#Chant

2 items

Video thumbnail — 2 Basic Chinese Jump Rope Patterns | How to Chinese Jump Rope
Trends 1960s–present

Chinese Jump Rope

A big loop of elastic stretched around two kids' ankles while a third hopped through a chanted in-and-out pattern — and every time she cleared it, the rope went up: ankles, then knees, then thighs, until nobody could reach. All you needed was three friends and a length of stretchy cord, or a chain of knotted rubber bands in a pinch.

Video thumbnail — Miss Mary Mack (with lyrics and tutorial) | Hand Clapping Games for 2 players
Trends 1888–present

Hand-Clapping Games

Two kids facing off, hands flying through a clapping pattern too fast to follow, chanting 'Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack' or 'Down down baby' until somebody fumbled and cracked up. Passed friend to friend on playgrounds, no equipment required — just a partner and a rhyme everybody somehow already knew.