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Summary and Objective
Children will examine differences in toys and games through the centuries to understand that there are similarities between the games they play today and those that were enjoyed by children many years ago.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Read "If You Lived in Colonial Times" by Ann McGovern to give children an introduction to colonial children's lives. Explain that children in past American centuries loved to play just as today's children do, and that from colonial days on, toys and games have been part of children's lives in America.
Step 2.
View pictures of toys and games from the digital collection on the PVMA American Centuries web site. Discuss the similarities and differences they see when compared to their own toys and games.
Step 3.
Have the class work in small groups to print pictures from the digital collection. Have each group paste these pictures in a column on a piece of construction paper. Using catalogs and magazines, have each group find pictures of today's toys and games and paste them next to the similar object from the digital collection.
Step 4.
Play some of the games that were popular during earlier days that are similar to games played today: BLIND MAN'S BLUFF-The children form a circle. One child is placed in the center and blindfolded. One of the players turns that child around three times. The blindfolded person must then catch one of the players forming the circle. The first person caught becomes the next blindfolded person. -- ROLL THE HOOP-Two children race from one point to another, each rolling a Hula Hoop®. The person who finishes first wins. Colonial children played this with a large wooden hoop. -- Other games played by Colonial children included tag, sack races, marbles, hopscotch, and leapfrog.
Step 5.
Post-activity: Visit a local historical museum that has games and toys on display, and participate in any related activities that are offered. Returning to the classroom, have children make some of the toys and games they saw or used during their visit.
Step 6.
Post-activity: Have children teach games to other classes.
Step 7.
Post-activity: Create a display in the school library of the group projects and the toys and games the children made.
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