**6. Early learning experiences in the diverse cultural settings**

Children have been observed to play in diverse settings. Regardless of city, suburban, or rural settings, throughout the world, children play. If they grow up in an agrarian economy and accompany their mothers into the fields, they find ways to play within that environment, and there are reports that mothers who work in such settings also find ways to make the time with their children pass in playful ways [20]. Children play whether they live in rural or urban settings; belong to rich or poor families. One of the most common essentials of childhood across cultures is play.

Children's play is influenced by cultural backgrounds and it is imperative to recognize the importance of cultural influences on children's play. It is also important for early childhood educators to recognize the importance of play in the lives of young children in order to make use of play as a means of promoting cultural awareness.

It is important to understand the relationship of play and cultural diversity as a large population of young children belonging to culturally diverse backgrounds are entering early educational setups. It is through play that children learn about the world around them and learn about their own and other cultural values. Play helps children understand and enhance a positive awareness of individual differences and cultural diversity of other children around them. Thus, play experiences provide an excellent way to teach children about differences among communities and negate any negative perceptions or stereotypes.

### **7. Role of traditional games, stories and lullabies as a mechanism to enhance children's holistic development and learning**

Playing games has always been an exciting and the most loving part of growing up for us. Numerous times we fondly recollect the happiness experienced while playing childhood games. Most of us have definitely played traditional games when we were

*Early Childhood Education*

**5.1 Play and cultural diversity**

cities where the migration is denser.

for the journey called life.

**5.2 Play and cultural values**

**setting**

**5. Diverse play opportunities available to young children in the Indian** 

Several researches and innovative early childhood care and education programs have recognized that children learn best through play and learning by doing. Children in the younger age group are naturally curious and exploratory in nature. They want to discover their immediate world using their senses and physical attributes. Many researchers in the field of child development have noticed children in constant interaction with their environment, and they want to touch, feel and experience everything they see. All that matters to children is to play and enjoy with everything they come across. Furthermore children learn by doing, by being the active participants in the learning process. Although play promotes growth and development among children, children do not engage in different play activities for these outcomes. Rather play among children is self-initiated and is often described as being natural, spontaneous, enjoyable and is a reward in itself.

One of the most common elements of childhood across cultures is play. Considering the diversity in India, it is utmost important to understand the diverse

Moreover, exploring the relationship of play and cultural diversity is important for following reasons. First, a rapidly growing enrollment of young children from culturally diverse backgrounds is entering schools; this is significant in most urban

Second, play is a way for children to learn about the world around them. They not only learn about themselves but also about diversity in principles, ideologies etc. among other people. And finally, play can encourage positive bonding and relationships among children with diverse cultural settings and enhance a positive awareness of individual differences as well. Playing traditional games enhances friendships or health but it is deeply connected towards making children prepared

Imparting cultural beliefs & values to young children is a way to orient young minds about their tradition in every society. There is also another thought that stresses upon the cultural influence on children and that it can come from many sources including the family, neighborhoods, child care and education centers, and the media. Play in early years also helps in developing a sense of pride and understanding of people in various cultures from the very beginning. Play is one of the mostly adapted techniques used with children to help them know and understand about their culture, practices, norms, customs, and values. It is also indicated that many traditional games with specific rules, provide a great means of communicating social norms of a society and form an integral part of that culture [18]. These games and their rules help in integration and solidarity among group members while providing aspects for segregation from other group members. Moreover, the types of play organized by children and play materials used are associated with their culture, for example, *kaudi* (small shells), pebbles and coconut shells are associated with communities living on beaches or near oceans and sea. Play during the early years also provides ample opportunities for young children to practice skills that will be useful to them as adults in that com-

munity. Play thus, serves an important role in enculturation.

play opportunities available to young children in the Indian setting.

**60**

young, going to the terrace or outside on the streets or nearby park to play with our friends, was the most enjoyable part of our daily routine.

Indian traditional games like*—Kho kho, stapu, Langadi tang (one-leg hopping)*, skipping rope*, kancha, gilli danda, luddo*, and many more do not require exorbitant play materials or accessories like sports gear or specific shoes, all that is required is young enthusiastic & energetic children and space to play in.

