Women and Children

Colonial women's work and rights, and children's chores, learning, and play.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 52

Colonial women worked from sunrise to bedtime. They cooked over the fire, spun wool, sewed clothes, made soap and candles, and cared for the sick.
Women had few rights. They couldn't vote, and a married woman's property usually belonged to her husband. Still, some women, often widows, ran shops, inns, and farms.
Children had chores too: fetching water, carrying firewood, feeding the chickens, and churning butter.
Learning: young children learned letters from a hornbook, a paddle with the alphabet on it. Some went to dame schools, taught by a woman at home. Older boys often became apprentices, and girls learned to run a household.
Play: colonial kids rolled hoops with sticks, played marbles, hopscotch, and cup and ball, and made dolls. Try it with a grown-up: visit Wormsloe in Savannah to see colonial life!

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS3H3.c — Describe colonial life in America from the perspectives of various people: large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, children, indentured servants, slaves, and American Indians.