16.3 Traditional childhood games | Fairstart Foundation

Play is not just a pastime activity, but a tool to transmit culture. The cultural elements within play give children an understanding of their culture and support their cultural identity.

In African culture there is a rich tradition for play and different singing games. Through play and singing games children can access knowledge about their social context and apprehend cultural values, such as good behaviour, discipline, hard work, tenacity and leadership roles. So traditional games and play represent the culture of a society and children learn about their society and cultural heritage through these traditional games. 

Traditional games and plays a very beneficial for children, as it helps them develop a cultural identity and indirectly learn about norms and values. This supports their feeling of self-usefulness and helps them perform their future adult roles.