Creating Mancala Game Boards

Submitted by: Michal Austin
Title: Mancala Game Boards
Grades: 4th - 6th

From Michal:

Because I don't have a sink in my room, I have shied away from doing too many 3-dimensional projects with my intermediate students due to clean-up challenges. For this project I didn't need any additional clean-up.

We measured and cut out cardboard frames to nest our egg cartons in. Four milk cartons were needed per student, and these were attached at each end. After attaching everything together with Masking Tape they were painted over with Gesso and allowed to dry well. We painted with Tempera Paint and then I had students draw line patterns on the sides with Paint Markers.

Optional:

Many of the African mancala boards (Archive) are raised up. Students could White Glue and tape on toilet paper tubes (four per student) to make a stand for their boards. For sturdier boards, Paper Mache layers could be applied - then finish as above.

Rules of the Game

(These are the rules we used. Rules vary from region to region as does the name of the game)

This is a version of the basic game, known as two-rank Mancala.

1. The Mancala 'board' is made up of two rows of six holes each. (An empty egg carton is perfect - with a cup at each end for the "house/store"

2. Four pieces -- marbles or stones (buttons work too) -- are placed in each of the 12 holes. The color of the pieces is irrelevant.

3. Each player has a 'store' to the right side of the Mancala board. Small butter dishes or fruit cups work well.

4. The game begins with one player picking up all of the pieces in any one of the holes on his side.

5. Moving counter-clockwise, the player deposits one of the stones in each hole until the stones run out.

6. If you run into your own store, deposit one piece in it. If you run into your opponent's store, skip it.

7. If the last piece you drop is in your own store, you get a free turn.

8. If the last piece you drop is in an empty hole on your side, you capture that piece and any pieces in the hole directly opposite.

9. Always place all captured pieces in your store.

10. The game ends when all six spaces on one side of the Mancala board are empty.

11. The player who still has pieces on his side of the board when the game ends captures all of those pieces.

12. Count all the pieces in each store. The winner is the player with the most pieces.

Tips:
Planning ahead is essential to victory in board games like Mancala. Try to plan two or three moves into the future.

Books

For more on Mancala boards, see "Mancala: The Board Game in Africa and Asia" by Alexander J. De Voogt, British Museum Press, 1997, (see page 23 for the above 4 x 26 board).

[Note- This book is out of print and there are only a few copies left on Amazon. See the books below for additional information or as a replacement for the book above in the event you aren't able to get a copy.]

The Mancala Pack: All You Need to Learn, Play and Master the Classic African Count-And-Capture Game - Contains a board with six holes on each side, together with 48 stones for the playing pieces. Full instructions on how to play this mathematical minefield of a game are included in the accompanying 48-page illustrated book. It also details the history of Mancala and offers strategy tips for better gameplay.

The Complete Mancala Games Book: How To Play the World's Oldest Board Games - The Complete Mancala Games Book contains descriptions and clearly written rules for both the most popular two-row Mancala games and the rarer three- and four-row versions.

All About Mancala: Its History and How to Play - Mancala originated in Egypt around 1500 BC and is an intriguing game of strategy. This book is a comprehensive guide to this ancient and fascinating game. It includes illustrated examples and 100 different ways to play.