Medieval+Toys

=**Preparing for Adulthood**= ====Children from the Middle Ages had a very brief childhood. Around forty percent of them died before age nine. Adulthood came quickly for the children that survived; boys became men at age fourteen and girls became women at age twelve. Toys and games from this time period had the purpose of teaching them about the roles they would fulfill as an adult. Depending on their gender, children would play with different types of toys.====

=**Toys for Boys**= Boys in the Middle Ages usually played with toys that reflected warfare of the era. They would play with wooden swords and soldiers, and evidence has been found that William the Conqueror may have introduced these toy soldiers to Europe. Peasant boys usually made their own toys such as floating boats out of hollowed out bread loaves and play weapons out of sticks. Figures sculpted out of clay also entertained peasant boys. Noble boys received toys as gifts such as bows and arrows and sometimes suits of armour. These soon-to-be knights would play with hobby horses and ride off into their future. They may have played chess for education and entertainment purposes. These noble boys' parents expected them to become knights, and their toys reflected this. Older noble boys would use the toy soldiers to practice war tactics that may come in handy when in an intense battle in the future. = = =**Toys for Girls**= ====Girls from Medieval times enjoyed playing dress up and games that would prepare them for womanhood. Royal girls would dress in glass jewelry and prance around the castle and they also held pretend events such as weddings. Sometimes parents gave their daughters small plates and cups, to set tables for their siblings and friends to prepare for when they become adults. Cloth and wooden dolls entertained girls during this time period, because they resembled human babies and they prepared the girls to be mothers in the future.====

=Musical Toys= ====Kids have always loved making noise. In the Middle Ages, children loved passing the time playing with rattles and drums. Materials for making rattle ranged from dried gourds for peasant kids, to ivory, precious metals, coral stone, and horns for the sons and daughters of nobles. Rattles made for these royal infants could be very costly. Rattles could also be molded into shapes making the rattle all the more fun. Pilgrims often bought cheap whistles, bells and rattles as souvenirs and these naturally fell in the hands of children.====

=Unisex Toys= ====Some toys from Medieval Times could be enjoyed by girls and boys, even though most of the popular ones being for one specific gender. Kites originated in China but eventually made their way into the hands of children of Europe flying high during many hours of the day. A game known as nine pins, similar to today's bowling consisted of a round ball and nine pins with the same object as bowling today. Medieval children also played marbles made out of clay, stone, or agate for years. Spinning tops have been found in the embellishment of illuminated manuscripts, so they must have been a popular item in this time. Hoops and pull toys could be found in every city in Europe as well, toys in which kids still know and love today.====

=Works Cited=

1. Johnson, Doris M. "Toys." World Book 2001. 2001 Vol. 19. Chicago: World Book Inc., 2001. 351-52.
====2. Armitage, John. "Toys." //Academic American Encyclopedia //. Vol. 19. Danbury, CT: Grolier, 1991. 256-57. ====