In most parts of Ancient Greece, boys were seen as more important than girls. Boys whose families could pay started school when they were six. They learned to read, do sums and write, and to enjoy poetry and music. They did not have a desks, and they wrote on wax boards with a sharp pen. The girls helped their mothers in the house. They would cook, weave and do housework. Some girls were taught to read and write by their mothers. In Sparta, girls went to school and learned to be fit and strong.

Greek children played with toys which were made of clay or leather.

When she was 15 a girl threw away her toys and married a man chosen by her father.

When he was 16 an Athenian boy trained for a job, perhaps as a craftsman. When he was 18 he became a citizen and could vote. Slaves and women were not allowed to vote.