K S2 History U nit 11
Sect ion 5
Teachers ’ Guide
Unit 11:
What was it like for children living in Victorian
Britain?
Section 5: How did different children use their spare time?
Teacher’s Guide
The QCA objectives for this unit are for children to:
consider how attitudes to children and childhood changed over
time
The title of this section can be quite misleading. Although a comparison
of Victorian and modern pastimes is suggested, the section actually uses
leisure/toys as an indication of changing attitudes to childhood. It is a
short section and could be completed in one lesson.
This section offers two activities:
1. A comparison of toys and games from now and then
2. A poster activity
Introduction
Discuss with the class ways in which Victorian childhood was different to
modern childhood:
They had less time owing to either work, or helping around the
house
They had far less money to spend on toys
There were fewer toys available
Childhood was seen as a time when children should be protected
from “immoral” aspects of life, learn family values and moral
principles
The last point is central to this section. Although children still remain
protected from some aspects of adult life today (e.g. parental controls on
K S2 History U nit 11
Sect ion 5
Teachers ’ Guide
internet browsers, restrictions on purchasing alcohol and tobacco) there is
a much greater emphasis on preparation for adulthood, hence the
inclusion of subjects like PSHE and Citizenship in the modern curriculum.
The Victorian curriculum, by contrast, placed more emphasis on prayer
and scripture.
Activity 1 Comparing Toys
Most children will have completed a similar activity in the KS1 History Unit:
How are our t oys different from those in the past ?
Begin by asking the children to think of some popular modern toys.
Place them in the following types:
Games of Skill (PSP, Xbox etc)
Games of imagination (dolls, soft toys)
Exercise (bikes, skipping ropes)
Ask the children to think about toys from the past . If they need
prompting they can use the internet to find examples of traditional
Vict orian Toys or you could borrow some from your local museum

Skill:
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Imagination:
Exercise:
Cup and ball, Jack Straws, Spinning
tops,
Dolls, teddies, dolls’ house
Hoop and stick, bicycles*
*It is worth mentioning bicycles were the lat est technology, and
cost about £20 in 1900 – that’s about £2,000 in today’s money!
The Comparing Toys worksheet can be used to summarize the
activity. It requires the children to draw a Victorian Toy and a
modern toy then write a brief description of each. Encourage the
children to think about the type of play, materials and power
sources.
Ask each child to choose a toy and categorise it as:
Being an indoor or outdoor toy
Being made from a particular material
Having a particular power source (electricity,
clockwork)
K S2 History U nit 11
Activity 2
Sect ion 5
Teachers ’ Guide
Changing Attitudes to Childhood
This activity begins with a comparison between advertisements from the
Victorian era and the present day.
A Victorian advertisement has been provided. Ask the children to
find their own modern advertisements aimed at children (ie toys &
sweets) from magazines or the internet.
Get the children to think of some words that describe the
advertisement s. The Victorian advertisement depict s childhood as
wholesome, innocent, healthy, and virtuous.
The modern advertisements, by contrast are more likely to be cool,
exciting, fashionable, and trendy.
Now ask the children to design a poster for either the old or the new
toys they described in Activity 1: Comparing Toys, encouraging
them to include words appropriate to the time. Use these posters to
create a display, using arrows to indicate the main differences and
highlight the change in attitudes to childhood between then and
now.
K S2 History U nit 11
Sect ion 5
Teachers ’ Guide
KS2 History Unit 11
Section 5
Activity 1
Victorian Toy
Modern Toy
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