Escargot is the French word for snail. In France snails are a popular food and also the name of this child’s game. It is similar to hopscotch, but instead of playing the game in a straight line, it is played in a spiral that resembles a snail. Have fun playing the Escargot Game!

Materials needed for Escargot Game:

• Chalk
• Flat playing surface like cement or blacktop

Set Up:

With chalk draw a circle on the ground that is large enough in which to stand. Draw a large spiral shape outward from the circle. The spiral should maintain the width of the circle as it curves around. Divide the spiral into squares, trying to keep them all the same size. There should be at least 10 squares, but it can be as large as you want. (The bigger the snail the harder it is to play!) Start at the first outside square and number the squares consecutively beginning with “1”. Label the center square “home”.

Game Play:
The first player starts at box 1. The player hops on one foot on each square around the entire spiral to the center then back.

The player cannot switch feet, step on a line or step outside the box. If a player does, they lose a turn.

If the player makes it out successfully, they can pick any square and put their initials in the box.

The next player does the same thing but must hop over any square that has an initial in it.

A player may rest on two feet in any square that has their own initials in it.

The game is over when players can no longer make their way through the escargot.

Variation:

When a player lands on “home”, they can rest like they do on their own initialed squares.