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Fair Trade Games that Teach

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What your Kids can learn from Fair Trade Games

Fair Trade Products do more than just ensure equitable work conditions and pay. They are also able to educate us in the daily lives of other cultures.

Many of the board games played through out the world are hand made for a specific purpose. They are used to educate children in mathematics, Co-operative learning, cognitive development, spatial thinking, logistics and strategic planning.

When combined with the artistry and craftsmanship of the cultures in which they originate, they are also able to teach us about history, art, geography and society and culture.

Here are five fair trade games that we use with our kids to teach all of the above.

Fair Trade Fun in Thirty Seconds

1. Tigers & Goats (Bagh Chal)

the national game of Nepal

Tigers & Goats from NepalTigers and Goats (Moving Tigers, Bagh Chal) is the National Game of Nepal. It is popular amongst young and Old. The goal is to either trap the tigers so that they cannot move or else jump (eat) the goats so that they are taken out of the game.

Originally developed by mount goat Shepherds, the game is both social and strategic. Amongst children the game is a popular way of developing strategic and lateral thinking skills. With twenty Goats against just four Tigers, it requires a clever balance of attack and defence against unequal forces.

As a social game, like many two player games in the East, Tigers and Goats is often just as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. Students learn patience in strategy, spatial awareness and the simple rules means that it is especially good for people with learning difficulties.

The set pictured is made by Local Artisans at the foothills of the Himalayas.

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Tigers & Goats (Bagh Chal)
Tigers & Goats Board Game from Nepal. Traditional Bagh Chal (moving tigers) Brass Board game, made at the foothills of the Himalayas.

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Tigers & Goats from Nepal
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Sidan

the original block toppling game from Ghana

The Original Block Game from GhanaSidan has a great deal of cultural significance as well as being a useful game in small groups and social situations. The origins of the game, though now popular all over the world, seem to be found in Ghana. The woman who brought it to the west having been raised in Ghana through some of her child hood before returning to their home in the UK.

Referred to in Ghana as Sidan (which means, to build the house), it is an excellent game for strengthening social ties and improving communication and over all social skills.

Sidan helps develop fine motor skills and spatial awareness. It is a useful tool in small group settings where competition is balanced by the broader social appeal of the game.

Since the game is not mentally taxing, we use Sidan with children as an instrument that develops conversation and communication skills.

The Sidan pictured here was made in Ghana through Fair Trade organisation, Geolicrafts in Accra. The soft sandalwood smelling pieces have a great tactile and sensory appeal with younger players. A unique Fair Trade Gift Idea.

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Jenga Sidan Game|Ghana
Jenga Sidan Game - Jenga Blocks. Fair Trade, handmade direct from the country that gave it to the rest of the world - Ghana.

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Sidan from Ghana
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Congklak

traditional maths game from Java

Congklak maths (mancala) game from JavaCongklak is one of the most popular board games in Indonesia. particularly among women and chidlren. The game is intrisically mathmatical. It requires conceptual thinking, the ability to count in order to capture, strategic planning and mild dexterity.

Congklak is used in schools for these reasons and like so many other mancala games through out the world is a chief source of social engagement among young people.

The aim of the game is to capture your opponents cowrie shells by successfully collecting and distributing the correct number of shells in order to land and finish in your opponents' pits.

The board is painted and lacquered batik artwork that folds in the shape of a Duck or Turtle. The artwork is instantly recognisable as South East Asian and through the use of this clever game it is possible to not only teach fundamental maths but also something of the culture and art of indigenous cultures.

The game pictured is that of a folded duck with traditional cowrie shells. The board is hand painted and made by Fair trade Organisation, Apikri.

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Congklak|Fair Trade Game
Congklak, Dakon, Congkak Duck. Traditional mancala games from Java, Indonesia. Beautiful hand crafted Board Games and Gifts.

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Congklak Duck from Java
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Pachisi Chuaper

the national game of India

Pachisi, Parcheesi, Ludo from IndiaPachisi is the National Game of India. The game is played by all ages and is central to village social life.

It was the royal game played by the Maharajas, the nobility and the common men in leisure. The Mughal Emperor Akbar played the variant of Pachisi; Chaupar on a huge inlaid marble court employing slaves from the harem as his pawns/pieces.

Think of Pachisi as the original "Game of Life". The game is played on the floor, like most Indian Games and your goal is to make it around the board, counting, planning and moving in a way that gets you all home safely - and first.

Pachisi is a team game, and is only won when both partners have all eight pieces home. As with all true team games, working together is the key to winning.

Pachisi is an ideal social game for kids. It is not as competitive as some other games since you are playing against the dice rather than against one another. This wonderful Fair Trade Product is made by the women of Artisans Effort, a Fair Trade foundation of South East Asia and India.

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Pachisi. Fair Trade Gifts - Games from Everywhere.
Pachisi. The Traditional Game of India, from India! Beautiful Traditional Hand sewn Game Mat.

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Pachisi, Parcheesi, Ludo from India
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Solitaire - Madagascar

Semi Precious Gemstone Marbles

Wood Solitaire Game - MadagascarThe Wood Solitaire Board Game is said to have been invented by a nobleman imprisoned in the Bastille during the French Revolution.

This beautiful Fair Trade wooden solitaire is the product of hand carved Palissandre. A deep and weighty red wood.

The glistening marbles are not glass but polished semi-precious stones, quartz, crystal, jade, Jasper, Amethyst, Chalcedony, Blue Celestite and Labradorite.

Madagascar Palissandre wood grows in the North-western part and eastern coast of the Island of Madagascar. The heartwood is lilac to reddish-brown. It has streaks from brown to black. The texture of the wood is fine and used in fine furnishing and stringed instrument products.

The popular modern game of Solitaire is played on a Fox and Geese board. Solitaire was supposedly invented by a French count who was incarcerated in prison (there are references in French sources back to 1697) and is really a puzzle more than a game.

This helps to explain Solitaires' popularity in Madagascar.

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Solitaire. Wooden Hand carved Solitaire from Madagascar.
Buy, fair trade, Solitaire. Wooden Hand carved Solitaire from Madagascar. Hand Carved wood with polished semi precious stone marbles. Fair Trade Products and African Gift Ideas.

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Palissandre Wood Solitaire
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davidtrounce

David is the father of a growing multitude and lives with his wife and family in Port Stephens, NSW Australia.
David enjoys reading, writing, camping... more »

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