How We Played

Games from Childhood Past

Games make up a huge part of childhood, and memories of specific games stay with us throughout our lives. They form an integral part of growing up and stimulate imagination and creativity. From hide and seek to complex card and board games, street games that require no equipment to elaborate rainy day amusements, we all have experiences of entertaining ourselves as children. In this fascinating trip down memory lane, former curator of dolls and games at the V&A Museum Caroline Goodfellow explores the history of childhood games and how they have changed from ancient times to the modern day. From ancient board games to childhood pastimes of the Middle Ages through to the street games of the 1950s and 1960s and the experience of children today, she delves into the differences in games over time and region. Bound to awaken distant memories of childhood, her history of this most pleasurable of subjects transports the reader to another time.