Africa Day / Egg Carton Mancala Games
Egg Carton Mancala Games
Children play a mancala-style counting game on an egg carton board, learning that versions such as oware in Ghana, bao in Tanzania and Kenya and omweso in Uganda are played across Africa.
How to run it
- Explain that mancala is a family of board games played for centuries across many African countries, each with its own name and rules.
- Use a 12-hole egg carton with a small cup at each end as stores, and place four seeds or beads in each hole.
- Players take turns scooping all seeds from one hole on their side and dropping one in each hole anticlockwise, including their own store.
- Play until one side is empty; the player with the most seeds in their store wins.
You will need
- 12-hole egg cartons
- small cups or containers for stores
- dried beans, seeds or large beads (48 per game)
- rule cards
Make it easier or harderYounger children can just practise sowing and counting; older children can learn capture rules from oware and decorate their own boards.
SafetyUse beans or beads large enough not to be a choking hazard and supervise younger children.
My Time Our Place · Outcome 4, Outcome 2Children use counting and strategy while learning about a game shared across African countries.
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