Thousands of years ago, Roman soldiers played hopscotch to test their strength and speed, sometimes hopping over 100 feet (30.5 m) carrying heavy weights![1] Today, hopscotch is a backyard game enjoyed by children (and lighthearted grown-ups) all over the world. Whether you never learned this game as a child, or simply need a brushing-up, you can easily learn to play this classic game, along with some variations to make it more challenging.