Games in the Ancient Egypt history for kids

When talking about the ancient Egypt for kids, the people of Egypt were mostly portrayed as very hard working people. They built great structures, looked after their crops and animals, worked skillfully with art and tools of construction but they always did manage their time for leisure and fun activities. The adults and children gathered around for games to play. The Egyptians were also amongst the first to introduce board games.

Board Games

A popular board game in the ancient Egypt for kids is the Senet. This was one of the very first and most played board game by Egyptians. Mostly played by the wealthy adults it was a game of good against evil. The tomb of Hesy had paintings and carvings on the wall showing that the game was played by the Egyptians and also told the method of playing. The game was slightly complex with a board and 30 holes, 3 rows and 10 columns. Because the Egyptians believed in magical powers and also practiced it a lot the Senet was also related to a magical meaning that symbolized the going of the dead into another world with success if he won the game. Some of the Pharaohs were also buried with Senet boards in their tombs.

Other board games like Dogs and Jackals, Seega and 30 & 50 Squares were also found in the tombs of kings. Ouija is another of the common board game played by the Egyptians. It was related to fortune telling another very common belief in Egypt. Some people also took Ouija to have evil powers and dealing with evil spirits. For the ancient Egypt for kids it is also interesting to mention that the snakes and ladders game also has roots within the Egypt culture. This was another board game with just a snake and no ladders. The one who reached the piece from tail of the snake to its head first won the game.

Children Games

The ancient Egypt for kids also tells about the Mancala for children. It was a game to be played with stones and holes dug in the earth. The more quickly one gets his stones on all the holes won the game. The kids also played with knucklebones and small stones. Dice was also introduced at that time. Toys were also used during those times mostly made out of painted clay or wood. Shapes of animals were popular as Egyptians were experts in crafting and art. Dolls were mostly made out of wood with clay beads for hair.

The ancient Egypt history for kids has shown many artifacts that were simply toys for recreational purposes and mostly given to kids to play. Some toys that were found in the tombs were exceptionally carved and glazed which were expensive for the poor kids to buy. The poor kids usually made games of their own using stones and pebbles or making things of clay from the Nile. They always had ways of entertaining themselves.