Ancient Egyptian Games For Kids: Learn About The Great Games They Played

Games are a fun aspect of life.

Games have been around since the start of time. They are a way for children to pass the time.

Children have invented some fun ways to pass their time. In ancient times too, when there was much work to be done, kids still found time for their activities.

These games were creative, and they became so popular that many of them are still played across the world. Children used to play with animals. Various games which are played in the modern world, such as ball games, were first played by kids in the distant past.

Ancient Egyptians have a rich culture and history. They were the first to invent a lot of modern scientific equipment and are known for their wonders of the world.

As they were capable of creating a mysterious architectural structure, there is no doubt that Egyptians would have been able to create games such as playing with balls and board games. Makeup, surgical instruments, heels, black ink, and toothpaste are some of the inventions of Egypt that are still used today.

If you like our article, be sure to check out these fun facts articles about the history of ancient Egypt for kids and Sobek, the Egyptian god.

Ancient Egypt Games

Ancient Egyptian games have often sparked curiosity in people.

The ancient Egyptians played games such as volleyball, softball, rowing, and weight lifting. Since it was such a great civilization, the games had rules and regulations while being played; some of them are followed to this date. Board games were also very popular.

A game that has caught a lot of interest in recent times is the senet game of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian children loved to play jumping games and were also fans of wooden toys. Clay rattles, Equestrian sports, and board games were favorites among them.

Wrestling games were famous with pharaohs. They used to see people fight in wrestling arenas. They enjoyed running and juggling with balls, as well as playing with dolls.

Ancient Egyptian Ball Games And Juggling

Juggling was a very popular sport in ancient Egypt.

Football was a very popular game in Egypt. One of the games they played with balls was juggling. The origin of the game of juggling is unknown.

Some say it originated in China; some say it was Greece, and some say it was Egypt. Every culture had a game which they used to juggle items in their hands. It was a form of entertainment, and people used to pay to watch it.

Ancient Egyptian Board Games

Board games go back a very long time.

An early study by historians shows that board games were first played by humans in the Neolithic period. These games involved the use of dice to allow the player to move forward based on the number which appeared on the dice.

Board games are a source of archeological treasure and are well preserved. The walls of the Egyptian tombs have drawings depicting players playing board games.

At that time, the pieces of games were made with wood. The four most popular board games were Senet, Hounds and Jackals, Mehen, and Twenty Squares.

The Game of Senet

Senet boards were one of the popular board games played by the ancient Egyptians.

This ancient Egyptian game had a wooden structure in which there were three rows. Each row had 10 boxes or squares. These squares were the place where game pieces were kept.

There were two sets of pawns. The game pieces were made of small stones. That meant that at one time, only two players could play this game.

These wooden sets of pawns should have included at least five pieces. Now, here is where there is conflict about how it was played. Many historians have researched the game, and each has their own version of what the pawns represented.

The game also represented good luck to those who won and was meant to gain approval from the gods. Some say the pieces were made of the ankle bones of animals. Tombs have representation of the games representing Egyptian gods and the man's journey towards them.

It also had a connection with people going to the afterlife. It depicted how a player's pawn piece should cross all the obstacles in the way and reach its final destination in the afterlife.

Toys in ancient Egypt

There is not much difference between the toys played with by the ancient and modern world.

Toys like action figures are widely used and played with. Even ancient Egyptian kids had action figures as their toys. They would frequently have an animal face on their wooden toy. Balls made of grass, fur, and leather were also popular. Dolls like baby dolls, crocodiles, cradles, and small weapons were toys. They were usually made of wood.

Why do kids love learning about Egypt?

Kids are curious to know about various parts of the world.

In recent years, there have been many popular computer and mobile games based on ancient Egypt. This has encouraged kids to learn what it was actually like to play in ancient Egypt. Children love to learn about what popular games there were at the time.

The Role of Games in Ancient Egypt.

Many kings and noble subjects also used to pass the time through games.

Though we play some of the same games as in the past, usually in regards to ball games, the games which had a deeper meaning and had a connection to the gods are not played as often today. Playing games in the afterlife and for the afterlife played a major role in ancient Egypt.

Senet is one such game that is still played today. Parties, music, and hunting were the major pastimes of the pharaohs, who were the Egyptian kings.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our article about ancient Egyptian games for kids, then why not take a look at our articles about Nile River facts or ancient Egypt maps for kids?