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Games
For most of the 19th Century,
parents believed that children should not engage in activities which
mentally or physically fatigued them, or interfered with their chores.
There were not many "acceptable" pastimes, but gardening, playing a
musical instrument, visiting, walking, riding, and reading were considered
appropriate. And, while it was believed that children should not play card
games with regular decks of cards, because they "could lead to gambling",
it was fine for children to play with the cards themselves, such as to
build a "house of cards", etc. Children could, however, play with special
decks of cards, designed specifically for certain children's games. In the
early part of the century, most children's card games were educational.
They helped teach children about math, history, science, and geography.
There were even cards that helped teach girls about cooking. Then, in the
1850s, children began playing fun card games, with very colourful decks
and lively games. Some of these games included "Old Maid", and "Old
Bachelor", "Our Birds", and "Dr. Busby".
"Parlour games" were a most
popular activity for children. These games got their name from the fact
that they were usually played with guests, and during the Victorian era,
guests were always entertained in the best room in the house -- the parlor!
Many of these popular games,
such as "Charades", "Blindman's Bluff", and "Pin the Tail on the Donkey",
are still played at parties (especially children's parties) and gatherings
today.
Below are some other
children's Parlour Games that were popular during the Victorian Era.
BLINDMAN'S WAND:
A variation of Blindman's
Bluff, this version utilizes a stick (the wand) in which the other
children take turns grasping one end while the "blind" player
(blindfolded) holds the other end. The "blind" player then asks 3
questions to the player holding the opposite end of the stick, and the aim
of the game is to recognize the voice of the player who replies.
Therefore, the players try to disguise their voices as much as possible.
Sometimes, instead of questions, children imitated the sounds of animals.
For example, barking like a dog, meowing like a cat, etc.
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DEERSTALKER:
This was a game for only
two players, but children enjoyed watching as much as playing! Both
the "deer" and the "stalker" would have been blindfolded. They were
then guided by other children to opposite ends of a large table.
When a designated bystander yelled, "Go!", they began moving around
the table. Naturally, it was the "stalker's" job to catch the
"deer", and the "deer's" job to avoid the stalker. Absolute silence
was to be maintained by both the players and the audience, and no
one could leave the room. Sometimes, children played in their
barefeet, in order to be all the more quiet.
CUPID'S COMING:
To play this game,
first children would have decided upon a letter of the alphabet; for
example, the letter "T". The first player would have announced to
the second, "Cupid's coming." The second would ask, "How is he
coming?" The first responds with a word that begins with the chosen
letter, "T", and ends with the ending, "ing", such as, "Tumbling".
The game continues from player to player, through all the players,
and as long as words beginning with "T" (or whatever is the chosen
letter), and ending with "ing" can be thought of. Anyone who could
not answer the question on the spur of the moment would have had to
pay a penalty of some sort, or be ejected from the game, and a new
letter would have been chosen.
TWENTY QUESTIONS:
This is still a fun
game for children to play, but during the Victorian Era, it was a
real favourite. To play, one person thinks of a person, place, or
thing, and the other players try to guess who or what it is by
asking only "yes" and "no" questions. The game continues until the
players discover who or what the first person is thinking of, or
until twenty questions have been asked -- whichever comes first.
DUMB CRAMBO:
This game was played
with two teams. Team 2 would leave the room whild Team 1 chose a
"secret word", such as "sky", as well as a clue word that would
rhyme with the chosen word, for example, "tie". When Team 2
re-entered the room, they would be told that the "secret word"
rhymes with "tie". Team 2 then began to act out words they believe
might be the "secret word", based on the clue that it rhymes with
"tie". As they acted out incorrect words, Team 1 would have hissed
loudly to let them know they were way off base. Team 2 kept acting
out different words until they guessed the correct word. Then, the
teams switch, and Team 1 would have left the room while Team 2 chose
a "secret word", etc.
TABOO:
Taboo was a word game
which was somewhat similar to "Cupid's Coming" in that a certain
word of the alphabet was selected, however, in the game Taboo,
instead of responses utilizing the chosen letter, they were to avoid
using the letter at all cost. A player would have been chosen as
"It". The other players asked "It" questions, trying to force "It"
to use the for-bidden letter. For example, if the forbidden letter
was "C", players might ask, "What type of animal meows?" If "It"
answered, "Cat", he or she used the forbidden letter and would have
lost the game. But, if "It" answered, "Kitten", then play would
continue. In a more difficult version of the game, players who are
"It" must answer the questions in complete sentences, and may not
use the forbidden letter anywhere in the sentence: "The little
kitten meowed for some milk."
