Kids in Clonmany parish have been learning traditional games from their parents and teachers in a bid to make play time more fun.

Parents from the parish schools - Rasheney National School, Cloontagh National School and Tiernasligo - will be spending the next week visiting pupils and showing them the games they played when they were at school.

Marie Doherty, home school co-ordinator for the schools, said she hoped the one-of-a-kind lesson would be a roaring success.

She said she came up with the idea after noticing children who didn't play football had nothing to play because the traditional games have died down in the area.

She told the Journal: "Well we find in the school that if you didn't play football then there really is nothing to do.

"And just talking to teachers and parents they were saying that is such a shame the children don't know the games they used to play.

"I remember everybody used to play skipping and hopscotch and we would all know the rhymes.

"And there was all sorts of types of tig you could play."

The playgrounds at the schools have been painting with hopscotchs on and other games for children to play.

The parents visited Rasheney School yesterday and plan to visit the other schools next week.