Hobbies And Interests
Victorian Dress Up Race
Have the children divide into teams with equal numbers of players. Make sure each team has an equal number of girls and boys. Collect dress-up items to create a Victorian maid costume for the girls: long dark dress, white frilled apron, mob cap and shawl. For the boys, gather the items for a Victorian street urchin costume: breeches, vest, jacket, flat cap and neck scarf. Make sure the clothes are large enough for the children to put on easily. Place the items for each costume in separate boxes about 10 feet away from the starting line. Have the kids line up. At the word "go," the first player in each line runs to his box of clothes and puts them on over his own clothes. He then takes them off again, places them back in the box and runs and tags the next player before joining the back of the line. The whole process is repeated until everyone in the line has had a turn. The first team to finish is the winner.
Victorian Scavenger Hunt
Gather budget-friendly pieces of clothing to use for this game by searching through closets and thrift stores. Make simple aprons and mob caps from old white sheeting. Hide items of clothing around the yard or school playground for children to find in a scavenger hunt. Before they start, write the items they will need to find on pieces of paper. For example, write "Victorian maid: long dark dress, white apron, mob cap and shawl." The first child to complete her costume wins a prize.
Afternoon Tea
There was a great divide between rich and poor in Victorian times. Have some of the children dress as fine Victorian ladies and gentlemen and others dress as maids or footmen. Play this simply as a pretend game, or serve tea in china cups with finger sandwiches and small cakes or cookies. Let the children take turns being the fine ladies and gentlemen or the servants.
Parlor Games
The Victorians loved playing parlor games like charades, still a popular game today. Another favorite was blind man's bluff. One person is chosen and is blindfolded. The other players skip around him until he catches one of them. He must then try to identify the person he has caught. If he guesses incorrectly, the player is freed. However if he is correct, that player must then take his turn to be blindfolded.