Players should sit opposite one another with the board running longways between them so that each person has six pockets in front of them. You can use a dozen-egg carton for the pockets, two small cups or bowls for the mancalas, and 48 small beads, gems, or stones. You can use a set that you purchase, or you can make your own set. The larger holes on either end are called mancalas or stores. First, you need to know the parts of a mancala board. The object of the game is to be the person with the most stones in their mancala or store. Kids also learn skills like thinking ahead, counting, problem-solving, and strategizing. Kids learn social skills like taking turns. Mancala is a great game for the classroom or to play with kids at home. Not only are board games fun for kids, but they also teach many important academic and life skills. Players try to move as many of their stones into their mancala as possible. Though there are many variations, most feature a board with two rows of pockets, also called pits, and two larger holes called a mancala or store. Others believe there’s sufficient evidence that it’s even older, to around 5870 BCE in Jordan.ĭue to the counting and capturing nature of the game, some archaeologists estimate that it may have been developed near the dawn of civilization. Some archaeologists date it back to 700 CE in East Africa. Mancala is an ancient board game, and its invention is a bit of a mystery. This version is fun for kids because they enjoy moving the animals around the board. It features a solid wood board and 48 animal gems. For this post, we used the Mancala for Kids board game from Pressman.
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