SLC S21W3 / Traditional Games

I'm glad joining the class this week. Honestly I can't remember the last time I played with children, I really missed it but today, I was able to have as much fun as possible with the children.

The name of my traditional game is Ayo/Ncho (Game of the intellectual) It is a traditional game played by the Yoruba people and they call it Ayo. Among the Igbo, it is called Ncho. It is a popular game in my tradition and requires a lot of Mathematical skill. Ayo is played with carved wooden box just as displayed above, containing twelve holes (with six holes on each side), and 48 Ayo/ncho seeds (four seeds in each hole). When an opponent captures more seeds than expected, he's declared the winner.

This is a two-player game that goes in a counter-clockwise direction. Players can only take stones from their own side of the board, except when they are capturing stones from the other player's side. The goal is to capture as much of your opponent's stones.

We called the six holes on each sides house when I was a little girl. We see the seeds as our built houses where our opponent comes from the beginning to destroy the houses and then starts all over to build them up and possess them.

When we didn't have the wooden box game available, we device another means to play the game by digging the twelve holes and using white stones as the seed. It is obvious that even when you can't afford the game, nothing can stop you from playing the game. It is an interesting game but tactical.

Some rules that must be followed when playing Ncho game

• The play direction for all players remains counterclockwise.

• As a player, your turn must be completed within 30 seconds.

• Once your hand is any hole to start off, you cannot reverse it. You continue to distribute seeds from there.

• There is nothing like side coaching during the game.

• The player with the highest collection of seeds is declared the winner.

The rules regarding this game is based on the players. You can decide with your opponent what rules you want and what rules you don't want. You must not necessarily abide by this general rules.

Since, I was playing with children, I didn't give any rule because they were still new to the game. I made sure I showed them how it is played and things that needs to be done before we start.

As for a player completing their turn in 30 seconds, it wasn't applicable to my game with the children because they need all the time since it was their first time.

During my game with the children, some mentioned characteristics were present;

• Simple rules which are easy to understand: Ncho is not a complicated game and the rules are very simple. I only told the children the rules to the game and they followed it afterwards but that of time, was out of it.

• They do not need complicated materials; only simple things like a ball: Yes,Ncho is not complicated at all just with the simple materials, anyone could play the game.

• The game can be played anywhere and anytime: Since it is a simple game, I recommend it for relaxation anytime.

• They help develop skills such as memory: Ncho requires your tactical thinking to know where to start and where you will end. You develop your memory fast with this game.

• They foster cooperation and friendship between players: The children were so happy and cool with each other while playing this game. The ones that never came downstairs finally did because of how fun they saw the game.

If there was another word higher than fun,that is what I would describe my experience with the children today. At first, when I brought the game, they were looking at me in astonishment. They wondered what I was carrying and what was inside.

When I brought the game down, I asked them if they knew what it was, but they said no, so I started explaining. Guess what? after my explanation, they jumped at it, they took turns and asked me to lead.

Although there were times one of the children made a mistake by scattering all the balls she managed to gather without her notice. When we told her, she was shocked and asked how she was able to do it, that's the fun anyway. I laughed at their mistakes and when the girl finally won the boy, we shouted for joy.