Nowadays, teachers, monitors, and parents—who all interact with children on a daily basis—have the important role of building bridges between culture and education. By doing so, adults encourage youth to become curious about a wide range of subjects. Naturally, including culture in education can take many shapes and forms, one of which is through physical activity.
If you’re looking to integrate culture into your physical activities, we have a suggestion: Kho Kho, an Indian chase and flee game. The game and its history are sure to appeal to everyone, no matter their age.
The story behind the game
The origins of Kho Kho go back to the Mahabharata, an ancient epic that chronicles the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The defensive technique used by the Kauravas is said to have inspired the game, which was played for many years on carts. Today’s version of the game, which is played on foot, came to be in 1914 during WWI.
Since then, Kho Kho has been spreading around the world, even becoming an official sport at the South Asian Games as of 2016.
The rules
There are traditionally 18 players in a match, but the game can be adapted to allow for more or less participants. It’s played on a rectangular field that’s split in half lengthwise by 2 poles.
The benefits
Kho Kho develops students’ skills in a range of ways. On top of practicing agility, speed, and counter-attacks (moving away, reaching, dodging, faking) like other, better-known chase and flee games, Kho Kho encourages children to work as a team and collaborate towards a common goal.
What’s more, children have to make quick decisions and use strategy to help their team win. There’s no doubt that this game will quickly become a favorite!
