Children in History

Most history classes look at what life was like for adults, but in this class we will explore what it was like to grow up and be a child at different points in history. We'll learn about different toys, what children did all day and what they wore. We'll look at famous children from history such as Tutankhamen and think about what life would have been like in different points in the past. We'll talk about what school was like in the past (and who went to school) and think about how children learnt if they didn't go to school. Learning about what life was like for children is a great way to engage young learners with history, to capture their interests and to encourage young learners to think about what life is like for people who live in circumstances different to them.

Classes will be discussion based, with prompts from me as the teacher. Learners will be encouraged to build upon what other learners have said. We will use a number of different images to prompt the discussion, including images of toys, paintings and 

Each week, we will focus on a different time period and geographical location. A brief background on the time period of the week will be given, before we focus on answering the central question: 'What was it like to be a child during this time?" No prior knowledge is needed for any of the sessions. There will be a small amount of writing each week, however it is not necessary for your learner to be able to read as I will make sure the key information is read aloud.


Week commencing 4th September
Childhood in the Persian Empire

Week commencing 11th September
Childhood in the Mongolian Empire 

Week commencing 18th September
Childhood in Regency England

Week commencing 25th September
Childhood in in Ancient Egypt 

Week Commencing 9th October
Childhood in Italian Renaissance

Week Commencing 16th October
Childhood in 1960s South Korea

Week Commencing 23rd October
Childhood in Anglo-Saxon England

Week Commencing 30th October
Childhood in Imperial Russia

Week Commencing 6th November
Children in the 1990s

Week Commencing 13th November
Havasupai Children

Week Commencing 20th November
Children in Pre-history

Week Commencing 27th November
Children in 1800s Canada

Week Commencing 4th December
Childhood in the Ancient Greece

Week Commencing 11th December
Childhood in 1960s Russia

Week Commencing 18th December
Childhood for American Pilgrims and the Wampanoag

Week Commencing 1st January
Childhood on the Oregon Trail

Week Commencing 8th January
Childhood in Ancient Rome

Week Commencing 15th January
Childhood for Australian convict children

Week commencing 22nd January
Childhood in the Aztec Empire

Week Commencing 29th January
Childhood in Elizabethan England

Week Commencing 5th February
Childhood in the Victorian Era

Week Commencing 12th February
Childhood for Sami children

Week Commencing 19th February
Childhood in the Mayan Empire

Week commencing 26th February
Childhood in WW2 Britain

Week commencing 4th March
Childhood in the Viking times

Week commencing 11th March
Childhood in the Indus Valley

Week commencing 18th March
Childhood in World War 1

Week commencing 25th March
Childhood in the 1980s

Week commencing 1st April
Childhood in Ancient China (Shang and Zhou dynasties)

Week commencing 8th April
Childhood in 1920s USA

Week commencing 15th April
Childhood in Meiji Restoration Japan (1868-1912)

Week commencing 22nd April
Childhood in the 1960s

Week commencing 29th April
Childhood in the Persian Empire 

Week commencing 6th May
Childhood in the Mongolian Empire