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A cool video of some terrible jobs

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Toysfor Victorians
by Shubhamand mahek

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What Toys and Games Did Victorian Children Play

Not only in Victorian times but since the beginning of humanity toys of some type or other have been a part of children's lives. We can only imagine what children used for toys in the earliest years of mans existence. A toy may have been no more than a rock or stick but it served its purpose of pacifying the child.

Sometimes a child's curiosity or need for entertainment can only be satisfied with a toy. It is interesting to note that some of the earliest Victorian toys and games (or even earlier than Victorian times) resemble those that are used today. The game Quoits resembles ring toss and Skittles resembles bowling. You'll learn more about these games as you read on.

It is important to note that Victorian Toys and Victorian Games were very expensive to buy in Victorian Times. Even wealthy children were allowed very few toys. Only the wealthiest could afford a Rocking horse like the one shown above. The cost of many toys at that time exceeded the average weekly pay that a father might earn. Educational toys were also very popular.

No PS3's or Wii's For Victorian Children - Rich or Poor

Victorian toys and Victorian games meant a lot more to Victorian children than they do in the modern era. There were no video games or computers to entertain children. Sometimes a child's imagination was his or her best friend. The poor Victorian children did not get new toys. Mothers would make dolls for the girls if they were lucky and toys were whittled out of wood for the boys. A tightly wadded piece of cloth could serve as a ball to kick around in the streets. Poor Victorian children would rarely have more than one toy and it was usually handmade or handed down through the generations. They would guard it with their lives...it was all they had!

Let's Take a Look At Some Of The Victorian Toys and Victorian Games

Click on Images to Enlarge

Jumping Rope

This is a toy or exercise that is still popular today. We know it better as a Jump Rope but in Victorian Times it was known as skipping rope. Like today it was more popular with girls than boys.

Rich Victorian families would buy Skipping ropes with fancy hand carved handles but the poor families could easily make their own.

Victorian Era Automata Toys

Automata toys were usually made of wood and had moving parts powered by a hand crank. The teacher and students in the Automata toy pictured would move at different intervals depending on the gear work located under the floor.

In a world without video games and the like, Victorian children would be fascinated for hours playing with this toy. It was mostly a toy for rich children but could be made by hand if the father of a poor family was good at working with wood.

Toy Soldiers

In these modern days we that live in, video games such as Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Battle field 4 have taken the place of playing with Toy Soldiers. But a young man in the Victorian age loved playing with toy soldiers. A boy in the 1800's would use his imagination to carry out the many battles that his Toy Soldiers might face on any given day. The soldiers were often made of cheap metals such as tin or wood.

Marbles

Marbles are still played with today but are starting to fade away a little. Marbles were a popular Victorian Toy. You could play many games with marbles. Poor children usually had marbles made of clay while the rich kids might have marbles made from real marble.

Tea set

As with all children from the olden days up to now there is a great desire to emulate their parents. They want to act grown up just like their parents. That's why the miniature toy Tea Set was so popular with young Victorian Girls. They could gather their friends around a table and have a nice little tea party of their own, just like their mother.Miniature Tea Sets were a toy that rich Victorian Kids played with for the most part.

Hoop and Stick

Although this toy/game looks very simple, it was very popular. The object of the game was to keep the hoop rolling as long as possible. Children played this game outside and many times it would be played as a competition between several children to see who could roll the hoop the farthest.

Kaleidoscope

Pictured to the left is a Victorian Age Kaleidoscope. A child could look through one end and see a brightly colored design at the other end. As the child would twist or shake the Kaleidoscope and the psychedelic design would change into another design and the more it was repeated the more it would change. This was a fascinating toy for a child in those days. At the bottom of the page is a video of what one might see while looking through a Kaleidoscope.

Zoetrope

One might say that this was actually the beginning of movies and eventually television as we know it today. Actually some of the early Disney cartoons were made using this principle. There were other names for moving picture toys such as Phenakistoscope, Thaumatrope, Cinematrope and Praxinoscope. They would usually come with extra cardboard or paper inserts so a child could change the moving picture inside. The video at the bottom of the page will explain what a Zoetrope is better than I can put into words here.

Victorian Doll

Obviously this is one toy that has been around for a long time and will be around for many years to come. It seems that at a very young age almost every little girl acquires the desire to copy their mother and care for a child or at least a good substitute for one. A doll fills that need quite well. China Dolls became popular during the Victorian age.

