İnsanlar doğdukları günden itibaren oyun oynamışlardır. Oynanan bu oyunlar, çocukların fiziksel, zihinsel, sosyal gelişimine etki etmiştir. Her oyunun temelinde yatan bir beceri veya bir öğreti bulunmaktadır. Çocuklar, hayata dair birçok becerisini oyunlar içerisinde bulunan hayatın küçük parçaları ile kavramaktadırlar. Çocuk psikolojisinde geleneksel çocuk oyunlarının işlevi oldukça önemlidir. Çocukların daha çok motor becerileriyle oynadıkları oyunların çocukları psikolojik olmakla birlikte fizyolojik olarak da geliştirdiği bilinmektedir. Çocukların kendi öz benliklerini oluşturabilecekleri ve karakterlerini şekillendirebileceği psikolojik ve fizyolojik olarak aktif bir şekilde oynadıkları oyunlar büyük bir önem arz etmektedir Ekran başında oynanan oyunlar ile geçen çocukluk dönemi çocuklar için oldukça tehlikeli bir durum olarak görülmektedir. Çocuklar, sosyallikten uzak bir noktada ekran başında saatlerini harcayarak geleneksel oyunlardan öğrenecekleri hayat becerilerini, insan ilişkilerini, arkadaşlıkları ve dostlukları kaçırmaya başlarlar. Geleneksel çocuk oyunları toplumun belleğinde yer etmiş kültürel faaliyetlerinin küçük yansımaları olarak da görülebilir. Alan araştırması yönteminde kullanılan derleme metoduna başvurularak yapılan bu çalışmanın amacı Bolu’nun Gerede ilçesinde oynanan geleneksel çocuk oyunlarının halkın toplumsal belleğinden silinmesine engel olmaktır. Oyunlardan bazılarına yer verilmesi makalenin oluşturulduğu yüksek lisans tezinde diğer oyunlardan bahsedilmesidir. Çalışmada; genel bir çerçevede oyun kavramından ve oyunun çocuk gelişimine etkisinden bahsedilmiştir. Akabinde Gerede’de oynanan geleneksel bazı çocuk oyunlarına çocukluğunu Gerede de geçirmiş kaynak kişiler aracılığıyla yer verilmiştir. Oyunlar hakkında bilgiler edinilmiş ve edinilen bilgiler ışığında geleneksel çocuk oyunlarının çocuk gelişimi, kültürel aktarım ve devamlılık açısından önemli bir konumda olduğu sonucuna varılmış ve nesilden nesile aktarımı amaçlanmıştır.

Gerede has an ancient past. Gerede, which was established as a frontier principality in the early days, was located on important trade routes. Gerede has a rooted culture and custom, which are well preserved. In the center, villages and plateaus of Gerede, traditions are kept alive today, even if less than in the past. Although it was stronger in the past, traditional children's games are played in the town of Gerede today. In the scope of child development, there are many studies about the concept of play and children's games (which are) dating back to the past. These studies try to explain what happening in children’s physiological, psychological, and subconscious development and how they express them. On the other hand, the child games subject have been working in a recent years in Turkish academy. The proliferation of studies on this subject compared to the past and desire to become a more conscious parent contribute to the development of the new generation children. People have played various games since the day they appeared on the stage of history. Plays that started in childhood have a great place in human life; From time to time, games were used in various ceremonies, events, rituals and special days. Games played for various purposes are an activity that appeals to people from all walks of life. Game; It is one of the oldest events in human history that appeals to people from all walks of life. Playing games are a neccesity for the people from birth to adulthood. “It is a fact that the child starts playing almost from birth and discover himself, his environment and the world by playing games in his early childhood years.” The effect of games on a child's life is not limited to helping him get to know life and the world. Games are actions that contain various cultural elements of the society and have an important place in the social memory of the people. The values of that society are frequently encountered in the plays that reflect the life philosophy of the society in which they emerged. “The traditions and customs of the society such as life styles, music, beliefs are transmitted by games to future generations.” Many games have survived since the past, thanks to elements that have a place in social memory and have a national characteristic Although they reflect specific cultural elements and national characteristic of the society in general, it has been determined that some games are played in different countries. Games help the child understand and define himself and his environment. Friends, family, and the child themselves also have an impact on the child's interpretation studies. In the process of reinforcing the child's skills such as making sense of the world and expressing himself through games, development areas are also positively supported. Traditional children's games can be described as intangible cultural heritage. The games involve the cultural traces of the people. The elements in the games are a source to understand livelihoods, climate and human relations of that society. They are minimalized images of life. Traditional children's games have a positive effect on children's development and ensure the preservation and transmission of culture from generation to generation. Today, children who cannot find area for activity or do not have the knowledge of playing games other than certain game equipment cannot acquire the skills that traditional children's games provide. Technological developments and the effect of city life on this situation are indisputable. It can be claim that today’s game equipment such as game consoles, tablets, etc. make very difficult to achieve life-related gains for children. We see people who grew up playing traditional children's games that their personal development is generally built on more solid basis. When we interviewed with the resource persons, they are remembering their childhood friendships and showing positive emotions. It proves the achievements of traditional children's games. Nowadays, children should be ensured to achieve these gains and traditional children's games should be used in the first step of their personal development. Parents should take it upon themselves to use technology consciously, as well as increase children's interest in traditional children's games. Field research method was used in this study. Sources (which were) related to subject such as books, magazines, articles, thesis, documents etc. were examined. After that the source people were interviewed in the field and the study was completed using the compilation method.