Outstanding features of Thai games

Abstract

            It is a widely accepted fact that games are very important to the development of physical, emotional, social, spiritual and conceptual well-being in children. Games are like a laboratory because children can experiment with knowledge of their social environment in a unrestricted and fun way. As Piaget said, activities like games completely help children to be a part of their world environment.            Studying folk games can help us understand the culture of the local area from which they come because folk games demonstrate the characteristics and the behavior of the people of the local area and give us a glimpse into their understanding of their problems. They help us, the researchers and observers, see the situation of that society and the lives of the people in that society. In a similar manner, these same games help children learn about their own society and adjust themselves to their social environment.            Folk games also demonstrate the relationship between rural people and the natural environment because in many games children borrow their playing equipment from nature in the form of seeds, bamboo, etc, to use as the props in their games. In other types of games, children play in immitaiton of animals like elephants or crocodiles that can be found in their region. In this way, games show the local characteristics of the regional cultures that constitute the parts of the whole Thai national culture. If each regional area can preserve their own individual characteristics, the characteristics of Thai national games as a whole will be preserved. Regional games are integral to the national identity of Thai games.