The origin of Rounders is still somewhat unknown. Evidence shows that a version of the game was played in the British Isles during the Tudor Age, roughly from 1485 – 1603. Bat-and-ball sports are played in European countries that highly resemble Rounders, for example, Lapta from Russia and Schlagball from Germany. The similarity of these games would suggest that there was a common ancestor that they are derived. However, it was postulated that versions of the game spread due to increased writing (Guttenberg Press of 1440) and literacy. This may have helped spread the idea of playing bat and ball sports.

The game was played by ordinary folk in its infancy, with some evidence that Rounders came from a fertility rite of passage game called Stool Ball from the 1300s. Milkmaids were said to play the game with their milk stools as the bat and the bases. Evidence of this game comes from the church, which forbade the ritual. Direct concrete documentation of the sport can be found in what is considered Britain’s first book published for children, called A Little Pretty Pocket-Book of 1745. The book contained a nursery rhyme and an illustration for a game called “Baseball,” which was probably Rounders. Several decades later, Jane Austin wrote Northanger Abbey, which featured a female character who played Rounders with her childhood friends. Four decades later, a book published in London for young boys called The Boys Own Book described a bat and ball game almost identical to Rounders. Still, the bases were arranged in a diamond. The book was published in Boston, Massachusetts, soon afterward. From this evidence alone, it would be logical to think that Rounders inspired American baseball.

In 1903, a sports writer named Henry Chadwick, who had played Rounders as a young boy in England, theorized that American baseball came from Rounders. At the time, this was met with adamant rejection, and it was stated that baseball was indeed an American original. A commission heavily influenced by the National League of Professional Baseball stated that Abner Doubleday invented American baseball. John Thorn, the official historian for Major League Baseball, would say this statement is equivocally false. There is a good chance Doubleday had never even heard of baseball. Many versions of American baseball were dubbed after the city or state from which it was most popular. The New York version won out, which would be the basis for the rule set used today for baseball.

In the United Kingdom, the sport found legitimacy when the Gaelic Athletic Association adopted it as an Irish sport in 1884. Rules and equipment were standardized, and other associations in Scotland and Liverpool also picked up the game. Britain made the National Rounders Associated in 1943, with similar rule sets to the GAA version. Rounders is still very popular in elementary school in the United Kingdom as a fun recess and PE game.

Recently, my lower elementary students were studying the continent of Europe in class. To integrate with their research, we learned how to play Rounders (after spending some weeks playing warm-up games). As my students finish the year looking at the U.S., specifically Chicago, we will play some early versions of American baseball (Philly ball, Massachusetts ball, etc.). We will end the year with Chicago’s invention, the 16-inch softball. By learning Rounders first, we can use its rules to scaffold the complete understanding of baseball rules. For students who have not played tee-ball or baseball outside of school, this made the sport accessible and fun for everyone.

Materials: 

·      A large play area (gym or outside)

·      A bat

o   I prefer a cricket bat to an American baseball bat for this sport, but a whiffle ball bat would suffice.

·      Rubber Disc Dots for bases, but cricket stands would also work well

·      Hula-Hoops

·      Small dodgeballs for younger ages, tennis balls for older ages

·      A batting tee for younger ages

Minimum Number of Students Needed: To play a version that resembles the game, you should have at least eight total students (4 v 4). However, an entire class would be more fun.

Age: Perfect for lower elementary, but would still be fun for upper elementary and middle school.