I HAVE A BASKET:
This game is also
similar to "Cupid's Coming". Players formed a circle, and the first
player began the game by announcing, "I have a basket." The person
sitting next to him/her asked, "What's inside?" The first person has
to name something that begins with the first letter of the alphabet,
"A". The next person names something that begins with "B", and so
forth. The game ends when a player can not think of something that
begins with the letter that falls on his/her turn.
JACKSTRAWS:
We know this game
today as "Pick-up Sticks". It was a very popular Table Game during
the Victorian era. Players used a pile of wood splinters or straws,
while today's versions of the game use wooden or plastic sticks.
There were actually some very fancy sets that used "straws" made of
ivory. The sticks were dropped in the middle of a table and each
player took a turn removing a stick from the pile, while not moving
any other stick.
TIDDLY WINKS:
While most everyone
has certainly heard of "Tiddly Winks", few people really know how
this game was actually played. Players used a disk called a
"shooter" to flip smaller disks, called "winks", into a cup that sat
in the middle of the playing area or table. The aim of the game was
to be the first player to sink all of his/her "winks" into the cup.
During the Victorian era, the game was actually taken quite
seriously, and players practiced intensely during their spare time.
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Some board games that
children played during the Victorian era were already centuries old.
Examples of some of these old favourites included Checkers, Chess, and
Backgammon. Many new board games were introduced in the 1800s, and they
taught children about geography, science, or history. Others taught
children values such as good behaviour and hard work.
One such game was called
"Errand Boy". It was a popular board game in the 1800s, and it taught
children the value of good deeds and hard work. The object of the game was
to follow the career of an errand boy as he was promoted in the banking
business. Moves on the board were determined by a "teetotum"--a spinning
top with numbers on it, used instead of dice. Many people did not use dice
for playing games because dice were associated with gambling.
Players who landed on spaces
describing good deeds, good behaviour, or hard work, could advance the
number of spaces shown on that square. If a player landed on a space
describing laziness or dishonesty, he/she would have to move back, or they
might even be sent to jail. The winner of the game was the first player to
become Bank President.
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"BANDY", "SHINNY", AND
"CURLING": These
games seemed to have been direct descendents of hockey. "Bandy",
also known as "Shinny", is similar to field hockey, and "Curling" is
similar to ice hockey. Organized "Bandy Teams" used a stick shaped
much like a modern field hockey stick, except the blade was shorter
and more rounded. Most children simply used tree branches for
sticks, and everything from a ball of yarn to a tin can for a
"ball". "Curling", like ice hockey, was played on frozen lakes,
ponds, and even rivers. The play field was called "a sheet". The
game required two teams of four players each to slide granite stones
over the ice, attempting to get the stones as close to the "tee" as
possible.
"GRACES":
Graces is a game that
dates back to the 1830s. It was originally intended as an indoor
parlour game, but could be played outdoors as well, and due to its
popularity, it often was. It was a two-player game which used two
wooden throwing rings, (usually decorated with ribbons), and four
catching wands. Each player held two catching wands, one in each
hand. The first player would place the rings over the wands which
he/she held, then toss the rings, one at a time, to the other
player. The winner was the player who had caught the most tossed
rings within a set amount of time. It was generally considered a
"girl's game" as it was meant to encourage gracefulness--hence, the
name, "Graces".
"KICK THE CAN":
This game has been a
favourite child's game since tin cans came into use--around the time
of the Crimean War. The variations of the game are as endless as a
child's imagination.
BATTLEDORE AND
SHUTTLECOCK":
This was a very early
version of "Badminton". Boys and girls of all ages enjoyed playing
this game. The battledore was the racket, and the shuttlecock was
the birdie. The object of the game was to volley the shuttlecock in
the air as long as possible.
"THE NEEDLE'S EYE":
This game is based on
a chant of sorts, and is similar to the popular children's game,
"Red Rover". In this game, the chanted verse goes like this:
"The needle's eye that
doth supply
The thread that runs so true;
I stump my toe, and down I go,
All for the want of you."
A large group of children would be lined up in two rows, about
eight feet apart, facing the opposing line. After "singing" the
chanted verse, one child would run across to the opposite line and
try to break through the clenched hands of the opposite team.
A popular
variation of the game, however, was played much like the game,
"Farmer in the Dell", whereby, after reciting the verse, one child
chose another to join him/her in the center of the circle. Then,
that selected child would choose another, and so forth, until no
more children could fit inside the ring.
"FOOTBALL":
Football, as we know
it today, is basically a combination of two old sports -- soccer and
rugby. But, during the 1800s, football was actually more like
playing modern-day soccer.
