One of the Mongolian traditional games is the disentangling game. Without doubt, this must have been originated from a nomadic livestock breeder's livelihood as a demand to untie and disentangle difficult knots, ties, and entangled things. Consequently, parents took much care to train their kids to learn how to disentangling things and created a variety of disentangling games. First-hand materials were rope, thread, and whip-cord which were used for making diverse knots and used for children to untie the knots. For instance, "Khonih kholboo" (Chain stitch), "Bogtsnii uya” (Saddle bag tie), "Argamjaanaas biye salgakh" (Untie oneself from a tether), "Yeson nukh" (Nine holes), "Bogj niiliilekh" (Link the rings) and "Chodriin zangilaa" (Hobble knot) can be mentioned. There are stories that Mongolians would challenge the groom's smartness by a game Uurgiin huivnaas bogj salgakh" (Separating a ring from a sting) and challenge the bride's intelligence by games like "Link the rings” and "Run colts".

One of the Mongolian traditional games is the disentangling game. Without doubt, this must have been originated from a nomadic livestock breeder's livelihood as a demand to untie and disentangle difficult knots, ties, and entangled things. Consequently, parents took much care to train their kids to learn how to disentangling things and created a variety of disentangling games. First-hand materials were rope, thread, and whip-cord which were used for making diverse knots and used for children to untie the knots. For instance, "Khonih kholboo" (Chain stitch), "Bogtsnii uya” (Saddle bag tie), "Argamjaanaas biye salgakh" (Untie oneself from a tether), "Yeson nukh" (Nine holes), "Bogj niiliilekh" (Link the rings) and "Chodriin zangilaa" (Hobble knot) can be mentioned. There are stories that Mongolians would challenge the groom's smartness by a game Uurgiin huivnaas bogj salgakh" (Separating a ring from a sting) and challenge the bride's intelligence by games like "Link the rings” and "Run colts".

The one and main principle for upbringing and educating children and youth is to direct them to have respect towards their elders and to follow and venerate their teachings. It is accustomed to employ the combination of variety folk upbringing and educating methods such as approving and supporting, encouraging and praising, disapproving and prohibiting, reproving and criticizing, serving as an example and causing to follow. Folk aphorisms, proverbs, folk oral literature, traditional games and toys are commonly used as well. Mongol herders have been educating and nurturing their children and youths from very young age by engaging in the labor activities which appropriate to their age, and working together with their parents and siblings; playing traditional games, engaging with nature and to make a disciple of well-educated person.

In a small lakeside village in central Kazakhstan, a former history teacher and journalist, Togaybay Nurmuratuly, has dedicated his life to reviving the lost traditions of Kazakh craftsmanship. Disturbed by the decline of authentic handmade wooden goods and the disappearance of ancestral knowledge, he left a successful career in the capital to found a free school of traditional crafts in the village of Ozernoye.\n\nWorking primarily with birch, Togaybay carves dishes, trays, and cultural items adorned with ancient Kazakh ornaments like qoshqar muyuz (ram’s horns), a symbol of vitality and prosperity. Despite having no formal training, he taught himself the techniques of woodworking and has since passed on his knowledge to over a hundred students across Kazakhstan.\n\nAlongside him, his wife Gulbarshyn Zaitzhankyzy—an ethno-designer and expert in felting—teaches women to sew traditional Kazakh clothing and accessories using ancient materials and motifs. Together, they have created a community that reconnects Kazakhs to their cultural roots while helping learners build sustainable livelihoods.\n\nTheir school offers not only craft training but also guidance on entrepreneurship, production, and promotion—helping modern artisans blend tradition with technology. With ambitions to expand into blacksmithing, build an ethnographic village, and establish a Kazakh national brand of handmade products, the couple’s vision is reshaping cultural preservation in Kazakhstan.\n\nThis is more than a story about wood and wool—it's about identity, resilience, and the belief that tradition, when nurtured with passion, can forge a future as strong as its past.

10th Central Asia Sub-regional Network Meeting for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Education through\tan Integrated Approach Online Meeting, 13-15 October 2021\n\nThe 10th Central Asia Sub-Regional Meeting for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding jointly organized by ICHCAP and the UNESCO Almaty Office was held on 13 and 15 October 2021 under the theme of Safeguarding ICH in Education through an Integrated Approach. This report is composed of country reports and case studies of four countries in Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as well as international experts.