Medieval Children

A common misconception about medieval children is that they were treated like adults and expected to behave like adults as soon as they could walk and talk.
This does not mean that children were never expected to do any household work or help their parents. But for the younger members of the family, this took the form of chores such as carrying water, herding geese and gathering fruit. The time spent on these activities was only a small part of the day; for the most part, the great majority of a child's early years were spent in play.

Don Diego son of Phillip II of Spain

Sons of nobles were expected to become knights. Boy’s playthings like
wooden swords and shields were not so much toys as training tools.
When the lessons were over, young lords spent most of their time
with toy soldiers.
For the lower classes, figures were made from clay or carved out of wood.
Those who could afford them, had toys made out of silver or even gold.
Hobby horses, too were popular with the budding knights.
With a stick and a little imagination, a boy could ride off to conquer the world.
It is more likely that the hobby-horse was a universal toy, appearing at different times in history among children at a period when their fathers and elder brothers were permanently on horse-back.