Ancient Egyptian Children

The children in Ancient Egypt were very popular and loved. 

It was important that families had children, especially sons, so children were cherished and loved.

Boys

Even though boys were the most popular of all the children, they would sometimes get in trouble. 

The Ancient Egyptians considered boys to be troublemakers even if they were or weren’t.

Most of the time, the boys of Ancient Egypt would be raised to be strong and behaved. 

They would have to be trained by their fathers or by other people so that they would not misbehave or be in trouble.

Girls

Girls were taught to take care of the houses and were taught how to behave but parents were not as strict on the girls as they were on the boys.

Kids

The children were pretty much free to play and have fun until they were around 5 years old.  Their parents would have them play games and do things to get stronger. 

Children would be fed and played with and they had very few responsibilities at this time.  Their main goal was to have fun and play.

Protection

Parents loved and did what they could to protect their children.  Children were considered a gift. 

Children were taken good care of and parents would even buy amulets to help to protect them and bring them luck.  The amulets would be worn by the children or pinned on their clothing.

The problem was that children would sometimes die very young.  Since there were no great doctors at this time or medical help, many children would die from diseases.  Other children would die from animals that were dangerous.

More than one-third of the children of Ancient Egypt would not live to be even one year old.

After 5 Years Old

Children that were over 5 years old would then start to get more responsibilities.  Up until this point, they pretty much played and had fun all day.

When they turned five though, they would start to have a different life.  If the children were from rich families, most likely, they would learn to read and write.  They would be taught mathematics, writing, reading, and science by their family or from tutors.  Sometimes, the tutors were slaves.

Other children would be taught to work.  Children would learn to farm and to make things such as wood crafts or clothing.  Some girls would be taught to take care of their homes and to be homemakers.

During this time, the children did not just work but they also were allowed to play.  Play and work went hand in hand.  If the children worked for a while, they would take a break and would play games or play with their toys.

The games that children would play would be games that would teach them to have good hand and eye coordination or to make them stronger or smarter.

Grave Goods

Another job that the children would have would be making grave goods.  This was not a job that they hated, but one that they loved. 

They would make special things to send to the tombs of their loved ones and this was a special time that parents and children would spend together.

Later

Later, when girls were around 12 years old, they would get married.  Boys would usually stay home until they were in their late teens or early twenties, but the girls would marry young if they found someone that they loved.

Girls and boys would marry young because most people only lived to be around the age of 30 years old and they would want to start their family young.

If a boy or girl did not marry, they would start to work or help take care of their parents. 

They would become farmers, make furniture or jewelry, work in the government, or work on their own land to make food and trade.

Facts About Ancient Egyptian Children

• When a girl or boy’s parents died, the son would get the land and the daughters would get whatever was left in the house such as household goods, jewelry, furniture, or other things.
• If there were only daughters in a household, the daughters would get the land when their parents died.
• Kids loved to play games like marbles and sports games.
• More than half of the Ancient Egyptian children did not live to even be 5 years of age.
• When families could not have children, the mom and dad were encouraged to adopt children.
• No child was ever left alone or to raise themselves, they would be given to another family if their mom and dad died.
• Children were taught that doing good deeds would keep their heart light.

What Did You Learn?

Were children of Ancient Egypt important? 

Yes!  Children of Ancient Egypt were considered very important and were very loved by their families.

Who was given the hardest time growing up, boys or girls?

The boys were given the hardest time growing up because their families thought that they were troublemakers.

What did children do before they turned 5 years of age?

Most children under 5 were given the freedom to play games and to grow.  They had few responsibilities.

What happened after children were 5 years of age?

Children over 5 years old were given responsibilities, some were taught to read, write, do math and science and others were taught to work.

Did Ancient Egyptian children marry young?

Children from Ancient Egypt would marry young because they did not live very long lives.

Why were children so important?

They were important because many of them would die before they were even five years old.