Yard games
Eré of each tongue.
Not one generic game painted over every language. Ayọ̀, Okwe, Dara, Bao, Adji — and the counting, hop, find, and clap of the yard.
Yoruba Igbo Hausa Ogu (Egun) Swahili Spanish French Arabic Portuguese
Playable
Dara
The seed board
Drop seeds house to house. Say ɗaya, biyu, uku as you go.
Playable
Ƙirga
Counting
Hear the number. Tap the Hausa word.
Playable
Ɓoye-ɓoye
Hide and seek
Count to goma. Then tap the face that hid.
Playable
Tsalle-tsalle
Hopscotch
Tap the boxes in order. Say the Hausa number as you land.
Playable
Tafi hannu
Clap game
Hear the number. Clap that many times.
Yard later
Igia
Skipping rope
Ask an adult to turn a rope. Count ɗaya, biyu, uku as you jump.
Yard later
Kwallo
Marbles / small ball
Share. No grabbing.
Yard later
Ɗan koli
Spinning top
Spin it and count while it turns.
Yard later
Kalankuwa
Play of the season
Ask an elder what they played at kalankuwa. Keep the name.
Yard later
Zare
Thread / cat’s cradle
A loop of yarn and two pairs of hands.