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Ferryhill Summer Club 2002
"The Year of the Child"

5th-12th August 2002 
9.15-12.15 pm 
in the Church Halls

Children in Afghanistan face a lot of difficulties in life. But like any children they love to have fun. Without much in the way of toys they invent games to pass the time.

In the picture, some boys in a refugee camp outside Herat are keeping themselves amused with a hopping game. Everybody holds one foot behind their back and hops around, trying to push the others off balance. Why not have a go with your friends? It's not as easy as it looks! 

Kite flying is another cheap and popular pastime among Afghan children. (When the Taliban ruled in Afghanistan Kite flying was banned!)

Afghan children have their own versions of lots of our favourite games. Marbles is called bujul bazi and is often played with sheep's knucklebones. The children also play hopscotch, stone-paper-scissors and a kind of cricket called tup-dandeh. 

There are lots of other Afghan games that are easy to learn and fun to play, like eagle, kabadi, and the pebble game. 

Eagle (aaqab)

Age: 4 - 8, Number of players: 3 +, traditionally played by boys and girls

• One player is appointed to be the eagle who sits on a rock.
• The others are pigeons and they have an area where they area safe.
• The pigeons have to come out of the safe place to feed. They pretend to be pecking at the ground for grain.
• When the eagle sees a chance s/he comes off the rock and tries to catch a pigeon.
• If he succeeds in catching a pigeon the eagle wins the game.
• If the pigeons escape to their safe area they may come out and hit the eagle.
• A new eagle is appointed for the next game.

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Kabadi 

Age: 5+, Number of players: 10 - 15, traditionally played by boys only

• The players split into two teams.
• They stand either side of a line, a few metres away from it.
• Then one of the members of one of the groups shouts "Kabadi!" and runs between the two groups.
• At a certain moment he tries to step over the line, upon which members of the opposing team try to catch him and take him into their group.
• If he is not caught he has performed his role successfully. Then one person from the other team should join his team.
• The game continues like this until all of the members of one group have joined the other team, making that team the winner.

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Pebble game (sang chill bazi)

Age: 7+, Number of players: 2, traditionally played by girls only

Stage 1

• Each player chooses 5 pebbles.
• They decide who goes first and that player puts 4 pebbles on the ground.
• She tosses the remaining pebble in the air and tries to pick up one of the other four pebbles and catch the pebble she tossed up, before it hits the ground,
• If successful, she tries again, continuing until she either misses or has picked up all four pebbles.
• If she misses, the other girl has a turn.

Stage 2
If the first girl manages to pick up all four pebbles she starts directly on the second stage of the game.

• She tosses one pebble in the air and now she has to pick up two pebbles at a time from the ground, then pick up three at a time, then all four.
• The girl to complete all stages first is the winner.

You may not wish to disclose this part of the game!
The winner may then punish her opponent. This usually involves tossing one of the pebbles into the air and pinching the back of the loser's hand until the pebble hits the ground. The punishment is repeated with each of the five pebbles.