Playing traditional games have always brought children together, encouraging teamwork and social interaction. Team games like *gilli danda, kho-kho,* encourages children to develop maneuvers to strategize and win the game. Unstructured play has a vital role in developing children's physical, behavioral and interpersonal skills, therefore the need to re-establish traditional play in children's lives.

Children also have an immense love for stories and lullabies. Stories help in creating an enchanting and delightful world for young children and help them in learning nuances of life. Storytelling provides an inimitable way to understand, respect and appreciate one's own as well as different cultures. This further helps in encouraging positive beliefs and attitudes towards diversity including people from different religion, communities, ethnicities and regions.

Folk-tales or folk-stories are constructed and told in captivating ways, and they carry huge entertainment prowess. Diversity exists in terms of stories considering the Indian setting and cultures they have. A common version of any story entails characters–human or animal–with the simple structure of a beginning, highlights, and conclusion. Often, these stories take shape of puzzles, with leading questions for children to express and solve it and further facilitates moral values among them. Almost all children are motivated by the suspense entailed in the stories, the characters and situations they are already familiar with. Children also learn to pay attention and to follow instructions, when the levels of stories extend from simple to complex. Moreover, many folk-tales, although essentially similar in situation, have been adapted in specific languages and therefore provide children with an opportunity to expand and learn their first language. Through the folk-tale activities, children use their short and long-term memory, exercise abstract thinking, and gain collective problem-solving skills [21]. Storytelling when narrated to children in various ways can Enhance intercultural understanding and communication among young children (**Figure 1**).

While listening to folktales and traditional lullabies, children participate actively, rather than listening passively. Children enjoy stories which are dramatic, vivid and involve situations that they have not heard about. Narrating stories and forming conversations around the characters and things in it, is the oldest form of imparting education about culture, family values and traditions. People around the world

**63**

**Figure 3.**

*Boys playing Gili Danda on the streets.*

*Play as a Mechanism of Promoting Emergent Literacy among Young Children: The Indian Context*

have always told tales as a way of passing down their cultural beliefs, traditions and

In India, children generally go out and play with their friends or cousins on the streets or nearby parks. These street games have been played by previous generations as children. Parents or grandparents often narrate stories and share their experiences of playing these games as young children. Some of these traditional

a.'Kanchas' or playing with small stones or marbles was a caveman's game (**Figure 2**). The origin of Kancha can be marked out to the early days of mankind. Kancha also known as Goti is an Indian traditional game which is mostly played by children and is cherished and fondly remembered by people of all ages. Kanchas are absolute fun to play with. The objective of this game is to hit a few marbles on the ground with your own marbles using a particular technique. Whoever is successful in hit-

b.'Gilli Danda' another traditional cricket-like game played on the Indian streets

It is believed to be more than a thousand years old – dating back to the Mauryan Dynasty [22]. Gilli danda is known by various other names as well: like Tipcat in English, Lappa-Duggi in Pashto, Kon ko in Cambodian, Pathel Lele in Indonesian, Celikçomak in Turkish, Ciang sat in Zomi language, Đánh Trỏng in Vietnam and Quimbumbia in Cuba so on so forth. Gilli danda is played using two small wooden

history to future generations. We all have a story to tell and a drive to tell it.

ting the targets takes the marbles of all other players and is the winner.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82363*

and villages (**Figure 3**).

**Figure 2.**

*Kancha or glass balls.*

games played through generations are described below:

**Figure 1.** *Story telling by 'Katha' teacher.*

#### *Play as a Mechanism of Promoting Emergent Literacy among Young Children: The Indian Context DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82363*

have always told tales as a way of passing down their cultural beliefs, traditions and history to future generations. We all have a story to tell and a drive to tell it.

In India, children generally go out and play with their friends or cousins on the streets or nearby parks. These street games have been played by previous generations as children. Parents or grandparents often narrate stories and share their experiences of playing these games as young children. Some of these traditional games played through generations are described below:

a.'Kanchas' or playing with small stones or marbles was a caveman's game (**Figure 2**).

The origin of Kancha can be marked out to the early days of mankind. Kancha also known as Goti is an Indian traditional game which is mostly played by children and is cherished and fondly remembered by people of all ages. Kanchas are absolute fun to play with. The objective of this game is to hit a few marbles on the ground with your own marbles using a particular technique. Whoever is successful in hitting the targets takes the marbles of all other players and is the winner.