One reason for that popularity might have been because it was said Queen Victoria had a large collection of China Dolls from her childhood. China Dolls were very expensive and were typically owned by rich children. Dolls owned by the poorer class of children were usually handmade.

Hobby Horse - Rocking Horse

There were no cars in Victorian times so horses were the main source of transportation. This made the Hobby Horse or Rocking Horse very popular. Wealthy Victorian Children could afford the expensive rocking horse while the poorer children played with a Hobby Horse. A Hobby Horse could easily be made by hand considering the body consisted of a wood pole or dowel rod. Sometimes wheels could be affixed to the lower end of the Hobby Horse so a child could roll it around and not just drag the wooden end along the ground. Even though they were much cheaper, Hobby Horses had the advantage of being mobile and could be used inside or outside while the rocking horse had to stay in one spot while being ridden and usually inside.

The Whip and Top

The predecessor to the spinning top, a Whip and Top consisted of a cylinder type object (The Top) with a pointed bottom and a stick with a string or piece of leather tied to the end(The Whip).A child would set the top to spinning by wrapping the string around the top and give the stick a pull. This would make the top spin at a high rate of speed. The child would keep the top Spinning by whipping it on the sides with the string or leather strap. Hence the name.

Spinning tops

Spinning Tops were actually just a simplified version of the whip and top. Spinning tops where set to spinning by using ones fingers to spin it.

The Yo-Yo

Yo-Yo's did not become popular until the early 1900'S but they were used by many children in the Victorian Days. Yo-Yo's are known to have existed as far back as 500B.C. Today there are professional Yo-Yo'ers who compete all over the world.

Quoits

Ring toss or even Yard Jarts most likely evolved from Quoits. It was a game that had anywhere from one to 9 poles or pegs and several rings. The rings were usually made of rope. As with ring toss the object was to through the rings over the pegs to score points.

Toy Theatres

As we have learned, a lot of the Victorian toys and Victorian Games involved the child's desire to emulate or copy their parents or grownups in general. Toy Theatres were no exception. While the parents were going to the Theatre children were pretending with their toy theatres. Toy Theatres were copied after the grown up theatre shows of the day.

Diabolo

This toy originated in China but became very popular in Great Britain in the 1800's. It is made of a spool type object and two sticks with a string tied to each stick. The goal was to throw the spool in the air with the sticks and string and catch with them. There were many tricks that could be perfected with a lot of practice.

Clockwork Trains

These toy trains were not made popular until the latter part of the Victorian era. A company called Marklin was the first to make complete toy train sets out of soldered tin. A basic toy train set could be bought and then additional parts and sections could be purchased to add to it as time went by. Sadly, Poor Victorian Children could only dream about owning a Clockwork Train.Only Rich Victorian Families could afford one.Model train sets didn't really reach its height as a hobby until the Edwardian era, circa 1901 or later.

Skittles

According to Wikipedia, Skittles is a predecessor of many of the games of today, such as, bowling and lawn bowling. In the Victorian era this game was typically played outside but had indoor variations as well. It is still a popular indoor pub game in some areas of the UK and United States. It consisted of a round hard ball and several Skittles, usually around nine. The object of the game was to roll the ball and knock down as many skittles as possible. Although wealthy families could buy fancy and extravagant Skittles sets, this game was played by the rich and the poor since it could easily be made by hand.

Leather Football

Variations of this football and/or soccer have been around since between 2500-5000 B.C, and leather or animal skins have been used to make them just about as long. Football was played on the lawns or in the streets by all classes of people. Yes, the rich children could own a fancy professionally made ball but the poor children could easily make their own.

Books

Books were a great source of enjoyment for Victorian Children, rich or poor. One might not consider a book to be a Victorian Toy or a Victorian Game but children in the 1800's loved them. They would read them over and over.

Kaleidoscope Video

Zoetrope Video

Published by Paxton Price on: August 22, 2013

Other Pages You Might Like:
Victorian Children
Victorian Child Labor
Victorian Clothing
Victorian Houses and Homes
Citations:

Chertsey Museum
Victorian Era Toys - Slideshare - Olivia Blount
Herbert Learning
What Toys and Games did Victorian Children Play?

