Four squares one word game

How to play Quordle

If there’s one thing we love the most about the Foursquare game rules, it’s that they’re specifically designed to create a game that can be played just about anywhere, at any time, with minimal equipment necessary.

Unlike some outdoor games which, fun as they may be, take ages to set up and even longer to learn the rules, Foursquare requires little more than a ball, a couple of friends, and a straight-forward objective: 

Eliminate your fellow players en route to the highest square by bouncing the ball into their square until they mess up and are eliminated.

Still not sure how to get a game underway?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered: Below, we’ll show you exactly how to play Foursquare, outlining the game’s easy-to-follow rules, how to set to up your squares, and explaining everything you need to know to enjoy this simple-yet-super-fun game for yourself.

What is Foursquare?

Dating all the way back to the 1950s where it started as a popular activity during PE lessons in schools across the United States, little about Foursquare has changed in the past 70+ years. 

Though it’s certainly much more popular (there is even a Foursquare world championships held each year in Maine), and though it’s spawned modern-day spin-offs like the hit game Crossnet, the rules and gameplay remain exactly the same, making it a game that people of all ages are familiar with and can play together.

Number of Players Required: 4+.As the name implies, Foursquare needs at least four players, though it’s often more fun with more. The first four players start the game with the rest lining up behind the fourth square. Once a player is eliminated, the first player in line takes their place.

Who Can Play It: All ages

Difficulty: Easy

Main Objective: Advance to the highest square by eliminating all of the other players. A player is eliminated when they fail to bounce the ball out of their square into another one.

Why We Love It: It’s quick, simple, and easy to play for kids and grown-ups of all ages. Best of all, it’s continuous nature guarantees hours of fun. 

Playing Foursquare: What You’ll Need

The true beauty of Foursquare is it requires very little equipment to play. All you need is a flat surface, a way to mark out the court, and a ball. 

Official Foursquare balls do exist, and they can be a worthwhile investment if you’re planning to become a regular player as they offer just the right amount of bounce. These are the kind of balls used in official Foursquare leagues and tournaments, so if you’re thinking of getting competitive with it, it’s good to practice with an official ball.

Otherwise, casual players can play with any available ball that has a decent bounce. 

If playing outdoors, sidewalk chalk can be used to draw your court, though anything from a ball of string or grass paint could work too.

How to Set Up a Game of Foursquare

Official Foursquare game rules dictate that the court should be one large 16ft x 16ft square divided into four equal 8ft x 8ft squares. Keep in mind that these rules are designed to make the game challenging for adult players, so if you’re playing with young children, you might want to significantly reduce the size of your court to whatever is appropriate.

Once you’ve drawn your court, each square should be numbered, moving clockwise from 1 – 4, albeit with numbers 3 and 4 reversed (so that it goes 1,2,4,3). As shown in the image above, this means that squares 1 and 4 should be diagonally opposite one another as should squares 2 and 3. 

With the court set up, the first four players decide which square they’re going to start in. 

The rest of the players form a line behind square one, being sure to give that player enough room.

The player in the highest square then starts the game by serving the ball to the player in the lowest square (ie: Player 4 serves to Player 1)

For a serve to count, the ball must bounce once (but only once) in the server’s square. They can then strike the ball using any part of the hand (wrist to fingertip) to send it into the other player’s square. 

The ball must then bounce once in that player’s square before they touch it.

Once the ball has been served from Square 4 to Square 1, it is considered to be “in play.” The Player in Square 1 (and all other players) can then serve the ball into any other square of their choosing.

The aim of the game is to serve the ball into an opponent’s square in such a way that they fail to hit it back out of their square in accordance with the rules. 

When that happens, they’re eliminated from the game and a new person joins in.

How Players Are Eliminated in Foursquare

There are several ways that a player can be eliminated from Foursquare:

• The ball bounces twice in their square before they hit it
• They hit it before it bounces
• They hit the ball out of bounds 
• They hold, catch, or carry the ball
• They hit the ball with any body part other than the hand.

When a player is eliminated, all of the other players move up one square. So, if the player in Square 4 is eliminated, the following would happen:

• The player in Square 3 moves into Square 4
• The player in Square 2 moves into Square 3
• The player in Square 2 moves into Square 3.

The player at the front of the line waiting to join the game then joins Square 1 and play continues until there are no more players to join the game.

At that point, play continues until one person is left in the fourth square. That person is the winner of the game.

Frequently Asked Questions About Foursquare

Can You Use Two Hands in Foursquare?

Yes. As long as both hands hit the ball at the same time, a two-handed hit is allowed. If you hit the ball with one hand and then the other, that counts as hitting the ball twice and means that the player is eliminated from the game.

What’s the Best Way to Win at Foursquare?

The same principle applies to Foursquare that applies to just about any game, whether it’s a game of darts or a round of golf:

The more you practice, the better you get, the better you get, the more likely you are to win.

That said, we do have a few tips you can put to work to help you improve your game no matter how much time you have to practice:

• Stand outside your square when receiving the ball. This gives you more room to work with and reduces the chance that the ball will fly past you.
• Practice the no-look pass. That’s when you look as if you’re aiming for one square, but actually shoot the ball into another one, catching the player in that square off guard.
• Always aim to eliminate the players in the higher squares first.
• Practice a hard spike. Though it can take a bit to master, spiking the ball often sends it high in the air and over an opposing player’s head, making it nigh on impossible for them to hit.

