The other day, I brought out a basket of freshly fallen conkers at our weekly class of home educated kids, thinking we might enjoy a round or two of the game I grew up with. I expected instant recognition—excitement, even. But what I got were curious looks and genuine questions: “What are these for?” “What’s a conker game?”
I was taken aback. Not in a judgmental way, but in that quietly aching way you feel when you realise something that once seemed universal has quietly disappeared. There will be many, of a certain generation, that don’t believe me when I say that kids genuinely don’t know the game of conkers. Please do ask this children around you… I suspect you will come to the same conclusion.
It is just a game, yes—but conkers used to be the game of autumn. It was part of the shared language of childhood, right up there with hopscotch and hide and seek. You didn’t need anything special—just a shoelace, a firm chestnut, and a bit of nerve. We’d bash and spin and sometimes cheat a little by hootching them for a whole year in vinegar. Everyone had their tricks. But now? The game barely registers. And that feels… significant.
A Lost Marker of Simpler Times
The disappearance of conkers from childhood isn’t just about a game being forgotten. It’s a symbol of how far we’ve drifted from a certain kind of childhood—one that prized slow, seasonal rhythms and unstructured play.
Once, collecting conkers was part of the seasonal cycle: first blackberries, then conkers, then kicking through leaves. It marked the turning of the year in a way that felt grounded and real. Now, in a world of touchscreen instant gratification, it’s no wonder that the humble conker doesn’t quite compete.
We know that today’s children are growing up in a very different world—more connected in some ways, but perhaps less rooted. The thrill of a perfectly timed conker strike has been replaced by the flash of a new skin in a video game, or the dopamine hit of a YouTube short. The quiet anticipation of the next turn, the triumph of a “threeer” beating a “six-er”, those little moments of patience and social learning—they’re easy to overlook in the face of far more visually stimulating distractions.
But that’s precisely why it matters.
What We Lose When We Forget These Games
Conkers wasn’t just fun—it was a game that taught coordination, resilience, sportsmanship, and even a kind of folklore. A conker with a good “record” was a thing of legend. There were stories. Superstitions. Techniques passed down in playground whispers. It was messy and silly and sometimes a bit painful—but it was ours.
When children don’t know these games, we don’t just lose playtime—we lose a bit of shared culture. We lose intergenerational continuity. We lose one of those things that made childhood feel like something we all travelled through, even if the details varied.
The sad truth is, it’s not that anyone decided to stop playing conkers. It just… faded. Slipped quietly through the cracks while our attention was elsewhere. Replaced not by something better, but by something easier to consume.
So Let’s Bring It Back
There’s nothing wrong with online games, of course. And children today are just as imaginative, curious, and capable as ever. But if we only offer them digital worlds, we miss a chance to give them something tactile, something rooted in the natural world, something wonderfully slow.
So maybe this autumn, pick up a conker. Show a child how to drill a hole, thread a shoelace, and swing. Teach them the rules—or make up new ones together. Let them feel the weight of something that mattered once.
Because it’s not just a game. It’s a reminder of what childhood can be when we look up, step outside, and let the seasons shape our stories again.
What You’ll Need:
- Fresh, firm horse chestnuts (conkers)
- A shoelace, string, or thick thread (around 25–30cm long)
- A skewer, screwdriver, or small drill to make a hole in the conker
- A sense of fun and a bit of bravery!
How to Prepare:
- Choose a conker that’s hard, shiny, and undamaged.
- Carefully make a hole through the centre of the conker.
- Thread your string through the hole and tie a large knot at the bottom so it doesn’t slip through.
- The conker should hang securely on the string.
Basic Rules of Play:
- Two players take turns. One holds their conker dangling still, the other swings.
- The swinging player tries to hit the opponent’s conker. They get up to three strikes per turn.
- After three misses or hits, players swap roles.
- If the strings tangle or a player misses completely, that counts as one of their attempts.
- The game continues until one conker breaks or falls off the string — the unbroken one is the winner!
Scoring System (Traditional):
- A conker that’s never won before is a “oner”.
- If it beats another conker, it adds that conker’s score plus one. (e.g. a “oner” that beats a “threeer” becomes a “fourer”).
- It’s informal, but part of the fun — kids used to remember their conker’s “career” like a legend!