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Hopscotch is a simple children's game which can be played with several players or alone. In addition to jumprope, hopscotch is often played in schoolyards. In North America, it is considered primarily a game for girls.

Hopscotch originated in Britain during the early Roman Empire. It was initially designed as a training regimen for Roman foot soldiers who ran the course in full armor and field packs, as it was thought this would improve their footwork. Roman children imitated the soldiers by drawing their own boards and creating a scoring system, and "Hopscotch" spread throughout Europe.

The word "hopscotch" is a compound of "hop" and "scotch", meaning "scratched line". It dates back to at least 1801.^[1]

There are many other forms of hopscotch played across the globe.^[2] In Malaysia, it is known as ting-ting or ketengteng. In Brazil it is known as Amarelinha, in many Spanish-speaking countries, it is known as Rayuela.In Chile is called "Luche" (spelled ´Lu-t-che)

Rules for a common Western version of "hopscotch", which are not necessarily the same^{[citation needed]} as the historic "hopscotch" in the description above:

The first player tosses a marker (typically a stone, coin or bean bag) into the first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square and without touching a line or bouncing out. If the marker lands in the wrong square, the player forfeits a turn. If the marker is successful, the player hops through the court beginning on square one. Side by side squares are straddled, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right foot landing in the right square. Single squares must be hopped on one foot. For the first single square, either foot may be used. However, the player skips the square with the stone in it. Squares marked "Safe" "Home" or "Rest" are neutral squares, and may be hopped through in any manner without penalty.

When players reach the end of the court, they turn around and hop back through the court, moving through the squares in reverse order and stopping to pick up the marker on the way back (and hops in the square). Upon successfully completing the sequence, the player continues the turn by tossing the marker into square number two, and repeating the pattern.

If while hopping through the court in either direction the player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses balance, the turn ends. Players begin their turns where they last left off. The first player to complete one course for every numbered square on the court wins the game.

A French variant of hopscotch is known as Escargot (snail) or "La Marelle Ronde" (round hopscotch). It is played on a spiral court. Players must hop on one foot to the center of the spiral and back out again. A player who completes this marks one square with his or her initials, and from then on may rest on two feet in that square, while all other players must hop over it. The game ends when all squares are marked or no one can reach the center, and the winner is the player who "owns" the most squares.^[2]

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