The games children played during the Victorian era - Info pack

Victorian children, much like children today, had a passion for games, yet the type of games they played often depended on their family's wealth. Football was a universal favourite across the social spectrum; poorer children would improvise with objects like cooking pans to serve as makeshift balls. In contrast, cricket, which required proper equipment such as a bat and ball, was predominantly enjoyed by the more affluent. Wealthy families might even construct dedicated playrooms at the top of their homes, filled with toys like dolls houses and rocking horses, to keep the noise of play away from the main living areas.

Street games were a common sight, with boys frequently seen guiding large metal hoops with sticks. Marbles were a widely played game too, with metal marbles being the norm due to the cost of glass. Girls often engaged in games of hopscotch, chalking out grids and creating their own rhymes, or they might be found skipping rope to the rhythm of their chants. Conkers, a game still enjoyed today, was a particular favourite among boys. While public parks were scarce, they were cherished spaces for play, and children also found amusement with wooden tops spun by hand. Girls would make large rings and sing rhymes, some of which, like 'The Farmer Wants a Wife', have stood the test of time and remain known to us even now.