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Victorian Toys and Victorian Games - Victorian Children

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An extensive photographic and textual look into the Victorian Toys and Victorian Games that children played during the 1800's. Rich and poor children played

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hashil and jagruti

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Toys and Games Did Victorian Children Play

Not only in Victorian times but since the beginning of humanity toys of some type or other have been a part of children's lives. We can only imagine what children used for toys in the earliest years of mans existence. A toy may have been no more than a rock or stick but it served its purpose of pacifying the child.

Sometimes a child's curiosity or need for entertainment can only be satisfied with a toy. It is interesting to note that some of the earliest Victorian toys and games (or even earlier than Victorian times) resemble those that are used today. The game Quoits resembles ring toss and Skittles resembles bowling. You'll learn more about these games as you read on.

It is important to note that Victorian Toys and Victorian Games were very expensive to buy in Victorian Times. Even wealthy children were allowed very few toys. Only the wealthiest could afford a Rocking horse like the one shown above. The cost of many toys at that time exceeded the average weekly pay that a father might earn. Educational toys were also very popular.

No PS3's or Wii's For Victorian Children - Rich or Poor

Victorian toys and Victorian games meant a lot more to Victorian children than they do in the modern era. There were no video games or computers to entertain children. Sometimes a child's imagination was his or her best friend. The poor Victorian children did not get new toys. Mothers would make dolls for the girls if they were lucky and toys were whittled out of wood for the boys. A tightly wadded piece of cloth could serve as a ball to kick around in the streets. Poor Victorian children would rarely have more than one toy and it was usually handmade or handed down through the generations. They would guard it with their lives...it was all they had!

Let's Take a Look At Some Of The Victorian Toys and Victorian Games

Click on Images to Enlarge

Jumping Rope

This is a toy or exercise that is still popular today. We know it better as a Jump Rope but in Victorian Times it was known as skipping rope. Like today it was more popular with girls than boys.

Rich Victorian families would buy Skipping ropes with fancy hand carved handles but the poor families could easily make their own.

Victorian Era Automata Toys

Automata toys were usually made of wood and had moving parts powered by a hand crank. The teacher and students in the Automata toy pictured would move at different intervals depending on the gear work located under the floor.

In a world without video games and the like, Victorian children would be fascinated for hours playing with this toy. It was mostly a toy for rich children but could be made by hand if the father of a poor family was good at working with wood.

Toy Soldiers

In these modern days we that live in, video games such as Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Battle field 4 have taken the place of playing with Toy Soldiers. But a young man in the Victorian age loved playing with toy soldiers. A boy in the 1800's would use his imagination to carry out the many battles that his Toy Soldiers might face on any given day. The soldiers were often made of cheap metals such as tin or wood.

Marbles

Marbles are still played with today but are starting to fade away a little. Marbles were a popular Victorian Toy. You could play many games with marbles. Poor children usually had marbles made of clay while the rich kids might have marbles made from real marble.

Tea set

As with all children from the olden days up to now there is a great desire to emulate their parents. They want to act grown up just like their parents. That's why the miniature toy Tea Set was so popular with young Victorian Girls. They could gather their friends around a table and have a nice little tea party of their own, just like their mother.Miniature Tea Sets were a toy that rich Victorian Kids played with for the most part.

Hoop and Stick

Although this toy/game looks very simple, it was very popular. The object of the game was to keep the hoop rolling as long as possible. Children played this game outside and many times it would be played as a competition between several children to see who could roll the hoop the farthest.

Kaleidoscope

Pictured to the left is a Victorian Age Kaleidoscope. A child could look through one end and see a brightly colored design at the other end. As the child would twist or shake the Kaleidoscope and the psychedelic design would change into another design and the more it was repeated the more it would change. This was a fascinating toy for a child in those days. At the bottom of the page is a video of what one might see while looking through a Kaleidoscope.

Zoetrope

One might say that this was actually the beginning of movies and eventually television as we know it today. Actually some of the early Disney cartoons were made using this principle. There were other names for moving picture toys such as Phenakistoscope, Thaumatrope, Cinematrope and Praxinoscope. They would usually come with extra cardboard or paper inserts so a child could change the moving picture inside. The video at the bottom of the page will explain what a Zoetrope is better than I can put into words here.

Victorian Doll

Obviously this is one toy that has been around for a long time and will be around for many years to come. It seems that at a very young age almost every little girl acquires the desire to copy their mother and care for a child or at least a good substitute for one. A doll fills that need quite well. China Dolls became popular during the Victorian age.

