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
Bao
The seed board
Drop seeds house to house. Say moja, mbili, tatu as you go.
Playable
Kuhesabu
Counting
Hear the number. Tap the Kiswahili word.
Playable
Kujificha
Hide and seek
Count to kumi. Then tap the face that hid.
Playable
Kamari
Hopscotch
Tap the boxes in order. Say the Kiswahili number as you land.
Playable
Kupiga makofi
Clap game
Hear the number. Clap that many times.
Yard later
Kamba
Skipping rope
Ask an adult to turn a rope. Count moja, mbili, tatu as you jump.
Yard later
Kete
Pebbles
Share the stones. No grabbing.
Yard later
Kiwiko
Spinning top
Spin it and count while it turns.
Yard later
Dama
Draughts
Play dama with an adult on a real board when you can.
Yard later
Uzi
Thread / cat’s cradle
A loop of yarn and two pairs of hands.