How to play vintage kids games: Beetles and Five Stones

I find myself filled with nostalgia these days….yearning to play the vintage kids games that I used to play when I was young with my brother, and that are very possibly long forgotten by most. (Note: This article contains affiliate links)

From Cats Cradle, to Five Stones, and Beetles; we used to love just grabbing whatever happened to be lying about the house to create a little bit of excitement. There was none of this instant gratification with highly polished video games, and iPhone selfies! *getting old*

So today, we are sharing a couple of printables with you that have some amazing “old school” games for you on them; two of the ones we mention above, in fact. Beetles and Five Stones are so simple to play, you just need pencil and paper for Beetles. Surprisingly, all you need for five stones is, well five stones ;-)

How to play the vintage kids game: Beetles

This is actually from a great collection of games called 101 Games to play before you grow up, which is a book lovingly illustrated by Walter Foster Jr. and published by Quarto. There are another 100 odd games in this book that will inspire your kids to use their imaginations. From outdoor games, to other games with paper and pencil, to card games that you thought were long forgotten! Every child needs to take a look, so they don’t miss out on some important vintage games before thei hit 16!

How to play Five Stones; another amazing vintage kids game

Five stones is a game that can be played both inside and out; and because it is so simple, it is a perfect game to teach your children as it literally will keep them entertained pretty much anywhere they happen to be. As long as you have that all important stones. The other great thing about this game is that it teaches your kids wonderful hand eye co-ordination as well. It has stood my little boy in good stead for his later obsessions with cricket and netball.

Why not have a bash at both of these, and take a look at the book too (RRP £8.99). There are a number of other books in the same series that are worth checking out too:

101 TV shows to see before you grow up,
101 Movies to see before you grow up, and
101 Video games to play before you grow up. This last one is my favourite, as it shows Donkey Kong on the cover, and to be frank, if you have never played Donkey Kong – you have never lived…

We hope you like playing these games, and don’t forget to subscribe to us, so you don’t miss out on the great printables, an tips, as well as the other articles we have on the site!

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

Helen

Helen Neale

Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, website editor and a qualified counsellor with experience of working with both children and adults.She is a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapists, with her own private practise. She also freelances with her local Mind organisation.Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, use those grey cells at the same time, and supplement her counselling income.KiddyCharts has reach of over 680k across socials and the site. The site works with big family brands to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. She is a specialist counsellor for neurodivergent individuals and brings this expertise to her resources and the site. She is also an ADHDer herself.KiddyCharts gives 51%+ profits to charities, focused on supporting mental health and a community in TanzaniaHelen has also worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!