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raditional games might seem outdated in the digital era where on-screen games on hand-held devices have become increasingly popular. But for some, traditional games serve as a medium for children to become more active.

Nyiayu Nur Hayyuningtias, the mother of a 6-year-old student at a private school in Jakarta, said she was happy that her daughter and friends played a traditional game from South Sulawesi called mallogo. The game is played by hitting the target —pieces of coconut shell — using a stick to a distance of around 1 to 2 meters.

“The children are very happy when they exceed the target. If not, they will try again,” she told The Jakarta Post recently.

Mallogo was not the only traditional game being played at the event.

Nyiayu said the Temen Main Community, which hosted the event, also engaged the children with karet (Chinese jump rope) and egrang batok (coconut shells sandals).

The parents at the school had invited Temen Main to introduce students and parents to alternative games that can also be played at home.

Established in September 2015, Temen Main’s main aim is to encourage children at kindergartens and elementary schools to play traditional games.

“Because everyone should be happy if they are invited to play [games] together, right?” said its chairwoman, Evin Jevani.

She added that some parents living in urban areas seemed reluctant to allow their children to play traditional games because it required a large space and the involvement of many people, such as galah asin (a game where two teams compete against each other) or benteng (fortress).

“It is not necessary to have a big area. We can play, for instance, ampar-ampar pisang [a hand-clapping game where players sing South Kalimantan folk songs].”

Evin also named other traditional games that were easy to play, such as boi boian (the throwing of stones to knock down a pile of tile fragments), engklek (hopscotch), rangku alu (the use of sticks to wedge between opponent’s legs) and bakiak (plank race).

Despite its stated aim to encourage children to play games together, Evin said Temen Main always introduced the philosophy of traditional games prior to proceedings.

“We are not experts on the philosophy, but at least we can introduce the children to the benefit or hidden stories of the games,” she said, citing galah asin as an example, which uses military strategies.

Another community specializing in traditional games, South Tangerang-based Kampoeng Hompimpa, has a similar approach.

Founder Marcelino Roderick said the community focused on young adults or parents rather than children.

“They are the ones who will make the decision on how the children spend their time,” he added. “[Hopefully], they will not easily give gadgets to them.”

Kampoeng Hompimpa, which was established in July 2015 as a result of university coursework, aims to show people that traditional games are still relevant.

“We see that some people still undervalue traditional games,” Marcelino said.

They have many benefits like improving a child’s motor skills and sense of cooperation, as well as introducing cultural diversity, he added.

Having the same intention, some volunteers in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Semarang in Central Java and Pontianak in West Kalimantan, have established Kampoeng Hompimpa branches in their respective regions.

Fauziah Lestari Harahap, a mother who said she frequently encouraged her 7-year-old son to play outdoors every weekend, told the Post that she disagreed with the perception that traditional games were outdated.

“The challenge is only the willingness of parents to allow their children to take part in the games,” Fauziah said. (sau)