One reason for that popularity might have been because it was said Queen Victoria had a large collection of China Dolls from her childhood. China Dolls were very expensive and were typically owned by rich children. Dolls owned by the poorer class of children were usually handmade.

Hobby Horse - Rocking Horse

There were no cars in Victorian times so horses were the main source of transportation. This made the Hobby Horse or Rocking Horse very popular. Wealthy Victorian Children could afford the expensive rocking horse while the poorer children played with a Hobby Horse. A Hobby Horse could easily be made by hand considering the body consisted of a wood pole or dowel rod. Sometimes wheels could be affixed to the lower end of the Hobby Horse so a child could roll it around and not just drag the wooden end along the ground. Even though they were much cheaper, Hobby Horses had the advantage of being mobile and could be used inside or outside while the rocking horse had to stay in one spot while being ridden and usually inside.

The Whip and Top

The predecessor to the spinning top, a Whip and Top consisted of a cylinder type object (The Top) with a pointed bottom and a stick with a string or piece of leather tied to the end(The Whip).A child would set the top to spinning by wrapping the string around the top and give the stick a pull. This would make the top spin at a high rate of speed. The child would keep the top Spinning by whipping it on the sides with the string or leather strap. Hence the name.

Spinning tops

Spinning Tops were actually just a simplified version of the whip and top. Spinning tops where set to spinning by using ones fingers to spin it.

The Yo-Yo

Yo-Yo's did not become popular until the early 1900'S but they were used by many children in the Victorian Days. Yo-Yo's are known to have existed as far back as 500B.C. Today there are professional Yo-Yo'ers who compete all over the world.

Quoits

Ring toss or even Yard Jarts most likely evolved from Quoits. It was a game that had anywhere from one to 9 poles or pegs and several rings. The rings were usually made of rope. As with ring toss the object was to through the rings over the pegs to score points.

Toy Theatres

As we have learned, a lot of the Victorian toys and Victorian Games involved the child's desire to emulate or copy their parents or grownups in general. Toy Theatres were no exception. While the parents were going to the Theatre children were pretending with their toy theatres. Toy Theatres were copied after the grown up theatre shows of the day.

Diabolo

This toy originated in China but became very popular in Great Britain in the 1800's. It is made of a spool type object and two sticks with a string tied to each stick. The goal was to throw the spool in the air with the sticks and string and catch with them. There were many tricks that could be perfected with a lot of practice.

Clockwork Trains

These toy trains were not made popular until the latter part of the Victorian era. A company called Marklin was the first to make complete toy train sets out of soldered tin. A basic toy train set could be bought and then additional parts and sections could be purchased to add to it as time went by. Sadly, Poor Victorian Children could only dream about owning a Clockwork Train.Only Rich Victorian Families could afford one.Model train sets didn't really reach its height as a hobby until the Edwardian era, circa 1901 or later.

Skittles

According to Wikipedia, Skittles is a predecessor of many of the games of today, such as, bowling and lawn bowling. In the Victorian era this game was typically played outside but had indoor variations as well. It is still a popular indoor pub game in some areas of the UK and United States. It consisted of a round hard ball and several Skittles, usually around nine. The object of the game was to roll the ball and knock down as many skittles as possible. Although wealthy families could buy fancy and extravagant Skittles sets, this game was played by the rich and the poor since it could easily be made by hand.

Leather Football

Variations of this football and/or soccer have been around since between 2500-5000 B.C, and leather or animal skins have been used to make them just about as long. Football was played on the lawns or in the streets by all classes of people. Yes, the rich children could own a fancy professionally made ball but the poor children could easily make their own.

Books

Books were a great source of enjoyment for Victorian Children, rich or poor. One might not consider a book to be a Victorian Toy or a Victorian Game but children in the 1800's loved them. They would read them over and over.

Kaleidoscope Video

Zoetrope Video

Published by Paxton Price on: August 22, 2013

Other Pages You Might Like:
Victorian Children
Victorian Child Labor
Victorian Clothing
Victorian Houses and Homes
Citations:

Chertsey Museum
Victorian Era Toys - Slideshare - Olivia Blount
Herbert Learning
What Toys and Games did Victorian Children Play?

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Victorian Toys and Victorian Games - Victorian Children

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An extensive photographic and textual look into the Victorian Toys and Victorian Games that children played during the 1800's. Rich and poor children played

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Victorian food Shubah and Mahek

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Victorian Food For The Rich & Poor Children

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Victorian food and what was eaten varied hugely at the time between the rich and the poor and this was the same for children too. Rich children ate extremely well whereas as a generalisation the poor had limited choices and availability.

