Here at Springboard, we offer a wide range of history activities and learning resources to support lesson plans and the national curriculum from KS1 to KS2. Our range of fun and interactive history activities will help bring the subject alive in the classroom and encourage pupils to learn all about past civilisations like the Vikings, Mayans, and ancient Egyptians. Having an engaging method of learning about those who came before us allows the next generation to not only better themselves individually but also as a collective.
Why are history based primary school activities important?
Thinking about your own KS1 and KS2 history lessons might feel like history in itself, but it’s a vital part of early education. Learning about history helps children to understand their place in the world and in the long history of people that came before them.
Yes, obviously children will learn the chronology of world events through primary school history activities and lessons, but they’ll learn so much more. They’ll begin to understand actions and consequences on a grander scale, and some of those consequences will help to teach them empathy. History also sheds light on their own lives and allows children to learn from the successes and failures of others. It sets the ball rolling early for critical thinking, a skill they’ll need throughout their lives.
There are many ways to engage primary children with school history activities, including model kits, role play, timelines, artefacts and photos, and even some games. Let’s explore this a little more!
How to engage children about history with primary school activities
Children benefit significantly from being helped to grasp chronology when it comes to events and eras. This can be done with a range of visual aids such as timelines - we’ve got some on technology and homes. This allows children to work out where they are now and where the era they’re discussing is in relation to them.
Simply talking about history is a primary school activity in itself. It is a topic that is deeply rooted in storytelling, which is why children benefit from being given an individual, a protagonist to root for while learning. When teaching about the Victorian era, focusing on Florence Nightingale or Mary Seacole helps pupils understand the impact of war and the conditions of the time. Or looking at Charles Dickens can teach them about morality, London, social concerns and the industrialisation of the same era. Or teach children about women’s rights by introducing them to the Pankhursts - there are so many possibilities.
Bringing objects into the classroom makes the perfect engaging historical primary school activity. Items for children to look at and touch help to bring the (hi)story to life, whether it’s costumes or trinkets - small items have the ability to transport children way back in time. Our historical artefact packs range from Vikings or ancient Greece to Maya and the Stone Age. Each artefact pack contains many primary school activities for your history lessons, with objects, stencils, photocards and much more. There’s hours of learning fun in each pack.
Historical role-play is a primary school activity that breathes life into old stories and tales and actually encourages and nurtures empathy in children. The introduction of something active helps children to focus, and teachers can guide the role-play by asking pointed questions that are relevant to the topic. The activity itself allows children to think on their feet, literally. Using props during this activity can elevate the learning potential further. For example, you can have children make their own Greek tragedy masks and re-enact plays to experience how they would be used and why. It’s fun and memorable - what more could you want from teaching!
Another widely successful teaching method that makes an excellent primary school history activity is games. Children go wild for them, and they learn something in between, too. We have the childhood classic ‘snap’ available in a range of historical periods, including the Ages and early Islamic civilisation. It’s so much fun you may even want to give it a go yourself.
Shop primary school history activities today
Take a look at all we have to offer for your classroom in the way of history based primary school activities. Use us as your springboard for engaging, immersive and impactful primary school history activities and lessons.