More Fun Foursquare Variations to Enjoy 

As fun as Foursquare can be, if you play any game for too long it can start to feel a little repetitive. Thankfully, there are scores of variations you can add to your game to keep things interesting.

One of our favorites is the simple game of “Airball.” All of the same Foursquare game rules apply with one addition:

Every time you touch the ball, both feet have to be off the ground.

Alternatively, why not try out “Cherry Bomb.” Perhaps the most popular Foursquare variant, this version gives each player one opportunity to use a huge spike to send the ball into their opponent’s square, usually yelling out “Cherry Bomb!” as they do so.

Finally, Around the World adds a unique wildcard to the game. At any given moment, a player can yell out “Around the World!” At that point, the usual rules are paused and each player must serve the ball to the player on their right until it has been in all Foursquares. 

After that, normal play resumes and this simple yet seriously fun game continues.

Добро пожаловать в головоломку «4 Картинки 1 Слово»! В игре вам предстоит угадывать слово по 4 картинкам. Готовы развить наглядно-образное мышление и дать ответы на все уровни онлайн игры «4 Images 1 Word»?

Скриншоты

Как играть в игру 4 Картинки 1 Слово?

Управление в игре «4 Картинки 1 Слово» на ПК осуществляется при помощи мышки, а на сенсорных экранах при помощи тапов. Цель игры «4 Images 1 Word» — отгадать загаданное слово по четырем картинкам. Соберите слово из букв на нижней части экрана. Если слово угадано менее чем за 19 секунд, вам начислят бонус. Бонус можно обменять на подсказки.

Silentium est aurum (“silence is golden”).

Or is it?

If we google “teaching speaking in English”, we’ll get over 66,300,000 search results with numerous tips, fabulous games or tricks how to get learners speaking – all pointing out the same frustrating tendency showing that many learners are either timid speakers reluctant to participate in any conversation, or that despite mastering the language, as attested by a great number of grammar and vocabulary exercises thoroughly done by the learners in class, their speaking still lacks fluency and coherence. The latter is sometimes ignored at lower levels. However, speaking is about both fluency and coherence.

Coherence is about linking ideas together – just like in a paragraph or essay. This means organising what you say so that your answer is “a whole“. All the bits within it fit together. This should be familiar from writing. The difference in speaking is that the structure is looser.

This blog post gives some ideas on how to help learners organize what they say into a coherent speech using the Four Square Method. Although it is mainly used for teaching basic writing skills (usually to primary level school kids), it could be successfully applied to teaching speaking with a focus on coherence. The Four Square Method is a graphic organizer that helps organize concepts, vocabulary and grammar in a way that is easier and much simpler for learners to grasp.

What do we start with?

We need 4 squares.*

(* Please note that I’m using a different order of squares than in the original method. You can find the classical 4-square method description here. As I use this organizer to teach public speaking as well, I find it more convenient to devote 2 squares to the Introduction and Conclusion, and put them close together).

Step 1.

Choose a topic and put it the center box.

Boxes 1, 2, 3 and 4 will contain the introduction, reasons, examples, and explanations that support the topic, and conclusion.

Step 2.

Now we will add supporting ideas (2, 3, 4).

These supporting ideas will be used to wrap up our speech.

Step 3.

Now we need to add details (reasons, examples and explanations) supporting our ideas.

Step 4.

Once we have made a general outline of our speech, we should bridge the gap between our ideas with the help of transition words (connectors and linkers).

Your speech is ready. Practice time.

Practice tips:

• Keep it simple. It is important for students to understand the relationship of ideas in the four square format before moving on to some more elaborate forms of speech.
• Do not introduce all the points and forms of details at once – do it gradually by adding one additional supporting point in each square.
• Introduce variety – show different supporting points that may be used by students, e.g. stories, statistics, jokes, etc.
• Use the same prompt repeatedly when introducing the steps – familiarity aids instruction.
• Practice linking words. Do not provide a long list of linkers, introduce them gradually.
• Make it fun and build in surprises – it will boost students’ memory. Give some interesting topics like “Daytime naps in the classroom/at the working place”.

• Get your students to record their speeches (put their cell phones to good use), think about more detail to add in, focus on connecting ideas, and repeat until they are happy with their speeches.
• Provide for peer and self-assessment.
• Work on delivery.
• Don’t limit creativity. This tool is just an organizer of thoughts and ideas.

You can use this method further to work on storytelling (by placing particular questions in the squares), public speaking (making presentations) and 4 corner debates.

* * *

I’ve created an ‘eco-friendly’ version of the Four-Square Method for speaking – no pen, no paper – that your learners can try online: https://myenglishdomain.com/better-speaking

Read more:

British Council Voices – A few discussion activities for English language students by Tekhnologic

On coherence – Coherence in IELTS speaking – some approaches | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-speaking/coherence-in-ielts-speaking-coherence-approaches/#ixzz3W8Uh93Mv

Guidelines to effective presentations with some tips and tricks I’m using to teach public speaking.

Image credit: Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, Creative Commons