THIS is the number one playground game in London, according to M&S

Hide and Seek has been revealed as the firm favourite school playground game among adults in London, popular with almost 15% of respondents.

M&S took a trip down memory lane, exploring the history of school playground games and revealed which school playground games bring back the best memories for adults across the country.

While computer games children play today evolve almost every year, the games they play in the playground are far more similar to those their parents played years ago. Hide and Seek, which is still enjoyed by children today, took the top spot as the UK’s favourite school playground game.

The research polling 2,000 UK adults1, found the top ten most fondly remembered playground games are as follows:

Hide and Seek (13%)
Red Rover (British Bulldog) (11%)
What Time is It Mr Wolf (10%)
Tig/Tag (9%)
Hopscotch (8%)
Skipping (8%)
Kiss Chase (5%)
Catch (5%)
Cat’s Cradle (4%)
Duck Duck Goose (4%)

Playing games at school are some of the most cherished times of our childhoods, and thinking back on them often evokes feelings of nostalgia and happy memories. When asked to describe the emotions adults felt when thinking back on playground games, the top three were happiness (58%), excitement (44%) and joy (42%).

Despite these feelings of nostalgia, one of the most prevalent memories we have when thinking back on playing games at school is falling over and grazing our knees (32%), which has inevitably had an impact on how school uniforms are considered these days, with more of an emphasis on durability and comfort.

In fact, thinking about school playground games of today, M&S’ research found that 76% of parents consider practicality in relation to playground games in some way when choosing their child’s school uniform. It also found that the most important factor when choosing school uniforms is to avoid tight fitting clothing (34%) so children can move freely in the playground, followed by choosing school shoes that are less likely to scuff, easy to clean and high-quality enough to withstand wear (32%).

The study also found that scuffed school shoes are the main issue parents deal with after a day at school, followed by grass and mud stains respectively. When it comes to washing their children’s uniform a third of parents said they wash them everyday, and a further third of parents said they wash their child’s uniform every 2-3 days a week in the summer months.

M&S’ school uniform range is cleverly designed to last longer and stay cleaner when it comes to playing the most popular games in the playground,

A spokesperson for M&S says: “When playing in the playground, kids need the freedom to crouch, hide & crawl without parents having to worry that they will stain their clothes or look creased and scruffy for the rest of the day. So, when choosing your child’s school uniform, keep in mind that they’ll likely be playing some of the most popular games from the research; our non-iron, shirts & blouses, and girls’ & boys’ regular leg shorts are stain-resistant and ideal for keeping kids looking smart all day, even after playtime.

“When it comes to school shoes, our styles which have scuff resistant materials are ideal to ensure shoes stay looking new after playground activities, also, the slip-resistant non marking outsoles will mean they will avoid being damaged.”