There are many simple games you can play using ICT. These games are found in educational software called GCompris. You can download it from https://tie.go.tz/pages/download-software.

The games include:

• Maze game – Help Tux find the exit
• Path encoding – Guide Tux using arrow buttons
• Path decoding – Follow arrows on a grid
• Tower of Hanoi – Move pieces to build a tower
• Drawing game – Colour pictures on the screen
• Programming maze – Give instructions to help Tux find fish

The maze game helps Tux escape and find its way home.

Steps to Play

1. Open the maze game on your computer, tablet, or phone.
2. Look at the maze on the screen.
3. Use the arrow buttons on the screen or swipe to move Tux.
4. Guide Tux around walls and out through the exit.
5. If you bump into a wall, Tux stops. You must try another direction.
6. You can try up to eight times. Each time, the maze is different!

Example

If Tux is at the start and the exit is to the right, you might press the right arrow button several times. If there is a wall in front, you must press the up or down button to go around it.

In this game, you help Tux reach a flag by pressing arrow buttons.

Steps to Play

1. Press the arrow buttons: ↑ means up, ↓ means down, ← means left, → means right.
2. Each press moves Tux one step in that direction.
3. Guide Tux carefully to reach the flag.
4. Avoid trees, rocks, and other obstacles!

Worked Example

Imagine Tux needs to move two steps right, then one step up to reach the flag. You would press:

→ → ↑

This moves Tux right twice, then up once.

This game teaches you to think carefully and plan ahead.

Rules

1. You can only move one piece at a time.
2. A bigger piece cannot be placed on top of a smaller one.
3. Your goal is to build the same tower in an empty area.

Steps to Play

1. Look at the tower on the right side.
2. Drag the top piece from one tower to another.
3. Move pieces one by one until you build the same tower.
4. Try different levels as you improve!

This game teaches you how to give instructions, like writing a simple program.

Steps to Play

1. Look at the control panel with moves like "Go Forward," "Turn Left," and "Turn Right."
2. Choose the instructions you need.
3. Arrange them in order to guide Tux through the maze to the fish.
4. Press OK to test your instructions.

When you play these games, you develop important skills:

• Problem solving – Finding ways to reach the goal
• Logical thinking – Planning steps in order
• Patience – Trying again when you make mistakes
• Creativity – Finding different ways to solve problems

These games also help you understand scientific ideas like direction, movement, and patterns.

• Program – A set of instructions that a computer follows
• Logic – A way of thinking that is reasonable
• Encoding – Converting ideas into signs or symbols

In Tanzania, the skills you learn from playing these games are very useful. For example, when a shopkeeper in Morogoro arranges items on shelves, they must think carefully about the order, just like in the Tower of Hanoi game. Also, when giving directions to someone travelling to the market, you use arrows and steps, similar to the path encoding game. These games help you think logically and solve everyday problems!