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Some Victorian ate meat pie and roast dinner.If you worked at a work house you ate bread , cheese, and water.Fomo and Prince.

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this is about information about toys in the Victorian era.https://victorianchildren.org/victorian-toys-and-victorian-games/
Amaarah Faizal

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Harjoth and Clarissa! this is what Victorians used to eat ! it does not look very tasty

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The life was terrible they had sometimes had to live in streets Ragnesh and Jiya

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Ragnesh and Jiya

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Schools were not free until 1891. Up until then children had to pay to go to school.

Queen Victoria's reign brought many improvements to the education of children, especially for the poor children.

The Victorians came up with the idea that all children should go to school, and they checked to make sure the schools were up to scratch too. They were the first people to ask whether it was right to allow children to work. They introduced laws saying what you could and could not expect children to do.

Who went to school during the Victorian times?
Did rich children go to school?
Where did poor children go to school?
Why go to school?
Important Dates
When did attending school become mandatory?
What were the schools like?
What did the schools teach?
Did Victorian children use a calculator?
What was a Victorian School Day like?
Why did Victorian children write on slates?
Did Victorian children use a pen?

School logbook (Stretton Handley Primary)
Who went to school during the Victorian times?
In early Victorian England, most children never went to school at all and grew up unable to read or write. Instead they were sent out to work to earn money for their families. Only the upper and middle class children went to school.
Rich Children
Children from rich families were taught at home by a governess until they were 10 years old. Once a boy turned ten, he went away to Public schools like Eton or Harrow. There were very few schools available for girls, however, until near the end of the Victorian time. Wealthy girls were mostly educated at home.
Where did poor children go to school?
Poor children went to free charity schools or ' Dame' schools (so called because they were run by women) for young children. They also went to Sunday Schools which were run by churches. There they learnt bible stories and were taught to read a little.
Why go to school?
The Victorians soon realised that it was important for people to be able to read and write and education became more important. The Church of England became active in the field and erected ' National Schools' which taught children reading, writing, arithmetic and religion.
When did attending school become mandatory?
It wasn't until 1880 that schooling became mandatory. All children had to attend a school until they were 10 years old. In 1889, the school leaving age was raised to twelve, and in 1891, the school's pence fee was abolished and schools became free.

What were the schools like?

There could be as many as 70 or 80 pupils in one class, especially in cities. The teachers were very strict. Children were often taught by reading and copying things down, or chanting things till they were perfect.

In many Victorian schools pupil-teachers helped with the teaching. The pupil-teachers were boys and girls of 13 and over. After five years of apprenticeship they could themselves become teachers.
What did the schools teach?
Typical lessons at school included the three Rs - Reading, W Riting and Dictation, and A R ithmetic. In addition to the three Rs which were taught most of the day, once a week the children learned geography, history and singing. The girls learned how to sew.

Schools did not teach music or PE in the way that schools do now. Children sometimes did 'drill' in the classroom. Drill was a series of exercises that were done by the side of a desk.

The children sat on hard wooden benches or chairs.
Can you see the holes for the ink pots?

Did Victorian children use a calculator?

For maths lessons, children used frames with coloured wooden beads, much like an abacus. Children learned how to multiply and divide using this apparatus.
What was a Victorian school day like?
The day usually began with prayers and religious instruction. Morning lessons ran from 9a.m. to 12p.m. Children often went home for a meal, then returned for afternoon classes from 2p.m. to 5p.m.
Why did Victorian children write on slates?
Paper was expensive. Children usually therefore wrote on slates with slate pencils. After a lesson was completed, and the teacher checked their work, the students cleared their slates for the next lesson.
Did Victorian children use pens?
Older children learnt to write on paper. An 'ink monitor' distributed ink to the children, who used pens made out of thin wooden sticks with steel needles. The pen had to be dipped every few words or it would run dry.

Other websites

School Life In The 1800s.
Web Quest
What were Dame Schools?

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Schools were not free until 1891. Up until then children had to pay to go to school. Queen Victoria's reign brought many improvements to the education of children, especially for the poor children. The Victorians came up with the idea that all children should go to school, and they checked to make sure the schools were up to scratch too.

