Why Are Hacky Sack and Spikeball So Popular With Kids Right Now? A Teacher’s Observation
Last Wednesday, I was leaning against the 7th grade playground fence, crossing off missing permission slips on my clipboard, when I realized I couldn’t remember the last time recess looked like this. Half the blacktop that’s usually split between yelling 4-square games and clusters of kids scrolling TikTok was instead taken up by three hacky sack circles and two spikeball sets. The neon green coffee-stained hacky sack I pulled out of my lost and found bin back in September – the one I’d brought home from college and forgot I’d stuffed in my desk – was being passed between a group of kids who’d never heard the term “hacky sack” until I showed them a basic inside kick two months ago. A week before that, a parent volunteer brought a spare spikeball set to our class picnic, and by the end of the first week, three more kids had brought their own from home. Parents have been asking me about it lately, at conferences and in the car line: why these two specific games? Why now, when I can barely get my kid to put their phone down to go outside?
The first thing I noticed is that the kids leading these groups are almost never the same kids who dominate the basketball court or flag football games. Mia, a quiet 7th grader who sits in the back of class and has skipped our monthly dodgeball tournaments three years in a row, is the go-to person for new kids who want to learn. Last week I watched her walk a new student through how to position her foot, telling her “it’s okay if you drop it, we just start over, no one cares.” In a hacky sack circle, there’s no bench to sit on when you’re out. There’s no keeping score that matters, not most of the time anyway. If you mess up, you bend over, pick it up, and toss it to the next person.
Spikeball is similar. It’s 2v2, the court is the size of a small picnic blanket, you don’t have to outrun a bunch of faster, bigger kids to contribute. A bad shot just goes to the other team, no one yells, no one gets benched. Last month, I watched a group of 6th graders and 8th graders play together for 40 minutes, something that almost never happens normally. 8th graders don’t usually seek out 6th graders to hang with, but because no one was good enough to be super competitive, the skill gap didn’t matter. A 6th grader got a lucky spike off the net, and everyone cheered like it was a championship point.
I talked to Mia’s mom after school last week, and she said Mia started inviting three kids from her hacky circle over to their backyard on weekends, something she’s never done before. She used to say hanging out in big groups was too loud and too much pressure, but these games are different. The competition is low-stakes, the conversation just happens while you’re playing. You don’t have to perform to be part of the group.
It’s not a coincidence that this is blowing up right now. Most of our current middle schoolers were in elementary school when COVID shut down school for a year or more. A lot of them missed out on all the casual, unplanned group play that teaches you how to hang out with people without a script. They got used to hanging out online, where interaction is structured around a game or a show, and big in-person group activities can feel overwhelming. Plus, so many kids’ outdoor activities these days are organized: travel teams, tryouts, practice schedules, constant pressure to improve. Even recess has shifted to more structured activities at a lot of schools, as administrators work to cut down on conflict. What these games offer is unstructured, low-pressure group play that doesn’t cost a lot, doesn’t require a ton of space, and doesn’t require you to be good to join.
For parents and teachers looking to encourage this kind of low-stakes connection, it’s actually a really easy thing to support. If you’re hosting a birthday party or a backyard barbecue, throw a $10 hacky sack and an entry-level spikeball set (you can get one for under $30) out on the lawn. It works for mixed ages, too – my 9-year-old can play with my 16-year-old nephew, and no one gets bored because the skill gap doesn’t ruin the game. If your kid is nervous about making new friends in a new neighborhood or new school, suggest they bring a hacky sack to the local park. It’s a low-pressure way to invite people to join without having to ask a big awkward question like “can I hang out with you?” For teachers, if your recess bin is full of basketballs and jump ropes that half the kids don’t use, add a couple hacky sacks. They take up almost no space, and they don’t get banged up like basketballs do.
I’ve noticed lately that kids are even bringing the hacky sacks into study hall. One boy who gets really anxious before presentations keeps a small one in his backpack, and he tosses it from hand to hand while he waits for his turn. No one bothers him, it just keeps his hands busy while he calms down. It’s not just a game, at this point. It’s a way to be together without having to do too much.
I know fads fade. By next spring, everyone could be obsessed with something else, and these hacky sacks will end up back in the lost and found bin. But right now, watching these kids pass a ball around, laugh when someone kicks it over the fence, help the new kid get the hang of it, it’s clear why this stuck. Kids don’t need another activity that only the most athletic or most outgoing can enjoy. They just need a cheap ball, a little space, and permission to mess up without consequences. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but I’m enjoying it while it’s here.
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