What games did they play in Jesus time?

Answer 1

The children of Jesus' time used materials which were readily available. They had constructed shallow sand boxes on the roof of their homes for them to play in. They also had scraps of wood or blocks with which to construct walls and cities of their imagination. The Jews had strict laws concerning "graven images" so they did not play with clay dolls or replicas of any people or animals. Jewish children like most children also played at being grown ups so role playing was a large part of their play life.

The Olympic games were well known throughout the Roman Empire so Jewish children most likely would adapt some of those activities in their play life.

Answer 2

Very little as they did not have a childhood like modern kids.

Children did go to a primitive school in the time of Jesus, but subjects were very different from today. Boys went to be taught by a local rabbi and educated in the Jewish Law, in Biblical Hebrew and in being able to read and write and girls were taught by their mothers how to sew, cook and clean and generally keep a home - as this was their role in Jewish society.

Outside these activities, Jewish children had little spare time as any spare time would be used in helping their mothers around the home. However, they did play games and run around the streets like modern children, but as to the nature of these games we have no real idea.

At the age of just 14 boys underwent a ceremony called a Bar Mitzvah after which they were legally classed as an adult, and so childhood was very short. For girls, their coming of age was even lower, and took place usually from when they started menstruating around the age of 12 or 13. Therefore, unlike modern youngsters, children in those days had little spare time during their short childhoods to play or entertain themselves. Life was hard!

Answer 3

It is really impossible to answer this question because the Bible doesn't tell us. We can however, assume they played common games kids play today. Possibly marbles, ball, who knows what else.

Answer 4

The most popular game in this time period would probably be Tabula, the Roman ancestor of backgammon. They used 3 die. Impomptu Tabula boards have been found scratched into many ruins, including Pompeii and the Forum. The emperor Caudius had a board attached to his carriage.

Answer 5

Noughts and crosses and the mill (3 in a row)