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Little Hands

Contents

Introduction

First & Familiar Favorites

Little Hands

Moving Parts

Trivia & General Knowledge

Additional Resources

Playtime has always been an opportunity for children to learn skills. Toys like building blocks and sewing cards helped develop dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Toy soldiers and paper dolls fostered imagination. Spelling games like Magic Blackboard reinforced language development. Equal attention was paid to both practical skills and pretend play in popular toys of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Three three-dimensional paper doll houses labeled "Friendship Boat Club," "Little Folks Hotel," and "Public School" with toy soldiers staged in front.

The New Pretty Village. New York: McLoughlin Bros. 1897. | Toy soldiers. Circa 1950.

The game "Picture Sewing." Multiple pieces of paper with images featuring animals on them. Spools of thread. Some of the cards have been sewn along the illustrated lines.

Picture Sewing: Embroidery for Little Hands. Springfield: Milton Bradley Co. Circa 1900.

Seven stacking blocks with a variety of images: numbers, letters, animals, people.

Stacking blocks. Circa 1900.

Cover of the game "The Magic Blackboard" with the tagline "Every Animal Spells Its Own Name!" An owl is shown pointing at a blackboard reading "LION" with a lion standing nearby. A crowd of animals surrounds the board.
The game "The Magic Blackboard." Cards with pictures of animals and strips of various lengths descending from them are in eight slots. A blackboard with 4 spots is shown with instructions on inserting each card.
The game "The Magic Blackboard." Cards with pictures of animals and strips of various lengths descending from them are in eight slots. The dog card has been inserted into the center. A blackboard with 4 spots is shown, with the word "DOG" written in them.

Magic Blackboard. New York: The Rippon Company. Circa 1900.

First & Familiar Favorites
Moving Parts