In colonial times, children spent part of their day with schooling and the other half with chores, as early as preschool years. Even gender made a difference as boys did different things than girls; in education, chores and even fun in their spare time. The days were long, but home life was filled with love and still enough time for fun and enjoyment. Here are some activities to do now that will recreate colonial life for kids.
Fun and Games
Colonial children had crude games, toys and dolls. They made toys from materials found around the house and natural materials outdoors. Dolls were made from cloth, rags and cornhusks. Animal figures were whittled from soft wood. Marbles were played in the dirt. Children played games such as tag and Blindman’s Buff and sang songs such as “London Bridge is Falling Down” and “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush.”
Marbles was a popular game in colonial times. To play the marble game "taw", a line was drawn in the dirt. Players shot a marble from behind the taw line into a circle that held other marbles. The object was to knock the other marbles out of the circle. Another marble game was to dig a number of holes into the ground; then shooting a marble into each one. Marbles are an easy find today at toy stores – why not take a shot at this traditional game?
The children of colonial times played a tag game called "Blindman's Buff." All the players stood in a circle around a room. One player was chosen to be "Buff." This player was blindfolded and led to the center of the room. A second player then began a conversation with Buff. Buff then spun around three times and tried to capture someone. When Buff did, and named the person caught, that player became "Buff" and the game continued. This rhyme was recited by the children to Buff.
How many horses has your father got?
Three (Buff answers)
What color are they?
Black, white and gray (Buff says)
Turn about and turn about and catch whom you can!
Source: Colonial American Home Life by John F. Warner (Franklin Watts,1993).
Colonial Crafts
Women and girls frequently worked on samplers. Make a replica of a sampler using graph paper. Reproduce cross-stitch alphabet letters on graph paper. Have the children color the X's with fine tip markers or colored pencils. Finished samplers can be framed with colored construction paper and hung on the walls. There are many books that contain Cross Stitch alphabet charts or get one from AllFreeCrafts.com.
There is nothing more homey than a quilt. Explain to children how in the past, quilts were made from scraps and even material from old clothing. In the old days, making a quilt might have been a group activity, with friends and family sewing together. To make a fun craft replica, provide fabric scraps for the children to cut. A basic quilt could be fabric squares glued onto construction paper. Try to incorporate a pattern using colors or prints. An activity of recycling at its best!
The art of quilling is the techniques of creating designs with narrow strips of paper that have been rolled, shaped, arranged and then affixed onto a background. Draw a shape on a piece of cardboard or poster board. Take narrow strips of colored construction paper and roll these around a pencil. Glue these coils inside the drawn shape until the area is full.
Learn to Churn Butter
The colonists made their butter by churning heavy cream. Invite the kids to make butter the old-fashioned way! Fill baby food jars half full of heavy cream and screw the lids on tight. Add a glass marble to help do the mixing. Instruct the children to shake the jars. Shaking at least five minutes or more, the cream will be whipped and you will begin to see lumps of yellow butter forming. Rinse off the liquid whey and add a little salt if desired. Spread the butter on crackers for a taste.
Things are much easier and different today than during the Colonial times in America. Children will enjoy making these crafts and playing games that were part of history long ago.
Tania Cowling - Tania Kourempis Cowling is a former early childhood teacher, a published author of three teacher resource books (Shake, Tap, and Play a ...
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