Kwanzaa Games

Kwanzaa is all about morals and being together as a family. These fun Kwanzaa games will help the children in your life learn about the Kwanzaa celebration. It is a chance to learn about the African culture.

Enjoy.

Myrshim

Materials Needed:

Candy

Instructions:

10-12 players are invited to take part in this game.

Then they are explained the rules: One of the players moves away and turns his/her back to all the rest players.

In this time one of players is given a candy. But the player mustn't eat it, he/she just puts it in the mouth.

Then all the players including the player with the candy, begin to pronounce one and the same word "myrshim" (in Kazakh it means "to chew").

The task of the 1st player (the player who stands with his back to all the rest players) is to guess who of the players has a candy in his/her mouth.

If the player guesses he receives the prize and chooses the leader, if he doesn't guess all the players say to him "oh-oh-oh!"

So the game begins. The leader moves away, turns his back to all the rest players and the instructor gives a wrapped up candy to one of the players.

When the player unwraps the candy and puts it into the mouth the game begins: all the players begin to say "myrshim, myrshim, myrshim" and the instructor calls out the leader.

Mbube, Mbube

Materials Needed:

Blindfold
Watch

Instructions:

Imbube is a Zulu word for lion.

Mbube is calling to the lion and is pronounced mboo-bay.

In this game, the lion is stalking an impala.

Have all the players form a large circle.

Choose one person for the lion and one as the impala; blindfold both. Spin the blindfolded players around.

The players standing in the circle begin calling the lion by saying ‘mbube, mbube’.

The closer the impala gets to the lion, the faster the chanting becomes; the farther from the impala the lion gets, the slower the chant becomes.

Set a time limit of about two minutes.

If the lion has not caught the impala in that time period, a new lion is chosen.

If the impala is caught by the lion, a new impala is selected.

The children enjoy this game and will play for hours.

Mamba

Here are more Kwanzaa games to be played outside.

Materials Needed:

None

Instructions:

This game is named for a poisonous snake indigenous to African.

This game must be played outside in a marked off area about 30 feet (10 meters) square, but the size depends on the number of players.

Select one person as the mamba.

Everyone must remain within the marked off area and try to stay away from the mamba.

The mamba tries to catch the players and when one is captured, they join the snake by placing their hands on the mamba’s shoulders or waist.

Each new capture becomes another part of the mamba’s body.

If a player goes outside the marked area, they must sit out the rest of the game.

Only the snake head can capture new people but the body can help entrap them because players must not pass between the snake’s body parts.

The game ends when only one player has not been ‘eaten’ by the snake.

That person gets to be the mamba next.

Celebrate the holiday with these Kwanzaa Games. They are sure to be a big hit with the little ones, and can be enjoyed by the whole family.

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