Guest Author - Megan Romer

Mancala is one of the oldest recorded games in the world, boards have been found in Egypt that date back to 1400 B.C.! It is a game with extremely simple rules and an extremely simple playing board, but it appeals to all ages and has clearly withstood the test of time. It is still a wildly popular game in Africa and the Middle East, and its popularity has spread to the rest of the world. It is a game for two players, and anyone old enough to count and understand very basic rules can play.

A typical purchased mancala set includes a beautiful carved-wood board and a set of glass beads. The board is simple: 2 rows each of 6 small pits and two larger pits on either end of the row. There are hundreds of variations

To begin play, position the board so each player has a row of small pits in front of them. The larger pits on each player's right-hand side will be their collection pits. Place four beads in each of the twelve small pits.

The first player begins by selecting one of the pits from the row on their side of the board and picks up all of the beads in that pit. They drop the beads one by one in each pit in a counterclockwise direction all the way around the board, starting with the pit to the right of the one they picked the beads out of (leaving an empty pit). They do drop a bead in their collection pit, but skip their opponent's collection pit.

If the last bead they drop lands in a small pit that contains beads, they scoop up all of the beads from that pit and continue on in a counterclockwise direction, same rules as before. If the pit that the last bead falls in is empty, their turn is over and the other player takes their turn. If the last bead falls in the player's collection pit, they may go back and select any pit from their side and begin again.

The game ends when all of the beads have made their way into the collection pits. Each player counts up his or her beads and whoever has the most beads wins.

If you don't have a "real" mancala set, it is cheap and simple to make your own. An egg carton and two dixie cups should suffice as the board, and instead of beads, try dried beans, elbow macaroni, pennies, pebbles or any other small object that you have several of.

Mancala is a great game for teachers to use in their classrooms to teach counting skills to younger students or to use while studying African or Middle Eastern cultures. Plus, a dozen game sets can be made for free with donated materials. Consider letting the kids decorate and design their own mancala sets as an art project. Let their and your imagination run wild, and have fun!