In Part 3 of our series, we looked at what life was like for the infant and what we can and can't know about his chances for survival. In this segment, I'd like to look at what a child's life was like once he made it through infancy and survived his toddling phase, from the ages of about four to twelve.
Play
A common misconception about medieval children is that they were treated like adults and expected to behave like adults as soon as they could walk and talk. Biologically, this is a somewhat ludicrous expectation. Communication skills, motor control and physical strength all take some time to develop in a child, and it is unreasonable to assume that medieval adults were not aware of any of these limitations.
This does not mean that children were never expected to do any household work or help their parents in their business enterprise. But for the younger members of the family, this assistance took the form of chores and simple tasks such as carrying water, herding geese and gathering fruit. The time spent on these activities was rarely a large part of the day; for the most part, the great majority of a child's early years were spent in play.1
Such play was seldom organized. Young children amused themselves with toys and simple games, playing ball or hoops, racing, chasing each other, and engaging their imaginations as children have done for millennia. Climbing trees, walls and other structures made up much of their adventures. Lacking specific playgrounds, they played wherever was convenient: by or in the fields, in the house or yard, even in the streets. If a village had a green, it was usually a very popular spot for play.2
Gender roles were determined early through imitation. Boys followed their fathers around at work or in the fields and girls "helped" their mothers at home.3 Girls were known to play with dolls, but since rag dolls, like clothing, easily deteriorate over time, we can only guess at how popular they may have been. As boys got a little older they would wrestle, shoot with bow and arrow, and engage in mock battles with staffs and sticks. Children of both genders imitated their elders in ceremonies such as mass and marriage and in events like royal processions.4
Of course, life wasn't all fun and games. A child had to be educated and trained to function in society, which would take place as he grew old enough to learn and understand.
Continued on Page Two: Training and Socialization.
Notes
1. Hanawalt, Barbara, The Ties that Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England (Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 183.
2. Ibid, p. 26.
3. Ibid, p. 180.
4. Hanawalt, Barbara, Growing Up in Medieval London (Oxford University Press, 1993), p. 78.
Guide's Note: This article was originally posted in December of 2000 and was updated in May of 2009.
