I understand things like working at home, but I read somewhere that kids were going to work in the early 1900s as young as 7! Have you met a 7 year old? I wouldn’t trust them to be alone for more than 10 minutes much less running machinery or taking client calls in an office. I guess it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around a child that young doing a job (and doing it well). I guess that’s a good thing because it shows how far we’ve come in terms of parenting, etc. Curious to hear some answers! Thanks!
If you were born into a rich family, you would have a chance of getting an education and enjoying spare time as you see fit.
Children born into poor families were more often then not forced into child labour, this could be any age, and usually the jobs would change as the child got bigger. Coal Mines were a popular (and dangerous) choice for children, as they could fit in the smaller gaps needed to dig farther into the mine. Another popular job for children was a chimney sweep, once again children were the right size to be dropped in the top, and lowered down as they brush the walls of the chimney.
Mills, field and farm work were usually safer jobs, and would cause less health issues in the future, but the hours would be so long, from sun up to sun down, that the children would be extremely exhausted by the time the days over, voiding them from learning any social skills. A lot of these children grew up to learn to fight for the army, forced into war, and if they survived that they had the option of having kids themself, and letting the cycle of child labour continue.