**Figure 2.** *Kancha or glass balls.*

*Early Childhood Education*

young children (**Figure 1**).

young, going to the terrace or outside on the streets or nearby park to play with our

Indian traditional games like*—Kho kho, stapu, Langadi tang (one-leg hopping)*, skipping rope*, kancha, gilli danda, luddo*, and many more do not require exorbitant play materials or accessories like sports gear or specific shoes, all that is required is

Playing traditional games have always brought children together, encouraging teamwork and social interaction. Team games like *gilli danda, kho-kho,* encourages children to develop maneuvers to strategize and win the game. Unstructured play has a vital role in developing children's physical, behavioral and interpersonal skills,

Children also have an immense love for stories and lullabies. Stories help in creating an enchanting and delightful world for young children and help them in learning nuances of life. Storytelling provides an inimitable way to understand, respect and appreciate one's own as well as different cultures. This further helps in encouraging positive beliefs and attitudes towards diversity including people from

Folk-tales or folk-stories are constructed and told in captivating ways, and they carry huge entertainment prowess. Diversity exists in terms of stories considering the Indian setting and cultures they have. A common version of any story entails characters–human or animal–with the simple structure of a beginning, highlights, and conclusion. Often, these stories take shape of puzzles, with leading questions for children to express and solve it and further facilitates moral values among them. Almost all children are motivated by the suspense entailed in the stories, the characters and situations they are already familiar with. Children also learn to pay attention and to follow instructions, when the levels of stories extend from simple to complex. Moreover, many folk-tales, although essentially similar in situation, have been adapted in specific languages and therefore provide children with an opportunity to expand and learn their first language. Through the folk-tale activities, children use their short and long-term memory, exercise abstract thinking, and gain collective problem-solving skills [21]. Storytelling when narrated to children in various ways can Enhance intercultural understanding and communication among

While listening to folktales and traditional lullabies, children participate actively, rather than listening passively. Children enjoy stories which are dramatic, vivid and involve situations that they have not heard about. Narrating stories and forming conversations around the characters and things in it, is the oldest form of imparting education about culture, family values and traditions. People around the world

friends, was the most enjoyable part of our daily routine.

different religion, communities, ethnicities and regions.

young enthusiastic & energetic children and space to play in.

therefore the need to re-establish traditional play in children's lives.

**62**

**Figure 1.**

*Story telling by 'Katha' teacher.*

b.'Gilli Danda' another traditional cricket-like game played on the Indian streets and villages (**Figure 3**).

It is believed to be more than a thousand years old – dating back to the Mauryan Dynasty [22]. Gilli danda is known by various other names as well: like Tipcat in English, Lappa-Duggi in Pashto, Kon ko in Cambodian, Pathel Lele in Indonesian, Celikçomak in Turkish, Ciang sat in Zomi language, Đánh Trỏng in Vietnam and Quimbumbia in Cuba so on so forth. Gilli danda is played using two small wooden

**Figure 3.** *Boys playing Gili Danda on the streets.*

sticks which can either be prepared at home or with the help of the carpenter. While gilli is small, about 3 inches in length, the danda is 2 feet long with tapering ends, serving as a bat. The game is usually played in teams making a metre diameter circle on the ground and an oval shaped hole is dug in the centre of the circle and the Gilli is placed across the hole. The games allow the players to develop exceptionally good hand-eye coordination, ability to catch and strong wrists.

c.Kho kho is a traditional game that originated in Maharashtra one of the Indian western state (**Figure 4**).

This game is played widely on Indian streets and on special sports events like children's sports day in schools. The game hosts two teams, each containing 12 members, out of which 9 play at a time. The purpose of the game is to tag all the opponents in the team and the team with the shortest time to do so, wins. The game is one of the most popular sports in India and is enthusiastically played among children and adults alike. Besides the obvious health benefits, the game helps to propel sportsman spirit and camaraderie among the players. Since the game involves running, good for cardiovascular system. Hence, a kho kho game can help with a plethora of things.

**Figure 4.** *Children playing kho kho.*

d.A popular playground game 'hopscotch' in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object (**Figure 5**).

