What did kids do on a daily basis in the 1800s?

Children were expected to take on chores around the house as soon as they could help. Small children, even as young as 4 or 5 years old, had chores such as keeping the fire going, fetching water, and caring for livestock. Even families who lived in towns often owned chickens or horses.

What did children do in the 1800s?

In the 1800s young children worked as cabin boys, maids, mill workers, coal miners, etc. In the end, they were still "just" children.

What did kids do in the 1800s for fun?

For fun, children would make rag dolls and corn husk dolls to play with, wrap rocks in yarn to make balls, and even use vines or seaweed strips for jump ropes. They played games such as hide-and-seek and tug-of-war. Foot races, hopscotch, marbles, and spinning tops were also popular.

What chores did children do in the 1800?

Children were responsible for many chores throughout the day such as cleaning, chopping wood, feeding farm animals, or making butter. Much of their day was spent helping family. When they did have free time, they played inventive games or made their own toys.

What was daily life like in the 1800s?

Working Class Living Standards

Life for the average person in the 1800's was hard. Many lived a hand-to-mouth existence, working long hours in often harsh conditions. There was no electricity, running water or central heating.

Victorian Era For Kids // 19th Century Everyday Life

What were common chores in the 1800s?

Girls were generally assigned household chores such as washing and mending clothes, making soap, collecting firewood, cooking, and cleaning. Boys were expected to tend to livestock, split firewood, repair tools, or even to help run the family business.

What did they do for fun in the 1800s?

There were social clubs, museums, concerts and even “toy theatre”, which we know today as puppetry. All served as important American past-times of daily life in the 19th century and, in many instances, are still part of our culture and keep us amused and entertained today.

What was life like for kids in the 1800s?

Life in the 1800s

Before the Victorian era, children as young as 6 or 8 years old might work in a mill or factory, they might run errands and make deliveries for a store keeper, they may be apprenticed to a skilled craftsman or woman, or they could be hired out as a servant.

What did kids do in the 1850?

If they were working class, they most often helped out in their parent's business or farm and were only allowed to have “fun” at the village fete or on holidays. If they were the working poor, children as young as eight were sent to work in mills or factories or farms for little pay.

How many hours did children work in the 1800s?

Children in the mills usually worked eleven or twelve hour days, 5-6 days a week. Windows were usually kept closed because moisture and heat helped keep the cotton from breaking.

Where did kids play before playgrounds?

Many children, especially in urban areas, played in the streets or on curbs, and there was constant danger from being hit by passing cars. "Play streets," or streets largely ignored by road traffic, were a popular option for children to seek out.

What did girls play with in the 1800s?

Girls would be given dolls, tea sets, and miniature furniture, so they could pretend to be mothers and play house. Boys would be given building blocks, sporting equipment like balls, or a strategy games like marbles and jacks so they could exercise their bodies and minds.

What did kids do in school in the 1800s?

They learned reading, writing, math, geography, and history. Teachers would call a group of students to the front of the classroom for their lesson, while other grades worked at their seats. Sometimes older kids helped teach the younger pupils.

What did kids do for fun in the 18th century?

They made dolls from cornhusks and rags. Leftover wood and string could be used to make spinning tops. Hoops from barrels could be used in races and other games.

What was a typical school day like for a child in the 1800s?

The school day usually started at 9 a.m. and ended around 2 p.m. Remember there had to be time for the children to walk to and from school. Some schools had a big chalkboard at the front and if you were lucky, you had a school desk that had an inkwell for you to use ink to write on paper when it was available.

Did kids go to school in the 1800s?

As you can tell from the title, back in the 1800's there weren't elementary, middle, or high schools. There were just one room schoolhouses. You may think the different age groups just went to school at different times, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

What did kids do in the 90?

Kids everywhere partook in backyard baseball games with their friends, trampoline jumping (if you or a friend were lucky enough to have one), sprinkler runs to cool down on those hot days, tree house builds, kiddie pool tinkering, super soaker wars, skip it record-breaking, hoola-hooping and so, so much more.

What games did kids play 150 years ago?

These games included: four square, skittles, pick up sticks, dominoes, pin the tail on the donkey, small black board games, jigsaws, giant parachute, skipping with the long ropes, 3 legged racing, hula hoops, hopscotch, “Simon says”, quoits, marbles, elastics, fly/stick, playing card games, egg and spoon races and ...

What did a Victorian child do?

Many worked with their parents at home or in workshops, making matchboxes or sewing. Children could also earn a bit of money as chimney-sweeps, messengers or crossing sweepers like the boy in this picture. Crossing the street in the 19th century could be dirty and dangerous.

Was school free in the 1800s?

By the mid-1800s, most states had accepted three basic assumptions governing public education: that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should be trained, and that children should be required to attend school.

What school looked like 100 years ago?

Most American kids in the 1800s and early 1900s went to one-teacher, one-room schoolhouses for first through eighth grade. Depending on the population of the nearby area, there could be anywhere from a handful of students to more than 40.

How long was a school day in the 1800s?

School days typically started at 9 a.m. and wrapped up at 2 p.m. or 4 p.m., depending on the area; there was one hour for recess and lunch, which was called “nooning."

What did people in the 1800s do in their free time?

Sporting pastimes, such as cycling, rowing and horseracing were also popular, and large crowds would often attend sailing events like the Henley Regatta and famous horse races such as the Epsom Derby. One of the largest events of the Victorian calendar was the famous Great Exhibition, held in 1851.

What was a popular game in the 1800s?

Some board and table games that children played during the Victorian era were already centuries old. Examples of some of these old favourites included Draughts / Checkers, Chess, Dominoes and Backgammon.