What did Children do Before Computers?

 I grew up in the 1970s watching television.  We watched local stations and had no cable and no movie channels.  If you wanted to see a movie, you went to the theater.  We had a phone but it was attached to the wall!  It had a long cord so we could wander, but not too far.  In the 1980s my brothers used to go to the neighbor's house and play this new electronic gaming system made by Atari....otherwise, we had no desktops, tablets, cell phones, or game systems.  Oh, we had a radio too, so at least we were able to listen to that good ole 80s music!

Atari game system

But we sure did think we had it good and, in a way, we did.  What in the world did kids do in the 1880s.  They didn't even have television or a phone, much less computers!  

Don't these kiddos look like they're having fun?  I think I would be the girl near the window, that way I could make my escape from boredom quickly.  Okay, it wasn't all that bad.  After all, this was a painting of the family, so you had to sit still for a while and pose.  Kids back then just had to be a little more creative.  So what did they do?  First let's think about what they had.  There was lighting in the form of gas, there were trains, books, toys, and bikes.

Well, it looks like you would definitely need a ladder to get on that bike and what happened when you fell off?  Yikes!
There was always the option to just stay in and play with your toys.  We have toys today and a lot of the toys we have today are the same or very much like the ones they had then.  There were dolls, toy trains, tea sets, toy soldiers, doll houses, and marbles.  Older children would even set up theaters and make plays.  You could actually buy a stage made of wood and cardboard with little tin oil lamps along the edge and purchase paper cut-out characters for a penny.  I think that would be fun even today!  Instead of watching TV, you could make up your own show.  You can look up how to make your own or get directions here: toy theater

There was always the option of going outside and that hasn't changed either.  You may wonder what kind of games they played outside.  Some may sound familiar like football and hopscotch.  There were others that aren't as popular anymore like cricket, croquet, and lawn tennis.  These outdoor games were often meant to be played by older girls and boys, mostly boys.  Girls could play a game called Graces which helped them develop poise.

We play the Game of Graces at the Hermann-Grima House and believe it or not, its not as easy as it looks!  But, if you were a young lady you spent a good amount of time indoors learning how to sew.  Once you grew out of playing with dolls, it was time to practice with the needle and thread.  Ladies were expected to be able to make clothing, repair clothing, make tablecloths, draperies, napkins, firescreens, just about anything that has thread in it that we take for granted today!

Don't these young ladies look like they're having fun?  I'm sure it was more fun than playing Angry Birds....no?  There was always the option of generally getting into things you weren't supposed to, which children also still do today.  Maybe climbing into the cistern (rain barrel) to swim or playing with your mothers jewelry?

As you can see, things weren't so different back then.  Children enjoyed playing just like they do today.  The only difference was that often they had to be a little more creative and hands-on to get the same effect that children get today from electronic devices.  Of course, not everything was that similar today.  Imagine if your mom had to take you to school on a horse?