12. LIFE AS ... A CHILD

The archaeology of childhood explores how children lived, learned and participated in past societies through material traces such as toys, footprints, tools used for learning skills, burials and the remains of everyday activities. For a long time, archaeology focused mainly on adults, but research now shows that children were active members of their communities, learning, contributing and shaping social life. Studying childhood in the past also reminds us that there has never been a single, universal way of understanding what childhood is. Ideas about care, learning, responsibility and belonging have changed across time and cultures. The notion that children should have dedicated spaces for learning rather than working, for example, is relatively recent. In this series of sessions, pupils explore the past through the lens of children, discovering how young people lived in different historical periods and cultures. By examining the evidence archaeologists use to study childhood, pupils are encouraged to ask questions, think critically about past societies and reflect on how our own ideas about childhood have developed over time. 

All these sessions are available in person and online