Article

Colonial Games

El galeon ship sailing on Matanzas River as seen from gun deck. — El Galeon

Background

In the 16th century, even though native people occupied the land, Spain, England, France, and other European nations started to claim and settle the Americas. St. Augustine was established by the Spanish in 1565. Even though it's had many owners, St. Augustine is the oldest permanently occupied European settlement in what's now the United States.

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Colonial Life

What was it like in the colonies? Most colonies existed to benefit European nations. St. Augustine's forts protected the Gulf Stream, Spain's treasure route. The forts also protected the people of St. Augustine. These colonists, who were adventurers, soldiers, missionaries, indentured servants, and tradesman, had to work very hard to settle and survive in a new place so far away from Europe. All the men who were physically healthy had to serve in the military, but they also had to run farms, businesses, and trade to support themselves. Women were expected to run the homes and raise the children. Children had a lot of chores to do to help their families survive. Boys would chop wood, feed animals, and hunt. Girls would grind corn, spin, and weave. Many poorer children did not go to school. They learned to farm, hunt, cook, and sew from their families.

Two kids dressed in colonial clothes standing on gun deck. — Volunteers, Austin & Haleigh, Dressed in Colonial Clothes

Even though colonial kids worked hard, they still found time for outdoor fun, like swimming, fishing, and flying kites.

How do you spend your free time? What games and toys do you usually play? Ask your parents and grandparents, what did they like to play when they were young?

Why did colonial children play with toys and games?

For fun! Also, in the colonial period, some games helped children learn skills they would need later in life as farmers and parents. Games taught children how to aim and throw, how to solve problems and do things with their hands, and how to follow directions and rules. They also learned to be fair, wait their turn, and use their imagination.

Where did colonial kids get their toys from?

Most 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. Many times, they made up games at the spur of the moment and needed no equipment at all. What kind of game would you invent if you were chopping wood or picking up stones in a field?

Who did colonial children play with and where did they play?

Since many families had six or seven children, brothers and sisters could always rely on each other as playmates. If their 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.

How are games passed on over the years or from place to place?

Games and instructions were shared through stories instead of being written down. One generation would pass it on to the next generation. History was also shared orally through stories instead of being written down.

How do games and toys show how people's lives have changed or have not changed?

One example is that today, kids play a lot of games on their computers and mobile devices. Playing with technology, helps prepare children to use technology as students and adults. The use of computers is a big change from colonial days, but the idea that playing games could prepare you for adulthood has not changed.

A second example is that colonial children played with dolls. Dolls were used to teach kids to care for little siblings or how to be parents when they grew up. Kids today still play with dolls and these reasons still apply. The idea hasn’t changed, but instead of homemade dolls, kids today usually have factory produced dolls. Plus, today’s dolls come in many sizes and shapes!

You may be familar with some colonial games and toys. Have you ever played tag, hide-and-seek, hopscotch, yo-yo, puzzles, dominoes, marbles, pick-up sticks, jump rope, spinning tops, leap frog, card decks, dice, and dolls? See if you can identify a few of the images below.