History can be a complex subject in traditional schooling, often covering various periods in a disjointed manner. Home education offers the unique opportunity to approach history in a way that suits your child’s interests and abilities. By exploring history chronologically or focusing on specific topics of interest, you can help your child build a coherent understanding of the past.

Engaging Approaches to Learning History

• Focus on Interests
  • Connect history to your child’s passions, whether it’s the evolution of food, transport, or sports. For example, delve into the history of skateboarding if that’s a particular interest.
• Role-Play and Costumes
  • Encourage your child to dress up in historical costumes or recreate historical events. Museums often offer interactive experiences that can bring history to life.
• Mini Dioramas
  • Create mini dioramas of historical scenes, such as a Stone Age village, to explore details like homes, food, and animals.
• Local History Exploration
  • Investigate the history of your local area. Role-play being historians and look for historical signs in buildings, road names, and artefacts.
• Connect with the Elderly
  • Engage with elderly family members or community residents to learn about their past experiences. Trace your family tree or use professional sites like Ancestry.com to explore your heritage.
• Library Visits
  • Use your local library to find books on local and world history. Libraries can often order specific titles or provide access to biographies and autobiographies.
• Museum Visits
  • Take trips to local and national museums to experience history firsthand.
• Field Trips
  • Incorporate historical exploration during trips to visit family or on holidays. Look for historical sites and landmarks in the region you are visiting.
• Create a Timeline
  • Develop a timeline to track historical events and topics. This can be focused on British history or world history, helping your child visualise the progression of events.
• Educational Programs
  • Watch educational programs like Horrible Histories for a humorous take on history. Use the internet for additional research on historical topics.
• Project Creation
  • Encourage your child to create a book, poster, display, or PowerPoint presentation of their findings.
• Advanced Historical Skills
  • As children grow older, introduce them to checking sources of evidence, cross-referencing, and other historian skills. Older children might also explore current events and their historical context.
• Learning Portfolio
  • Document your child’s learning journey using apps like Collage to build a comprehensive portfolio.

National Curriculum Overview

For those seeking a more structured approach, here’s a summary of the National Curriculum for History at the Primary phase:

• Key Stage 1:
  • Changes within living memory.
  • Significant events beyond living memory, such as the Great Fire of London.
  • Lives of significant individuals, e.g., Christopher Columbus and Rosa Parks.
• Key Stage 2:
  • Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
  • The Roman Empire’s impact on Britain.
  • The Anglo-Saxon and Viking period.
  • Local history studies.
  • Themes in British history post-1066, e.g., the changing power of monarchs.

Resources

National Curriculum

Oak Academy

Horrible Histories

National Geographic Kids

The Tudors

The Romans

Victorians

History resources for teenagers

British Museum

Ancient Greece – Covers many aspects of ancient Greek culture

Tudor history –Great links about everything to do with the Tudors

British History – Information about many of the famous people in UK history