Children’s Games in Morocco
Issue 26
Children are very interested in playing games, and play is no less important than the educational system, clothing and eating habits in terms of shaping the child’s personality and preparing him for the future.
According to some researchers, “For children, play is as necessary as oxygen, sun, clean water, food and sleep; it provides them with many opportunities to interact with nature. Playing also gives us a way to teach many values – such as self-discipline, heroism, determination and courage – to children.”
Children suffer if they don’t have enough opportunities to play, but excessive playing can also affect children negatively. Children need an appropriate amount of playtime, but balance is needed to ensure that playtime does not take precedence over other needs.
Anyone who researches the history of Arab childhood may notice that Arab scholars have not paid much attention to playing. This is because the Arab scholars who wrote about children focused on education in the belief that playing is something children do naturally as soon as they start crawling. Instead, they focused on things that children acquire through education, such as reading, writing, and behavioural and religious matters. Playing was considered secondary and there were warnings that excessive play could be detrimental to the child’s development.
Rashid Al Afaqi
Morocco