Toys and Games of the Past
What toys did our great-grandparents play with? What materials were they made from? How are they different from our own toys?
Pupils will be able to handle original and replica toys of the past from our collections. These include china, wax and wooden dolls, skill toys such as cup and ball and spinning tops, clockwork toys, and optical toys such as a zoetrope.
At the end of the workshop pupils will learn a Victorian parlour game that they can teach to their friends and families back home and at school.


"Great for the children to see, touch and play with real toys from the past."
Heathfield House
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: £125 per workshop of up to 32 children
Learning objective
To explore a variety of toys from the past and to identify and understand the differences and similarities with toys of today.
National Curriculum links
History
- Historical concepts – similarity and difference, continuity and change, making connections
English
- Spoken language and listening skills, role-play, increasing vocabulary
Science
- Everyday materials – identifying and naming a variety of different materials, discussing their properties