A person can learn a lot about a culture by watching the games its children play. I asked Karin and Johanna to tell you what it’s like playing with Gogodala kids and what kind of games they play.
“We start out playing with one or two kids and end up with twenty or more in our front yard playing games. Duck Duck Goose, Tag and Simon Says are all popular with young and old alike. They have taught us more games than we have taught them.

“Gogodala children play a game that resembles hockey. Each child holds a stick and hits a disc about the size and shape of a hockey puck, but is cut from an old sandal. Back and forth the disc will go until it rolls off the path out of reach. Swinging the stick requires the same type of motion grown men use with their grass knives.

“The other day, we watched four boys race. This was not a running race, though they do have those, too. Each boy stood at the base of a coconut palm poised to shinny up as soon as someone shouted, ‘Go!’ Within seconds, they were at the top of the trees and sliding down like firemen down a fire pole. Even small boys are expert tree climbers. Their parents often send them up the trees to knock coconuts down.

“Instead of pretending to drive a car like kids back home, Gogodala boys will stand erect with stick in hand pretending they are guiding a motor dinghy down the river. Girls love to sit and make snakes, pinwheels and flowers out of palm leaves. String and rubber band games are popular, too.”

Children can be happy playing with scraps, but parents have the important responsibility of guiding them. Consider this quote from page 35 of Child Guidance:

“Parents need not feel that it is necessary to repress the activity of their children, but they are to understand that it is essential to guide and train them in right and proper directions.”

• Twitter