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workhouses used to be hard to work in Natalie and Dhruvika

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Before 1834, poor people were looked after by buying food and clothing from money collected from land owners and other wealthy people.

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this link has information on Victorian schoolshttps://victorianchildren.org/victorian-schools/
Amaarah and Faizal

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Although schools have always been around it wasn't until the Victorian era that these were improved considerably and available for all children rich and poor. In 1870 a law was passed which made it mandatory for all children aged between 5-10 in Britain to attend school. This was similar to the system we use today of Monday-Friday however the leaving age was far lower.

The leaving age was then increased to 11 in 1893 however parents and employers of working children still prevented some of them from going to school as they were making money in the workplace and this is what they wanted.

Who went to school?

When Queen Victoria initially came to the throne schools were for the rich. Children of the wealthy would go to fee paying schools where they would learn classical subjects such as Latin and Greek, study classical history such as Greek mythology and classical literature about Roman Gods and Goddesses.

Most children never went to school and struggled to read or write. Children from rich families were typically taught at home by governess until the age of 10 years old. Wealthy boys from the age of 10 would then go to Public schools such as Rugby. Girls on the other hand continued to be educated at home.

The poor were initially introduced to school thanks to the 'Sunday school' introduction by Robert Raikes with about 1,250,000 children gaining an education with this method by 1831.

This was all turned on its head however in 1870 with the passing of the law and schools began to cater for the rich and poor alike. Various names were given to the schools including the British schools and the Ragged schools; the latter getting the name from the poor children attending the school.

An education system had started and what a stark contrast it was to the one we have today.

What were schools like?

Schools were certainly different to the schools we have of today. Within poor inner city areas there could be anywhere between 70 and 80 pupils in one class!

The schools were imposing buildings with high up windows to prevent children from seeing out of. Furthermore the walls of the schools lacked creativity and were often bare or had merely text for the children to look at.

Village schools typically had smaller classes however the age groups would be varied. It wasn't uncommon to see a 6-year-old child working in the same classroom as a 10-year-old! Due to the size of the school classrooms it became regimented and adopted a significant amount of repetition. Usually this would consist of the classroom teacher writing on the chalkboard and the children copying this down. Teaching lacked creativity and it was a strict, uncomfortable place for children to begin their life education.

Typical Victorian Teacher:

In Victorian schools there were more female teachers than male ones with women occupying the majority of teaching roles. These women were often very strict and scary. The majority of female teachers were unmarried ladies and they were to be called 'Miss' at all times. The reason teaching consisted of mostly ladies was due to the pay scale. The salaries were poor and men could be earning more money elsewhere so this was left to the women. The rationale behind it been mostly unmarried women was that once married the women was expected to take care of the family.

The large majority of teachers did not have a college education. The role of teaching was something they picked up while on the job and every new lesson would be a challenge for them too.

The teaching was also passed on to some of the brightest children in some schools known as 'Monitors' where they would be taught by the Headmaster and would then pass this onto small groups of children as another way of educating. The Victorian teaching system was much different to the one we have today.

Victorian Punishment on children in school:

Discipline was huge in the Victorian times and this was no different in schools. It wasn't uncommon for children to be beat by canes made from birch wood. Boys were typically caned on their backsides whereas Girls would take the punishment on their legs or hands.

The reasons ranged from truancy right through to laziness in the classroom. The punishments were usually harsh and painful for children aged jus between 5-10.

Children who were slower than the rest within lessons were made to wear the shameful dunce hats and sit in the corner for over an hour. This was not only humiliating for the child but also not helping them get up to speed with the rest of the class. At the time there was no concept of children with learning difficulties and the uneducated classroom teachers would assume it was purely down to the laziness or lack of effort.

Amazingly children were reprimanded for using their left hand to write! This was seen as a punishable offence and they were made write with their right hand!

Lessons:

In terms of lessons they were basic but focused on the 3 R's of Reading, wRiting & aRtmetic (Maths) with the introduction of religion to make this the not so fantastic four. The intiial three were seen as the most important areas of education at the time and a vast majority of school time involved the learning of these.

The lessons were very different to lessons of today and usually involved copying down what the teacher wrote on the chalkboard. Furthermore children were expected to chant things out loud until they did so without mistakes. The times tables were commonly done in this way and children were expected to do this without any mistakes.

The importance of developing a fine hand in writing was high and alongside numbers this was seen as a crucial part of education.

