🟤 Mancala: rules for kids
Mancala is one of the oldest board games in the world, from the family of "sowing games." These are the most common rules, known as Kalah.
How to play Mancala
What you need
A board with 6 small pits on each side and a large store at each end, plus 48 small stones (4 in each pit to start). No board? An egg carton and two bowls work great.
Sowing
On your turn, pick one of the pits on your side, scoop up all its stones and drop them one by one into the following pits, counterclockwise. Drop one in your own store as you pass it, but skip your opponent's store.
Extra turns and captures
If your last stone lands in your own store, you get another turn.
If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, and the pit directly across has stones in it, you capture all of them, plus your own stone, and put them in your store.
End of the game
When all the pits on one side are empty, each player moves the stones left on their own side into their store. The player with more stones wins.
Questions and answers
Where does mancala come from?
Sowing games have been played for hundreds of years across Africa and the Middle East, in many versions. Kalah, the version here, is one of the most popular in the West.
Can I make my own mancala board?
Yes. Use an egg carton for the 12 pits and two small bowls for the stores, with beans, buttons or pebbles as stones.