Anew exhibition enтιтled Tutankhamun the Boy: Growing Up in Ancient Egypt will open in London later this year, coinciding with the centenary of his tomb’s discovery. It will explore the time and life of the young king as he grew up at the royal palaces in Amarna and Gurob. Ahead of this exciting exhibition, we will take a look in this blog at some kids activities and games children would have enjoyed in Ancient Egypt.

Much of what we know about the daily life of the ancient Egyptians comes from what they depicted on the walls of their tombs. Tombs resemble a sort of resurrection vehicle containing all you need to make it to and thrive in the afterlife. Many tomb walls feature beautifully carved and decorated scenes that speak not only about important cults and magical acts needed, but also illustrate the myriad day-to-day activities of the deceased.

The tomb of Mereruka (dating to the Old Kingdom, c. 2,345-2,323 BC) is one such example where we can find scenes of kids activities and joyful playing. Mereruka was a high official under king Teti of the Sixth Dynasty. On the north wall in the hypostyle hall, there are scenes that show acrobatic activities.

Two girls here stand in the centre and whirl around two other girls in a circular fashion. Is this more of an acrobatic exercise? On the right of the scene, there is a group of musicians using clappers to produce sounds. Such activities may reflect cultic activity or performances that were done for the benefit of the deceased. These scenes on the tomb wall would have magically improved their enjoyment in the afterlife.

The magnificent tombs of officials at Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt also illustrate active and fun activities kids enjoyed. At the late Eleventh Dynasty tomb of Baqet III (c. 2,000 BC – BH 15), we can see two men at the centre who whirl two girls around.

Baqet’s tomb also contains scenes of girls juggling balls. Another scene shows two girls each, one riding on the back of another, who are playing against each other a kind of ball game – the objectives elude us unfortunately.

Scenes from near the south wall of the tomb of Khety (Late Eleventh Dynasty, c. 2,000 BC – BH 17) show many boys playing a variety of different games. One boy acrobatically balances upside down on his head, while in another scene several boys carry a boy on their shoulders. A scene featured below shows two boys playing a game that uses wooden sticks and a type of hoop. Holding the sticks, they seem to cause the hoop to roll forward. Do you think the sticks do resemble some form of a ringette stick?

Did you also notice in these pH๏τos how barely dressed the children are? The boys are wearing a girdle, but are otherwise naked. Egypt’s warm climate may be one factor. Even today, kids love running around and playing outside; it was no different then.