The original rules
stated that the team which scored two out of three times, won the
game. Beginning in the 1870s, the rules for university football
teams allowed players to carry the ball, and defenders tackled the
person who was in possession of the ball in order to keep him from
crossing the goal line. Eventually, these newer rules helped created
the game we know today.
"BASEBALL":
In the mid-1800s,
baseball became a popular sport in the United States, however, there
was an American predecessor to baseball, which was called, "Townball".
While professional teams played in cities throughout the country,
baseball has always been a popular sport for boys, and except for a
few differences, (especially regarding use of equipment--for
example, over 100 years ago, children wore no mask, guards, gloves,
or helmets), the rules of baseball have actually changed very little
since the 1800s. Some terminology has changed over the years.
Examples of this include the fact that the batter was originally
called a "striker", or a "batsman". Also, he could hit the ball in a
number of ways. Some strikers hit the ball over their heads, while
others hit "grounders", the way a golf ball is hit. Often, the bat
was homemade; sometimes it was nothing more than a large stick.
"TUG-OF-WAR":
What child hasn't
played some form of "Tug-of-War"? In the 1800s, when toys and
pastimes were limited, Tug-of-War was a popular game that required
only two things in order to play:
willing children, and
a rope.
Two teams were formed,
and a line was drawn on the ground between them. Children held onto
a rope, pulled with all their strength, attempting to pull the
opposing team over the line. Sometimes, to add more excitement to
the game, children played with a mud puddle or a stream between the
teams.
"HOOPS AND STICKS":
One of the most common
outdoor amusements for both boys and girls during the Victorian era,
this particular "game" has been around for thousands of years. It is
known to have been played by children during the ancient Egyptian
times. Simply stated, the child propelled a hoop of wood (about 2
feet in diameter) by hitting it with a stick to keep it rolling
along as the child ran alongside.
"MARBLES":
Long ago, marbles were
played with any object which might resemble a small ball -- nuts,
pebbles, as well as actual marbles like we know today. The most
common marble game played was called "Ring Taw". It's the same game
that children play today. A circle is made from string, or drawn on
the ground with chalk, or in the dirt. The marbles that were placed
inside the circle were called, nibs". The players crouched outside
the ring, and each took a turn flicking a large marble, called "the
shooter", into the circle. The goal was to knock other marbles out
of the circle, and each player got to keep the marbles that he/she
knocked out. The winner was naturally the player with the most
marbles.
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Naturally, one of the greatest amusements for Victorian children was
the gift of their own imagination. Countless games and various activities
could be created each day, and only duplicated if the children so chose.
The very best way to avoid boredom was to have a grand imagination. Even
store-bought toys inspired children's creativity and the world of pretend.
Boys could play with lead soldiers, construct villages filled with people,
gardens, farms, and stores, all from celluloid, or even using wooden
blocks cut into all different shapes and sizes.
For girls, dolls and dollhouses were practically a necessity!
Dollhouses ranged from elaborate store-bought models to crates or grocery
boxes glued together and filled with homemade furniture, wallpaper, and
curtains. Toward the end of the 19th century, paper dolls became the rage,
as well. Dolls of one type or another have been found in literally every
culture, but by the mid-19th century, doll making had reached a level of
very high quality, and many were extremely realistic. Still, if an
expensive doll (for example, one made of porcelain) was not to be
afforded, little girls could still play with (and fully love) a doll made
of cloth or papier mache.
A child's imagination took
them to a great many new places and allowed them to become--for a short
time, anyway--whatever they wanted to be. Children could be store keepers,
firemen, blacksmiths, soldiers, or maybe even rich and elegant debutantes
hosting a formal tea party in their pretend parlour. There were trees to
climb, fish to catch, streams to wade in, hay lofts to hide in, and woods
to explore. A board which had been laid over an old tree stump became a
simple see-saw. Tree branches laid over two boulders became an instant
fort or house, and with a bit of imagination, a fence became a bucking
horse to ride.
There were hundred of other
possibilities to fill the day, and a child was only limited by the reach
of his or her imagination.
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OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT
WERE ENJOYED BY CHILDREN:
Hopscotch
Bicycles or Tricycles
Roller-skating or Ice
Skating
Sledding
Flying Kites
Playing with Jacks
Jumping Rope
Spinning tops
Yo-Yos
Dominoes
King of the Hill
Snap the Whip
Building Forts
Hide and Seek
Lawn Bowling
Follow the Leader
Trap Ball
Hunt the Slipper
Leapfrog
String Games
...and more
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