Factors Affecting the Participation of Children in Traditional Games in Tanzania

Abstract

Children’s participation in traditional games is crucial for their social and intellectual development. In this light, one of the puzzling issues of our time is the drastic decrease in children’s outdoor play. This study sets out to investigate the reasons why, by identifying the factors that prevent children from participating in traditional games in urban Tanzania. The hypothesis driving this inquiry initially proposed that access to televisions, digital video technology, computers and mobile phone games decreases the degree of children’s active participation in traditional games. Based on data collected through interviews and focus group discussions with parents and children, the study revealed that this is not the case; instead, the findings identify seven other factors, including parents’ fear of child abduction and sexual abuse, parental emphasis on academic achievement, the pressure of family chores, and children’s destructive behaviour outdoors as responsible for the prohibitions that defeat children’s traditional play. The data includes children’s own self-reflections about why they do not play outside. These results indicate the advisability of educating parents about the benefits of traditional games in children’s lives. The study also recommends that parents and the wider community take steps together to create safer outdoor play environments for children.