Growing up in Jamaica today is not the same as it was in the 1980s, 1970s and before. Today’s children have numerous distractions such as video games, the Internet and television. But before these distractions came along, the typical Jamaican child had an active outdoor life, playing a range games. Below is our list of the top 10 Jamaican childhood games from the past.

1. Hide & Seek – a long time favorite of children here, there and everywhere.
2. Marbles – an important component of every boy’s (and some girls) day-to-day life.
3. Dandy Shandy – a favorite among girls (and some boys) as they show off their dodging skills and agility.
4. Stuckie – known elsewhere as ‘Tag’, a long-time favorite of many children.
5. Police & thief (shooting) – bang bang you’re dead, with pretend guns or simply a finger or two.
6. Gig spinning – the trick was to see whose gig (also called ‘top’) could out-spin the others.
7. Kite flying – there’s a kite season in Jamaica, still a favorite every year around March/April.
8. Cricket – when it’s cricket season, a simple bat made from the branch of a coconut tree, along with some sticks or a piece of board as the wicket, is all it would take to kick off hours of fun.
9. Football – whether with a real football, a round fruit or a stuffed box, the competition is always fierce to see who is as good as Pele, Maradona and now, Messi.
10. Ring-A-Roses – Ring-a-ring a roses, a pocket full of poses …

If you’ve got suggestions, thoughts or feedback regarding our list of the top 10 Jamaican childhood games, please feel free to post them below.

Whether at home in Jamaica or somewhere abroad, if the Reggae Boyz are playing, these are the must-haves for fans who are going to this football game.

1. Jamaican Flag – large or small, the black, green and gold flag must be carried tall.
2. Wear Jamaica’s colours – if you can’t find a full black, green and gold outfit, then wear something yellow.
3. Noise makers – whistles, dutch pot covers, conch shells, drums, horns, tambourines; carry anything that can make noise.
4. Cell phone credit – if you have a post-paid mobile phone, make sure you’ve got enough credit to call your friends when Jamaica scores.
5. Camera – must capture the moments.
6. Ticket – don’t try to scale the bleachers wall without paying.
7. Good vibes – bring positive energy and vibes to the match; and share it with fans around you.
8. Good company – bring yuh bredren, sistren, wife, sweetheart, whoever … to share the moment with you.
9. Comfortable shoes – ladies, leave the heels at home or in the car.
10. Good behaviour – doan bodda cause nuh trouble in di stands!

If you’ve got suggestions, thoughts or feedback regarding our list of the Top 10 must-haves for a Reggae Boyz football match above, please feel free to post them below.