Colonial Games & Toys

Where did Colonial children get their toys? Colonial children had to make do with what they had. There were no factories for making toys or toy stores. Toys had to be found in nature or in the house, or adults and children had to make them. They made dolls from corn husks and rags. Leftover wood and string could be used to make spinning tops. Hoops from barrels could be used in races and a variety of games. Corn husk doll

Who Did Colonial Children Play With & Where Did They Play? Since many families had six or seven children, brothers and sisters could always rely on each other as playmates. If neighbors lived close by, even more children could share the fun and join in the games. Since adults did not have time to watch their children closely, they were often left alone to play in the gardens, fields, or in the house when their chores were done. Playing hoops

Seasonal play On a winter day, a colonial family would gather around the fireplace in the kitchen to stay warm. The father would work on fixing his tools for the spring, the mother would spin, and if the children did not have to card wool or churn butter, they would probably play a board game or practice tongue twisters. In warmer weather, as the father tended the field and the mother did the laundry or made soap in the yard, the children would play outside with marbles, hoops, or battledores (a game like badminton).

Popular Colonial Games & Toys Yo-Yo Hopscotch Bubble- Blowing Puzzles Jacob's Ladder Marbles Hoops Leap Frog Rocking Horses Kite Flying Bow & Arrow Swinging Jump Rope Cards London Bridge Jack Straws (or pick-up sticks) See Saw Ice Sliding Tennis Cricket Spinning Tops

Some toys are still common today Jumping rope yoyo swing

See-saw & spinning top Tops go back 1,000s of years. Perhaps the first was an acorn? The see-saw taught about balance and weights.

Rocking horses Medieval manuscripts refer to carved rocking horses. In the 17th century, some horses were made of flat boards rather than full-bodied carved horses. Early in the 19th century, woodworkers, most from New England, started making more sculptural horses.

hopscotch Scholars believe the game may be a thousand years old. Children in Europe and in North, Central, and South America, as well as in Russia, China, and India, play a hopping game in different forms and variously called hop- around, potsy, paradise, heaven and hell, airplane, and hop-round. In France, the pattern is snail-shaped, and the game is called escargot (snail). Danish children use heavy glass markers to throw into the pattern.

Jack straws or pick up sticks Pick-up sticks were originally played by the American Indians with straws of wheat and taught to the pioneers who settled this country.

Jacob’s Ladder The Jacob's ladder is one of the most ancient and famous of folk toys. Legend has it that one was found in King Tut's tomb, which means they were played with in Egypt before 1352 B.C. This toy seems to be universal having shown up all over the world.

Nursery Rhymes Colonial children, like children today, also told nursery rhymes. Do you know what some of these nursery rhymes really mean? Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick. Answer: After dipping candles, a colonial woman would hang them from two long horizontal sticks to allow them to harden and cool. These sticks, and not the candles themselves, were referred to as "candle sticks."

“ Lucy Lockett lost her pocket, Sally Fisher found it, Not a penny was there in it Just a ribbon 'round it.” Answer: Most colonial clothes did not have pockets in them. A colonial pocket was a detachable cloth bag used for holding pocket books (wallets), sewing, and other things that girls and women would like to have on hand throughout the day. Pockets were tied around the waist with a tape, or ribbon, and they were often decorated with embroidery.

Tongue Twisters  The skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.  Bluebirds bring bright berries.  She sheared six shabby sick sheep.

Riddles Riddles were also popular in the colonial period. Can you figure out some of these? 1.What flies up, but is always down? 2. When is a boy most like a bear? 3. What kind of room is not in a house? 4. What has teeth but cannot eat? 5. What has a tongue but cannot talk? 6. What has 3 feet but cannot walk? 7. What has a mouth but cannot talk? 8. What falls down but never gets hurt?

Answers 1. Goosefeathers 2. When he is barefoot 3. A mushroom 4. A comb 5. A shoe 6. A yardstick 7. A river 8. Snow

Sources Some of the information is from the Noah Webster House tml tml Some of the images are from: folk/toys.html