Growing up, we all had a special and memorable game that we love to play.
According to research, Games are crucial for the healthy development of a child. Children practice both what they know and what they don’t know while playing.
It enables children to explore through trial and error, identify answers to issues, determine the most effective techniques, and develop new abilities and confidence.
But, the kind of games you might have played when you were a child, greatly depends on the environment you grew up. For those who grew up in the village or rural areas, they may relate to some of these local games that used to be enjoyed by kids.
Since Qatar, 2022 FIFA world cup has started, and we are in a sports mood, we want to take you back in time to some memorable local Ghanaian games played in the past.
Here are five games that we used to play before the use of digital gadgets for playing games became dominant.
Ampe
“Ampe” is a simple game and is mostly played by girls, but guys do join sometimes just to have fun.
The game can be played by two or more people and it involves one jumping, clapping, and at the same time thrusting one foot forward after you have jumped and landed on the ground. It originated in Ghana but is now played in other African countries.
Pilolo
Pilolo is a game of hide and seeks game where sticks are used in playing. The moderator or leader hides small pieces of sticks depending on the number of players.
The players then search for the sticks and whoever finds it first runs to a distance and brings the found stick to the leader and emerges as the first in the game.
Oware
When it comes to playing Oware twelve small holes are dug in the ground (two rows with six holes in each row) and then use palm kennels to play this game. This means that the game can only be played on bare dry ground.
But currently, the “Oware” is carved out of wood and can be taken along wherever one wants to go.
Cooking and playing “mother”
So this is one of the funniest games I enjoyed playing as a kid. Children exhibit parenting, their cooking skills, and among others. With this kind of game, basically as kids, we imitate and improvise whatever happens in a household.
Among the kids, we select a father, mother, siblings, and baby. We also build sand houses and cooking is done by using waste containers.
Ludu
“Ludu” is a board game for a minimum of two persons and a maximum of four. If four players are playing this game, they all race the four tokens on board from start to finish according to the rolls of a single dice at a time.
“Tin Sculpture “Konko Car”
This game shows the creativity and talent of young kids. The “Konko Car” is made from empty cans like milk cans, mosquito spray Cans, old slippers, and bottles. After the car is made, it is used for racing.
Games are a creative and thoughtful way for people to express their inner selves. They are activities that have elements of being flexible, informative, amusing, and competitive.
It develops and tests players’ abilities and efforts and stimulates them to develop fresh strategies for overcoming challenges that prevent them from winning the game.
Playing games is a healthy activity that aids in the development of our body and mind. Games such as cycling, cricket, swimming, and football are examples of organised activities that assist us to improve our activeness and thinking process.
But things have changed greatly in terms of how games are played as a result of technology. The world is advancing and some people prefer to play a game on their digital devices rather than these physical local games.
Which of these games can you relate to, please share your thought in the comment section.
