WHAT IS PLAY?

• Play is
– child’s work
– way children express themselves
– fun
– way children learn about their world
– way children learn motor skills
– the most important thing children do
– how children learn to get along
– messing around and having fun with other children
 Definitions of play
• Sutton-Smith(1971)-play as a way of knowing
– draws analogy between children’s play and children’s
way of knowing their world.He describes four modes
of knowing : (1)exploration,(2)testing,(3)imitation,
(4)construction.

• Elkind(1987)-play as an expression of competence

– provides further support for the idea that play unifies
aspects of mental,physical and socio-emotional
development.
 Introduction

• All over the world, every society pass the old traditions to
the new generations to maintain their cultural heritage
such as children’s games.
• From the games, the children receive informal
education.  They learn by listening, watching and
imitating.Therefore, they learn how to live as members of
their community.  They are taught the community’s code
of conduct and behavior by the rules and regulations of
the games.
 Menya Kwan Mansen

• ‘Menya Kwan Mansen’ is a children’s folk game from

Ghana.
• It means ‘I want a way out’
• It is a game of a mixture of boys and girls.  
• This game can be play by at least 10 people or more
than that.
 How to play?
1. A number of children join their hands together to form a
circle and have to move together a bit to the left and a
bit to the right.
2. One player will be inside the circle.
3. The player inside the circle have to break through and
escape.  He/she goes around inside the circle and
asks“Which way is this”? The others respond by
mentioning the names of the towns and villages
around.
Example: Which way is this?(player inside the
circle)
This way goes to Bangsar’(towns).(players
around the circle)
4. Then,the player inside the circle said “Menya Kwan
Mansen” and the others respond “oowa”.  “Menya
Kwan Mansen” meaning “I want a way out”, and
“oowa” means “but I cannot find the way".
5. As he/she moves inside the circle while still repeating
the same sentences and get the same respond,
he/she will be finding the line of least resistance by
taping the joined hands. 
6. When he/she breaks the hands,he have to say loudly
‘Menya Kwan Mansen’ and run away.Two children who
let him escape goes inside the circle and start again
until there are only a half of people around the circle
and they become the winner.(depends on the number
of player)
 Benefit of playing this game
• Cognitive development
– increase the thinking skills while the children try to
find the way out.
• Socio-emotional development
– they express their feeling through the game
• example:when the children inside the circle
escape,he/she feel happy.
– develop co-operation manner between the children.
• example:the children around the circle co-operate
between each other in order to not allowed the
children inside the circle escape.
• Physical development
-refining large motor skills
example:when swing their hands together
-refining small motor skills
• Language development
-repeating the same sentences when playing the game