Children's Folklore Project

Children play before they learn to talk. Modern pedagogy states that playing is a natural way of bringing various concepts, values and knowledge into children's lives. Traditional children's games are based on fantasy, imagination and everyday life.

It is difficult to determine the origins of games. Some of them have been played for centuries. For example, swings existed in Crete in 1600 BC, while hopscotch was played in ancient Greece. Blindman's bluff, marbles and chase date back 2,000 years. Together with many other games, they were spread throughout the world by travellers and soldiers.

Manufactured games were originally used as a method of instruction. Geography games, for example, in which countries were cut out of maps and children had to put them back correctly, led to the creation of the jigsaw puzzle.

The history of children's games has been greatly influenced by technological innovations. The discovery of rubber led to the creation of new types of balls and ball games. Contact with other cultures brought different toys, such as the kite, which came from China.

Over the centuries some games have become less popular while others, especially those that involved violence toward animals, have almost disappeared.

Any game is a learning process in which children copy and adapt life's situations. They imitate others, exchange ideas, find solutions to problems and learn to respect rules.

These are all first steps to learning about becoming citizens, and connecting people and events in their culture. From early childhood, children play games and develop complex investigation and communication skills. The main benefit of games is the discovery of cultural knowledge embodied in them.

Petru Dumitru