Were there playgrounds and jungle gyms in the 1800s and earlier where parents or nannies brought their children to play?

by brannigan3
otakugirl08x

No. The idea of a child only place really only developed among the leisure class of the mid-20th century. Children were treated as small adults who needed preparing for adult life/work. Bruegl's 1560 painting, Children's Games, depict children playing a number of games and is one of the best sources of historical play. Little supervision would be placed on children of the working classes between the ages of dependency (Birth-6 years) to when they would be old enough to work themselves (10 years + depending on type of work). The aristocracy and the merchant class would often send boys away for education or apprenticeship around age 7. Girls were mostly educated at home by either their mother, a tutor or nanny/nurse (for the wealthy), though apprenticeship in a craft like lace-making and other female dominated (or co-op) skilled crafts were common in some places.