Childhood games in the Bingöl region in the context of functional theory

When examining the early stages of human life, the first phenomenon that comes to mind is play. From infancy to adolescence, play occupies a very important place in a child's development and fulfills an important social and cultural mission. Children are the ones who will carry the material and spiritual values of society into the future. Society, which has the instinct to perpetuate the species, strives to pass on its unique values to new members from the moment they are born, either consciously or unconsciously. In this process of transmission, children's games emerge as an important tool. The aim of this study is to record traditional children's games that have been forgotten or are in danger of being forgotten due to various reasons such as changing social life, demographic structure, economic and technological developments, and to bring together children's games played in the Bingöl region today, thereby ensuring their transmission to future generations and examining the compiled games within the context of Functional Theory. The study is qualitative research, and field research methods were used to collect the children's games. During the fieldwork, the games were collected using participatory and non-participatory observation and interview methods. Based on the information obtained, the functions of the children's games in the Bingöl region are specified separately for each game in the game text section. Considering the functions of children's games, it has been noted that these games could serve as a solution for children who are beginning to experience socialization issues and health problems from a physiological and psychological perspective, helping them become healthier individuals. The social significance of this situation is highlighted in the conclusions and recommendations section. Keywords: Bingöl, Game, Childhood, Children's Games, Function of Children's Games, Children's Games in the Bingöl Region.