4.8 Leisure in the Colonies

​While most colonists worked hard, they enjoyed their periods of leisure (time away from work). They also took advantage of gatherings, such as town meetings and Sunday services, to talk with neighbors and make friends.

​Adults enjoyed several sports. One popular sport was lawn bowling where men would roll egg-shaped balls down a lane of grass toward a white ball called a jack. Colonists also played a game similar to backgammon called tick-tack and a form of billiards (pool) called trock.

​Fairs were held throughout the colonies where colonists could compete in contests of skill and artistry. There were footraces, wrestling matches, dance contests, and wild scrambles to see who could win a prize by catching a greased pig or climbing a greased pole.

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What does the saying, "Many hands make light work," mean to you?

 When possible, colonists combined work and recreation by organizing “bees” and “frolics.” New settlers might hold a “chopping bee” in which all the neighbors helped clear the trees off their land. Other frolics included corn-husking bees for men and quilting bees for women. Sharing the work increased the production of goods while also making the work more enjoyable.

​Other people participated in house and barn raisings throughout the colonies. At these events, neighbors joined together to build the frame of a house or barn in one day. The men assembled the four walls flat on the ground and then raised them into place. Meanwhile, the women prepared a huge feast. At the end of the day, everyone danced on the barn's new floor.

 Colonial children had a few basic toys, such as dolls, marbles, and tops. They played tag, blindman's bluff, and stoolball, which was related to the English game of cricket (a game like baseball). Children in New England also enjoyed coasting down snowy hills on sleds, although adults must have thought coasting was dangerous because several communities forbade it.