Who never had gone through childhood? Who had not played?
Who never had relatives, cousins, neighbors and friends as playmates? Who never
had bruises and captures their memory as they left scars on our legs and arms?
Games
have an important role in enhancing the abilities of a child. It improves
his/her social and mental development.
But
over the years, the nature of outdoor activities of Filipino children changed.
Before, kids used to play outdoors. They use their body to move and getting
plenty of exercise. They run over the fields like there’s no tomorrow. And the
funniest thing of all is that, they fight war games like power rangers. They
need inexpensive materials in order to play. They utilize the things they were
able to grab around the field like rope, stones, balls and etc.
I
remember the times when I used to play with the other kids. We played
tagu-taguan, patintero, luksong-baka, and dakpanay.
Tagu-taguan or Hide and Seek in English
You get
the challenge of being able to go back to home base by hiding behind or up the
trees, inside the neighbor houses – under the tables or under the stairs while
someone is seeking for you. This one is amongst the favorites of the children.
Patintero
This is
one of my favorite games. There are no heavy mechanics to follow as it’s simply
crossing the line without being touched by the other team member, who is
guarding their line. Running and being chased makes the game exciting
Luksong-baka
When I
was in elementary years, luksong-baka was one of the famous games pupils played
in our school. The “it” crouches while the other player must jump over the
“it”. The crouching player gradually stands up as the player jumps over to pass
each level. This actually exercises the stamina of being able to jump high and
beat every obstacle that one is confronted with.
Dakpanay
Dakpanay
was my favorite outdoor game when I was a boy. I used to play it with my
friends in the neighborhood. The “it” must tag the other player, the tagged
player then becomes the “it”, and the game continues.
At the
end of the day, we can feel the sweat running through every part of our body.
These were the games I loved and used to play every weekend with my
neighborhood friends. It made me happy and excited, and looks forward to
another time for the chance to play these games again. In my opinion, those
games may have been simple, had no complicated rules to follow, but each and
every game brought some message to the child in you. It has definitely molded
something in you to be introduced to life in the hereafter.
But all
of these outdoor activities gradually vanished over time. The invention of
modern technology altered the playing habits of children. The kids slowly
become prisoners in their own homes. The generation of children today spends a
lot of time indoors instead of playing outside with the other children, or
building social relationships.
Modern technology,
especially computers and television sets, greatly affect the perspective of
children towards outdoor activities.
Despite the fact that life continues to change over time, it remains that one can never escape the stage of childhood. For it is the basic foundation of a child to become good person or a citizen in a community.
