Ring the morning bell! A colonial kid your age woke up before the sun. First came chores: feeding chickens, carrying water, and gathering eggs. Girls helped cook, sew, and make candles. Boys helped plant crops and chop wood.
After chores, some kids walked a long way to school. After school there were more chores, then dinner cooked over the fire.
But colonial kids had fun too! They played tag, marbles, hopscotch, and jump rope — games you may still play today. At night, families told stories by candlelight. Your life is different in many ways, but kids then and now both love to play, learn, and be with family.
1. Name two chores colonial kids did.
2. What games did colonial kids play?
3. What did families do together at night?
4. What is one way kids then and now are the same?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Fill in the chart. Write what a colonial kid did, then what YOU do.
| Part of the day | Colonial kid |
|---|---|
| Waking up | Before the sun, no alarm clock |
| Morning jobs | Feed chickens, carry water |
| School | One room, quill pens |
| Dinner | Cooked over a fire |
| Night time | Stories by candlelight |
1. Which colonial chore would be hardest for you? Why?
2. Colonial kids played tag and hopscotch, just like kids today. Why do you think some games last hundreds of years?
1. Colonial kids woke up before the .
2. First they did their .
3. Kids carried and fed the chickens.
4. Some kids walked a long way to .
5. At night families told by candlelight.
6. Kids then and now both love to .
You need: chalk or tape, and a small stone or beanbag.
Play hopscotch just like a colonial kid! Draw the squares, toss your stone, and hop through. Then answer:
| Question | My answer |
|---|---|
| Was the game fun without any screens? | |
| Who did you play with? | |
| What other old game would you like to try? |
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| What a colonial kid's day was like | YES / NOT YET |
| How my day is different and the same | YES / NOT YET |
| I played a colonial game | YES / NOT YET |