The world of Ancient Egypt is full of fascinating history and culture. To make learning about this civilization more engaging, here are various games and activities perfect for students.
Entertainment in Ancient Egypt
The people of Ancient Egypt enjoyed a variety of activities for entertainment. These activities ranged from hunting to board games and storytelling.
Hunting
The Egyptians not only hunted for food but also for entertainment. Sometimes large game animals would be brought into an enclosed area for rich nobles or even the pharaoh to hunt. Dangerous animals like lions or hippos were hunted this way.
Board Games
Board Game Invented 3500 BCE. How To Play Senet?
The Ancient Egyptians liked to play board games for fun. Two of the most popular board games were senet and mehen. The game of senet is thought to be over 5000 years old. It was so popular that many pharaohs were buried with senet boards so they would have something to do in the afterlife.
These games often tell us about the way the Egyptians followed their religion and lived their lives. Board games were all played with ancient Egyptian versions of dice called throw sticks or knuckle bones. This was because they were all games of chance. For the ancient Egyptians, the element of chance symbolized that their fate was in the hands of the gods.
Read also: The Language of the Pharaohs
What was the Mehen game?
The gameboard showed a coiled snake whose body is divided into rectangular spaces. Mehen was a snake deity (god) in ancient Egyptian religion. The game was played with lion or lioness shaped pieces with three to six sets and small marbles or balls.
This is a close-up photograph of a lion piece from a Mehen board game. It is carved from ivory.
Gameboards
Take a look at some ancient Egyptian game pieces.
The ancient Egyptians played Aseb on one side of this box and Senet on the other side. Look closely at the picture and you can see some knuckle bones. The ancient Egyptians would use these as dice.
Physical Games and Sports
The Ancient Egyptians also enjoyed physical games and sports. Many of the sporting activities helped to prepare young men for battle. Wrestling was a popular sport that both the rich and the poor people alike enjoyed.
Read also: Pharaohs: A detailed look
Storytelling and Festivals
Most Ancient Egyptians could not read or write. Up until the times when the Greeks conquered Egypt, the Egyptians didn't have any theatre either. However, the Ancient Egyptians loved to tell stories. Storytellers could keep an audience captivated for hours with popular tales about Egyptian gods, love, war heroes, and adventures.
Throughout the year the Egyptians celebrated various festivals. Many of these were in honor of certain gods such as the Thoth festival. Festivals involved special offerings and celebrations.
Children's Activities
Children were considered adults at a very young age in Ancient Egypt. While they were still children, however, they had fun playing games and swimming in the Nile River.
Classroom Activities for Teaching About Ancient Egypt
If you are an Ancient Civilizations teacher and need some ideas for Ancient Egypt, you’re in the right place! Here are some free and paid resources to help you have a successful Ancient Egypt unit.
Vocabulary Activities
Start your units with different vocab activities and give students multiple opportunities to practice and learn them. Word walls are a great vocabulary tool!
Read also: The Art of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt Slideshow
This 47-slide Google Slideshow provides a detailed overview of Ancient Egypt, including geography, pharaohs, hieroglyphics, and much more!
Bell Ringers
If you’re looking to improve your classroom management and help students review material, these bell ringers are perfect! This set includes 20 Ancient Egypt Bell Ringers for Google Drive that are 100% editable and ready to use.
Interactive Timeline Project
If you’re looking to make your Ancient Egypt Unit more hands-on and engaging, this printable Ancient Egypt Timeline is the resource you need! In this interactive timeline project, students construct a timeline that features reading passages, maps, and images.
Nile River Simulation
The Nile River is a major topic in any Ancient Egypt unit, and this no-prep, game-based Nile River Simulation will be a highlight! In this activity, students will choose where to live along the Nile River, farm, trade goods, and learn about geography.
Videos
Show as many videos as you can just to bring the content to life for the students. One that we’re very fond of is from National Geographic, as they have a History 101 video for Ancient Egypt.
DBQ: How did the Nile River shape Ancient Egypt?
The sources included are all about answering how the Nile shaped Ancient Egypt. This DBQ contains resources such as the hymn to the Nile, recreated maps, and photos students have to analyze.
Egyptian Mythology Activity
This Egyptian Mythology activity is a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding of the Egyptian gods and goddesses in a creative way! In this activity, students create a selection of Instagram-styled posts for five of the gods/goddesses of Ancient Egypt.
Google Earth Activity
Students love using Google Earth, and this creative activity helps connect geography and architecture. This allows students to figure out which clue connects to which landmark or geographical site.
Great Pyramid of Giza Reading Passage and Activities
This no-prep Great Pyramid of Giza reading passage and activities is perfect for teaching about the Great Pyramid and other Egyptian pyramids! Students will read the passage about the Great Pyramid and how Egyptian pyramids evolved over time.
Mummification Project
The idea of this project is to have students actually present the mummification process. Mummification is usually the highlight of the unit, just because students are so fascinated with it. This TED-Ed video goes over the major steps in the mummification process.
Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt Resumes
We’ve created this resource to teach students about the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt in a different way, using their resumes! Students have to look over and analyze each resume and decide who to hire for specific positions.
Hieroglyphics Decoding
A low-key but very fun challenge for students is to decode a variety of messages written in hieroglyphics. This resource has secret phrases students have to decipher, and helps them visualize what the hieroglyphics look like.
Kingdom of Kush Gallery Walk
Looking for a meaningful way to teach your students about Kushite culture? This gallery walk about the Kingdom of Kush is exactly what you need! This activity highlights 12 artifacts and information that provides an overview of what is known about ancient Kush.
Ancient Egypt Test and Study Guide
Save yourself time at the end of your Ancient Egypt Unit with this Ancient Egypt Test and Study Guide! This ready-made test has printable and digital options, and all text is 100% editable.
Ancient Egypt Daily Agenda Slides Templates
Need a way to stay more organized during your Ancient Egypt Unit? These Ancient Egypt Daily Agenda Slides Templates will help you save time and better immerse your students in the unit!
Ancient Egypt Bookmarks
These printable Ancient Egypt Bookmarks are a fun addition to your Ancient Egypt unit! This set includes four different designs that feature images and clipart that are related to Ancient Egypt.
Games
This final resource contains some games for students to work on, like vocab and crossword puzzles. This activity is not super substantial for the unit, but it’s perfect for students who finish classwork early.
When teaching any ancient civilization, it’s always important to have activities that make the content fun and engaging for students.
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