| Children from working class families | Children from rich families |
|---|---|
| had few luxuries. ate poor food worked long hours lived in damp, filthy conditions. Many children died of disease. | usually well fed, clean and well clothed. didn’t need to work went on holidays had expensive toys had pets such as ponies. |
What was life like for children during the Victorian times?
Life for Victorian children was very different from our lives today. Children in rich households had toys to play with and did not have to work, but children in poor households often had to work long hours in difficult, dangerous jobs. They didn’t have toys to play with but sometimes made their own.
How did poverty affect Victorian children?
There were children living with their families in these desperate situations but there were also numerous, homeless, destitute children living on the streets of London. Many children were turned out of home and left to fend for themselves at an early age and many more ran away because of ill treatment.
What did a poor Victorian child play with?
The toys children played with in Victorian times often depended on how wealthy their family was. Children from rich families played with rocking horses, train sets, doll’s houses and toy soldiers, whereas children from poor families tended to play with home-made toys such as peg dolls, spinning tops and skipping ropes.
Did poor Victorian children go to school?
Where did poor Victorians go to school? Poor children sometimes had the opportunity of attending a church school, but these schools had very poor facilities with class sizes of up to 100 children. However, from 1880 the law changed and all children between the ages of 5 to 10 had to go to school.
How did Victorians punish children for poor behavior?
Boys were usually caned on their backsides and girls were either beaten on their bare legs or across their hands. A pupil could receive a caning for a whole range of different reasons, including: rudeness, leaving a room without permission, laziness, not telling the truth and playing truant (missing school).
How much did a Victorian child get paid?
In 1830, a child working in a cotton mill earned just one tenth of an adult’s wages. Most factory owners and businessmen were very happy to employ children as they did not have to pay them very much, so they could make more profit. Click here to find out more about Victorian jobs!
What was school like for poor Victorian children?
‘Ragged’ Schools were set up in 1844 for children who were in extreme poverty. These schools offered them free lessons and a meal every day. In 1872 the Education (Scotland) Act made it the law that all children aged 5 to 13 years old had to go to school.
What was school like for the poorest children in Victorian times?
Poor children went to free charity schools or ‘Dame’ schools (so called because they were run by women) for young children. They also went to Sunday Schools which were run by churches. There they learnt bible stories and were taught to read a little.
How does being poor affect a child?
Particularly at its extremes, poverty can negatively affect how the body and mind develop, and can actually alter the fundamental architecture of the brain. Children who experience poverty have an increased likelihood, extending into adulthood, for numerous chronic illnesses, and for a shortened life expectancy.
How did Victorians treat the poor?
Poor people could work in mines, in mills and factories, or in workhouses. Whole families would sometimes have to work so they’d all have enough money to buy food. Children in poor families would have jobs that were best done by people who weren’t very tall.
How much did poor Victorians get paid?
A labourer’s average wage was between 20 and 30 shillings a week in London, probably less in the provinces. This would just cover his rent, and a very sparse diet for him and his family.
What did a poor Victorian girl wear?
Poor Victorian women wore thin dirty dresses which were dark colours and made from cotton or wool because silk and linen would be far too expensive and wouldn’t last as long as they needed them to last for ages.
Did poor Victorians have toilets?
In reality, bathrooms were not commonplace in the Victorian Era. The conversion of older houses to include bathrooms did not take place until the late 1800s. It was not until the 1900s that all but the smallest houses were built with an upstairs bathroom and toilet.
How were children treated in Victorian schools?
The teacher would make sure that lessons were hard work, repetitive and really not much fun. Boys and girls were educated differently, girls were taught needlework and home-making skills and boys woodwork. Children were expected to work hard at school and do well at exams.
What were working and living conditions like for poor Victorian children?
Children worked very long hours with little breaks and no fresh air. They often worked in very dangerous conditions resulting in injuries or even death. There was no education for the poor, so it was very unlikely they could get better paid jobs when they were older.
How did Victorian parents punish their kids?
Parents Used Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment was the norm in Victorian times, and children could expect to get a beating if they did even minimally naughty things.
How did Victorian parents punish their children?
Although most did not physically strike their children, they did resort to other forms of punishment such as locking the child in a closet, sending them to their room or having their allowance taken away.
What were punishments for Victorian children?
Victorian school punishments
Students could be caned or forced to wear a dunce hat for answering questions incorrectly. If they didn’t sit straight, a wooden back board was pressed into their back. Their fingers could be tied behind their backs in wooden finger stocks if they were caught fidgeting.
What would a poor Victorian child get for Christmas?
In a “poor child’s” Christmas stocking, which first became popular from around 1870, only an apple, orange and a few nuts could be found. Father Christmas / Santa Claus – Normally associated with the bringer of the above gifts, is Father Christmas or Santa Claus.
What jobs did children do in a workhouse?
Instead, the education the children did receive was vocational, and completely dependent on their gender, age and ability. Furthermore, children were made to work, often doing manual labour and occasionally ‘hired out’ to factories and mines.