What is the history of board games? episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 13, 2026 · 12 MIN

What is the history of board games?

from History for Kids / History's Not Boring: The Kids History Podcast · host SCL

Have you ever wondered what kids played before video games, cell phones, or the internet existed? Grab your dice and get ready to roll, because people have been obsessed with board games for over five thousand years! Join Mira and Finn as they travel back in time to discover the incredible history of your favorite games! First, we’re off to ancient Egypt, where the boy-king Pharaoh Tutankhamun loved playing a magical race game called Senet so much that he was buried with four whole boards! Then, we'll discover the Royal Game of Ur and its crazy pyramid-shaped dice! Did you know that modern chess actually started in ancient India as a wild war game called Chaturanga, complete with pieces shaped like real war elephants? Or that Snakes and Ladders was originally invented to teach kids how to be good people? From ancient palace guards carving secret game boards into giant statues to a clever inventor making Rummikub in his backyard and selling it door-to-door, the history of board games is full of awesome surprises. Press play and let the games begin!

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 13, 2026

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Have you ever wondered what kids played before video games, cell phones, or the internet existed? Grab your dice and get ready to roll, because people have been obsessed with board games for over five thousand years! Join Mira and Finn as they travel back in time to discover the incredible history of your favorite games! First, we’re off to ancient Egypt, where the boy-king Pharaoh Tutankhamun loved playing a magical race game called Senet so much that he was buried with four whole boards! Th...

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What is the history of board games?

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This episode was published on August 13, 2026.

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