School Hours:

The school days in Victorian times were structured slightly different to those of today with the morning introduction session consisting of prayers and religious instructions. This was commonly followed by morning lessons running from 9am until 12pm. Following this was a lunch period when children usually went home. Similar to fathers who went home from work within the Victorian period the children would do the same.

Afternoon classes began at approximately 2pm and finished at 5pm. The school day in Victorian times was in the mould of the modern day 9-5pm. Children of a very young age were expected to maintain their best attention at all times and adhere to the rules of the school.

School Equipment:

Unlike today school equipment was very different in Victorian times. The most famous equipment from these times was how children were expected to write on slate instead of paper. The reason for this was simple; it was cost effective!

Paper was expensive so children used slates with slate pencils to complete their work. The letters were scratched into the slate with the pencil. This could be easily removed and usually was at the end of each lesson. It was standard procedure for the teacher to walk around the classroom checking the work of the pupils.

Once this was checked off they cleared their slate for the next lesson. No work was saved and children were expected to memorise the information they had taken in.

Before using slate boards the youngest children would practice writing letters in sand trays. This was a common activity for those in the 5-6 years old age bracket before they were ready to hold a slate pencil and write on a slate board.

For the teachers the most important equipment was the chalkboard and easel. The mainstay of any lesson was for children to copy information from the chalkboard onto slate board. The older children would begin to write in a book using a dip pen with black ink from an inkwell. There was a designated 'Ink monitor' whose job was to fill the inkwells each and every morning.

Victorians used a device called an Abacus for arithmetic which was their version of the modern day calculator. This enabled the children to conduct sums quickly and effectively.

Although Victorian schools are different in many ways to today's classrooms some of the methods used help shape our education system today. Victorian schools are still used throughout Britain and remain an important part of history.

Sources:

http://www.victorianschool.co.uk/schoolday.html
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/victorians/children/schools.htm

Facts About Victorian Schools and Classrooms

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Victorian Schools & School Children Facts & Information

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Although schools have always been around it wasn't until the Victorian era that these were improved considerably and available for all children rich and poor. In 1870 a law was passed which made it mandatory for all children aged between 5-10 in Britain to attend school.

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Victorian women wore big dresses , corsets and jewlery. Some were poor so they wore rags . Fomo and Prince..

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During the reign of Queen Victoria, a woman's place was considered to be in the home. Then the mood changed, as charitable missions began to extend the female role of service, and Victorian feminism began to emerge as a potent political force.

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During the reign of Queen Victoria, a woman's place was in the home, as domesticity and motherhood were considered by society at large to be a sufficient emotional fulfilment for females. These constructs kept women far away from the public sphere in most ways, but during the 19th century charitable missions did begin to extend the female role of service, and Victorian feminism emerged as a potent political force.

The transformation of Britain into an industrial nation had profound consequences for the ways in which women were to be idealised in Victorian times. New kinds of work and new kinds of urban living prompted a change in the ways in which appropriate male and female roles were perceived. In particular, the notion of separate spheres - woman in the private sphere of the home and hearth, man in the public sphere of business, politics and sociability - came to influence the choices and experiences of all women, at home, at work, in the streets.

' ... Victoria became an icon of late-19th-century middle-class femininity and domesticity. '

The Victorian era, 1837-1901, is characterised as the domestic age par excellence, epitomised by Queen Victoria, who came to represent a kind of femininity which was centred on the family, motherhood and respectability. Accompanied by her beloved husband Albert, and surrounded by her many children in the sumptuous but homely surroundings of Balmoral Castle, Victoria became an icon of late-19th-century middle-class femininity and domesticity.

Indeed, Victoria came to be seen as the very model of marital stability and domestic virtue. Her marriage to Albert represented the ideal of marital harmony. She was described as 'the mother of the nation', and she came to embody the idea of home as a cosy, domestic space. When Albert died in 1861 she retreated to her home and family in preference to public political engagements.

Published: 2001-08-09

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Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain

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During the reign of Queen Victoria, a woman's place was considered to be in the home. Then the mood changed, as charitable missions began to extend the female role of service, and Victorian feminism began to emerge as a potent political force.

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Fomo and Prince

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Hi everyone!
This is our padlet page.
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Add your link by copying the url web address and using the link button on the padlet to add your helpful website.

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BBC - Primary History - Victorian Britain - Children at School

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BBC Primary History - Children of Victorian Britain - Children at school - Teachers' resources