This popular game is also played in other countries and is loved by all. In India it is called Stapu (Hindi), Nondi (Tamil), in Spain and some Latin American countries, it is rayuela, although it may also be known as golosa or charranca.

**65**

*Play as a Mechanism of Promoting Emergent Literacy among Young Children: The Indian Context*

The benefits of the game include sharpening the concentration and enhancing the presence of mind. They also ensure the improvement in the focus and dedication of the child, this allows children to work on their eye-hand coordination, judgment skills, calculation as well. These games improve the concentration power

Fascinatingly one can observe the expansion in child's interactions with friends and at the same time attaining gross motor and physical strength [23]. Children also obtain better understanding of numbers and number related concepts like counting, sequencing, addition and subtraction. By grouping, regrouping, adding and reducing pebbles, children learn to do skip count of two, three, and four and so on and thus eventually learn multiplication tables. Thus, for early childhood practitioners working with young children and promoting developmentally appropriate practices, play becomes an important vehicle for advancing children's social, emotional and cognitive development and also helps in promoting numeracy and

e.'Ludo', one of the most played indoor board game of India (**Figure 6**). This board game is an effective tool to develop child's numeracy skills and positional language. Ludo is a great platform to reinforce the pre-number concept (counting, colors, and shapes) among young children. And just like any other game,

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82363*

the benefits of playing Ludo go beyond learning math.

of the player and further enhance their focus.

emergent literacy skills [24].

**Figure 6.**

*A board game—'Ludo'.*

**Figure 5.** *A popular playground game of Hopscotch.*

*Play as a Mechanism of Promoting Emergent Literacy among Young Children: The Indian Context DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82363*

e.'Ludo', one of the most played indoor board game of India (**Figure 6**).

This board game is an effective tool to develop child's numeracy skills and positional language. Ludo is a great platform to reinforce the pre-number concept (counting, colors, and shapes) among young children. And just like any other game, the benefits of playing Ludo go beyond learning math.

**Figure 6.** *A board game—'Ludo'.*

*Early Childhood Education*

western state (**Figure 4**).

plethora of things.

**Figure 4.**

*Children playing kho kho.*

sticks which can either be prepared at home or with the help of the carpenter. While gilli is small, about 3 inches in length, the danda is 2 feet long with tapering ends, serving as a bat. The game is usually played in teams making a metre diameter circle on the ground and an oval shaped hole is dug in the centre of the circle and the Gilli is placed across the hole. The games allow the players to develop exceptionally good

c.Kho kho is a traditional game that originated in Maharashtra one of the Indian

d.A popular playground game 'hopscotch' in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop

This popular game is also played in other countries and is loved by all. In India it is called Stapu (Hindi), Nondi (Tamil), in Spain and some Latin American coun-

or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object (**Figure 5**).

tries, it is rayuela, although it may also be known as golosa or charranca.

This game is played widely on Indian streets and on special sports events like children's sports day in schools. The game hosts two teams, each containing 12 members, out of which 9 play at a time. The purpose of the game is to tag all the opponents in the team and the team with the shortest time to do so, wins. The game is one of the most popular sports in India and is enthusiastically played among children and adults alike. Besides the obvious health benefits, the game helps to propel sportsman spirit and camaraderie among the players. Since the game involves running, good for cardiovascular system. Hence, a kho kho game can help with a

hand-eye coordination, ability to catch and strong wrists.

**64**

**Figure 5.**

*A popular playground game of Hopscotch.*

The benefits of the game include sharpening the concentration and enhancing the presence of mind. They also ensure the improvement in the focus and dedication of the child, this allows children to work on their eye-hand coordination, judgment skills, calculation as well. These games improve the concentration power of the player and further enhance their focus.

Fascinatingly one can observe the expansion in child's interactions with friends and at the same time attaining gross motor and physical strength [23]. Children also obtain better understanding of numbers and number related concepts like counting, sequencing, addition and subtraction. By grouping, regrouping, adding and reducing pebbles, children learn to do skip count of two, three, and four and so on and thus eventually learn multiplication tables. Thus, for early childhood practitioners working with young children and promoting developmentally appropriate practices, play becomes an important vehicle for advancing children's social, emotional and cognitive development and also helps in promoting numeracy and emergent literacy skills [24].
