Victorian street life inspired children to role-play adult professions. Alleyways became workshops, shops, or offices. Kids used sticks, stones, or scrap materials to simulate tools. Games taught observation, problem-solving, and negotiation. Peer audiences provided performance feedback. Pretend professions offered insight into economic, social, and technical aspects of adult work. Some children even created small mock transactions with friends or siblings. Play became an avenue for skill development and understanding social roles.
Role-play games developed imagination, vocational understanding, and social interaction.
It illustrates how children learned about society through mimicry in urban environments.
Did you know some children kept scrap “ledgers” or tally sheets to track their pretend shop sales?
[British Library, britishlibrary.uk]