CHILDREN'S LIVES

Both boys and girls of peasants, wore tunics made of linen or wool that came down to their knees, for the boys, and down to the girl's ankles. They covered their legs with stocks/stockings and wore leather shoes that wrapped around their feet. Peasant children also wore cloaks, tunics, and woolen socks during colder weathers with round hats for boys and bonnets for the girls.

Girls tunics were long sleeved and had high necks, maybe with embroidery of animals on them. They were similar to what adult women wore. Girls wore their hair tied with a flower wreath or a virgin's crown (metal band); they also could wear it down or braided.

Both boys and men wore stockings, dyed in many colors and worn with braies connected to the stockings to keep them from falling down. The boys wore these tunics until they reached the age of 10 at which time they dressed like adult men with pants, shirts, and cloaks.

Peasant children lived in cottages with small windows. Their food was cooked in the main room over a fire. They spent their days helping their parents with chores like taking care of livestock, raising food, and keeping up the house. They were more apt to get diseases whether because of the cold living conditions or the fact that animals lived in the houses with them. Some even worked in noble houses helping out.

Toys included poppets (dolls made of wax, wool, wood, clay), marbles, sticks, rattles, tops and Ninepin bowling. Both royalty and peasants dressed their dolls as they were dressed.

Games played, besides Ninepin Bowling, were tag, swimming, hide and seek, see saw, stilt walking, and swimming. Royal children also had games such as checkers and chess. Children of Royalty also had rocking horses painted many colors and decorated so they looked like real horses.