag’, ‘patintero’ (like tag, but with some more organised rules), ’shato’ (using sticks and stones), ‘tumbang preso’ (using old cans), hide and seek, or ‘cops and robbers’. That time, kids ran, climbed, and played all sorts of games using twigs, old empty cans, or just our hands and feet.

2. House. Yep - pretending to ‘keep house’ and ‘cooking’ with toy kitchen sets. I even remember going under the dining table and using that as my house. I also put blankets over two chairs and use other types of materials to create hideaways.

3. Doctor. My mom always told me she wanted me to become a doctor. So, one of my first ever toys was a ‘pretend doctor’ set. I liked using it with my dolls and stuffed animals.

4. Teacher. I remember making my little brothers/sister (and/or cousins) to sit in front of me, while I ‘teach’ them things. I’m not quite sure what they learned from me at the time, though. Heh.

5. Dolls and Stuffed Toys. There were two that I remember well: my “walking doll” (with blonde hair and purple suit) + an old red teddy bear that came with 2 ‘baby’ bears. Sadly, I don’t remember their names.

6. Mini Games and Toys. I remember playing ‘tex’ (little cards), marbles, and Super Trump cards. Mostly with boys, as girls didn’t seem to like these games very much. I also remember enjoying playing board games with my father (who I can never beat!) like Scrabble.

7. Video Games. Yes, we owned an Atari (I think I was about 11 or 12 then). And, while I was not really addicted, I do recall playing Pac Man, Asteroids, and Space Invaders in my parents’ living room.

8. Made-up Games. I loved all sorts of games and toys that were just made up on the spot. My late dad used to make toy cars and trucks out of old empty cans, wires and bottle caps. My siblings and I used to create all sorts of games at home - from pretending to go camping inside the house to jumping from bed to bed, as if we were circus performers. And yes, jumping in puddles - and showering in the rain.

9. Car Games. Some of my best (and worst!) memories when I was growing up were spent inside the car, as our family travelled a lot within the country. And, I remember playing a lot of silly games then - making up words out of car plate numbers, hitting each other on the head every time we saw a Volkswagen beetle, and silly singing games (’round-robin songs using the alphabet’, ‘complete this song…’, etc).

10. Making Things. Yes, even as a kid, I have memories of myself creating stuff. In fact, one vivid memory I have is getting some soil from the vacant land across the road to our house, wetting it, and then making little sculptures from them. I even hand painted some of them. How I learned how to do that is beyond me. No one taught me how, I just knew. And I seem to remember writing, painting and creating all sorts of things from a very early age too.

What about you? What were the games you used to play as a kid? Did you have any favourite toys? Do you still have them with you?

Note: This is Day 2 of Project 1 (Memories of Me), from The Everyday Exploration Project. Working on collecting memories from my childhood (aged 12 and younger).

Photo Notes:
1. patintero by fadedmilkyway, 2. supper is almost ready. by cherrysoda, 3. Atari games by farnea, 4. Philippines government vehicle by sixesandsevens, 5. empty can by stillben2001, 6. Sea of Marbles (household objects: #2) by inkswamp.