The 13 Colonies, Colonial Kids, Toys and Games Illustration

The 13 Colonies, Colonial Kids - Toys and Games

For Kids

Kids had many chores to do in the New World. Kids collected stones from the fields to make stone fences. They collected berries. They helped with the farm animals and the harvest. They helped their mother make candles. They helped to make clothes. Everyone had to pitch in.

Kids in the New England and Middle Colonies especially spent a great deal of time in church or in prayer. Sermons were long. Sometimes kids fell asleep. If they did, in some churches they were poked with a long pole with a brass knob on it, to wake them up.

Kids went to school. They often had homework, sometimes lots of it. Yet, they still found time to play.

 In winter, in the Middle Colonies, kids had fun skating. In all the colonies, kids played with balls and bats and marbles and dolls. They played tag. In the south they played lawn bowling. In the north, they played shuffleboard. There were dances and parties. For some, it was a big deal to go into town. For others, it was fun to visit a country fairs and eat candies and watch puppet shows. Kids did not have a lot of free time, but with the free time they had, they had fun!

Children in Colonial times used natural materials to make toys and decorations. Kids were creative, and so were their parents. They used what they had.

  • Corn cobs were cut into pieces and used as building blocks

  • Corn husks were used to make dolls. 

  • Gourds were hollowed out and used as horns to make funny noises, quite loud ones.

  • Pressed flowers were used to make pictures.

Go here to learn how to make a corn husk doll

Try the Goose Game online, interactive (not a flash game)

How to make marbles like Colonial kids did with salt, water, and corn starch

Colonial schools

The New England Colonies for Kids

The Middle Colonies for Kids

The Southern Colonies for Kids

For Teachers

Free Use Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities for Colonial America

Free Use Presentations in PowerPoint format about Colonial America

Free Use Clipart for the 13 colonies