Things That Colonial Children Did With Their Parents

Family activity was most often work that children performed with their parents in Colonial times.

The Colonial period lasted a long time: The first Europeans arrived in the late 16th century, and independence did not come until late in the 18th century. Over those 200 years, family life changed as culture and customs evolved. In addition, the activities that parents and children engaged in together changed. Children in the 21st century love to play, and they often learn and grow while their parents watch. How families participate together is very different from family activities during Colonial times.

Varieties

Not all Colonial children had the same life experience, as population was diverse, reports the Colonial Williamsburg official history site. All European families came to America to build new lives, but they came from many parts of Europe, and with them, they brought their own concepts of "family time." Enslaved African-American families had a very different experience from that of a wealthy white merchant's family in Boston. Children of Native American trappers did not share the same activities with their parents as children of farmers on the Pennsylvania frontier.

Commonalities

The majority of Colonial families worked many hours in a week. Whether the labor was forced by slavery or indentured servitude or spurred on by ambition or necessity, families worked together. Children were more likely to work alongside a parent in the house, field or barn than to play a game together. Even the youngest children had duties to perform. Any free time at the end of the day likely was spent sitting together to talk, pray, read or sing, according to Dr. Ken Vandergriff in "The Colonial Family in America." Even during these times the family might perform tasks like carving, weaving or preparing food to preserve.

Religion and Celebrations

Christianity played a large part in the lives of most Colonial European and African-American families, Dr. Vandergriff says. Children of European families went to worship services on Sunday for much of the day or twice during the day. Many families had a daily Bible reading period. In households where no one was literate, story-telling might take the place of reading. Holidays and harvest celebrations were times that most families from every background found time for leisure, and they shared food, music and dance.

Perception

The uncertainties of Colonial life, disease, death and separation faced all Colonial families and took a toll. The modern idea of childhood with special activities and privileges for children was not the norm in colonial days, reports the Colonial Williamsburg official history site. Children were seen more like small versions of adults. Families engaged in activities that trained the child morally, imparted some education and taught them to be independent.

References

• "Children in Colonial America": James Alan Marten, ed., 2007
• Campbell University: "The Colonial Family in America"; Dr. Ken Vandergriff
• History.org -- Colonial Williamsburg: Introduction