In most schools, sports are compulsory. Even the watching of
matches is compulsory. In Summerhill, games are, like lessons,
optional.

One boy was in the school for ten years and didn't play a
game, and he was never asked to play a game. But most of the
children love games. The juniors do not organize games. They
play gangsters or red Indians; they build tree huts and do all
the things that small children usually do. Not having reached
the cooperative stage, they should not have games organized
for them. Organized play and sports come naturally at the
right time.

At Summerhill, our chief games are hockey in the winter and
tennis in the summer. One difficulty with children is to get
good teamwork in tennis doubles. They take teamwork for
granted in hockey; but often two tennis players act as individ-
uals instead of as a single unit. Teamwork comes more easily
about the age of seventeen.

Swimming is very popular with all ages. The beach at Size-
well is not a good beach for children, for the tide seems always
to be full. The long stretches of sand with rocks and pools so
dear to children are not to be found on our coast.

We have no artificial gymnastics in the school, nor do I
think them necessary. The children get all the exercise they
need in their games, swimming, dancing, and cycling. I ques-
tion if free children would go to a gym class. Our indoor games
are table tennis, chess, cards.

The younger children have a paddling pool, a sand pit, a
seesaw and swings. The sand pit is always filled with grubby

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