History · Year 1 · Homes and Daily Life · Autumn Term

Children's Daily Routines: Past vs. Present

Comparing the typical daily activities and responsibilities of a child today with those of a child from a century ago.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

About This Topic

This topic helps Year 1 children compare their daily routines with those of children from 100 years ago. They examine differences in morning tasks, household chores like fetching water or polishing shoes, school journeys, and play with toys such as hoops or skipping ropes. Primary sources including old photographs, diaries, and oral histories provide evidence of changes from inventions, compulsory education, and shorter workdays for children. These align with KS1 History standards on changes within living memory.

Children answer key questions about past home jobs, routine differences, and preferences for past or present life. This builds skills in chronological awareness, comparison, and using evidence to explain change. Discussions reveal how technology and laws transformed childhood, connecting history to their own lives and encouraging empathy for past generations.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly because children engage directly with the past through handling artefacts and reenacting routines. Sorting activities and role play make abstract changes concrete, boost retention, and spark curiosity about family histories.

Key Questions

1. What jobs do you think children had to do at home a long time ago?
2. How is your morning today different from a child's morning a hundred years ago?
3. Would you rather have lived in the past or now? Why do you think that?

Learning Objectives

• Compare daily routines of children today with those of children 100 years ago, identifying at least three key differences.
• Explain how specific inventions, such as the washing machine or telephone, changed children's daily chores.
• Classify household tasks performed by children in the past as essential or non-essential for survival.
• Justify a preference for living in the past or present, using at least two specific reasons related to daily life.

Before You Start

My Family and Home

Why: Students need a basic understanding of their own home and family members to compare their routines with those of the past.

Basic Needs: Food, Water, Shelter

Why: Understanding fundamental needs helps children grasp why certain chores, like fetching water or preparing food, were so important in the past.

Key Vocabulary

Chore	A routine task, especially a household one, that a child might be expected to do.
Appliance	A device or piece of equipment designed to perform a specific task, typically a domestic one, like a washing machine or vacuum cleaner.
Coal scuttle	A container, often metal, used for carrying coal to a fire.
Penny	A small unit of British currency, representing a much larger portion of a family's income a century ago than it does today.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Children in the past never went to school.

What to Teach Instead

Many children attended school irregularly due to work duties, but compulsory education from 1870 changed this. Showing old school photos and class debates help students revise ideas. Active sorting of evidence cards clarifies attendance patterns over time.

Common Misconception

Life in the past had no play or fun.

What to Teach Instead

Children played with marbles, dolls, and street games despite chores. Role play activities let students experience and compare play, revealing similarities. Group sharing corrects the view by highlighting joys in both eras.

Common Misconception

The past was always much harder and worse.

What to Teach Instead

Some aspects improved with technology, but past children had community play and simpler lives. Timeline walks and preference discussions balance views. Hands-on prop use shows trade-offs, fostering nuanced thinking.

Active Learning Ideas

Sorting Cards: Past and Present Routines

Provide picture cards showing activities like scrubbing floors or using tablets. In small groups, children sort cards into 'past' and 'present' piles and justify choices with evidence from class displays. Groups share one surprising difference with the class.

30 min·Small Groups

Role Play: Morning Routines

Divide class into pairs to act out a modern morning then switch to a 1920s version using props like aprons and buckets. Pairs perform for the group and note three differences on sticky notes. Conclude with whole-class vote on preferred routine.

40 min·Pairs

Timeline Wall: Daily Changes

As a whole class, build a shared timeline on the wall with drawings of routines from 'now' to '100 years ago'. Children add personal contributions after viewing source images. Discuss how positions show change over time.

45 min·Whole Class

Artefact Hunt: Home Chores

Hide replica artefacts like a candle or coal scuttle around the room. Individually, children find one, draw it, and write or say what past chore it links to and the modern equivalent.

25 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Museums like the Beamish Museum in County Durham recreate village life from the past, allowing visitors to see how children lived and what their daily tasks were.
• Grandparents or older relatives can share personal stories and photographs, providing direct accounts of childhood routines from the mid-20th century, which is within living memory for many.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with two simple drawings: one of a child fetching water from a well, and another of a child using a modern tap. Ask them to write one sentence comparing the two tasks and one sentence explaining why the task changed.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you have to help your family before school. What is one job you do now? What is one job a child might have done 100 years ago?' Encourage them to use vocabulary like 'chore' and 'appliance' in their answers.

Quick Check

Show images of old toys (e.g., hoop and stick, spinning top) and modern toys (e.g., tablet, action figure). Ask students to point to the toys they think children played with a long time ago and explain one way playing then was different from playing now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What primary sources work best for Year 1 daily routines topic?

Old photographs of children at chores, school logbooks, and family stories provide accessible evidence. Replica toys like wooden hoops or teddies make sources tangible. Display them on tables for rotation viewing, prompting children to spot routine differences and link to their lives. This builds historical enquiry skills early.

How to structure key questions in lessons on past vs present routines?

Start with 'What jobs did past children do at home?' using images for paired talk. Follow with 'How is your morning different?' for drawing comparisons. End with 'Past or present: why?' in circle time votes. This sequence scaffolds from observation to opinion, meeting KS1 progression.

How can active learning deepen understanding of historical changes in routines?

Activities like role playing chores or sorting routine cards give direct experience of past demands, contrasting modern ease. Children physically mimic tasks such as hand-washing clothes, then discuss feelings. This embodiment aids memory, corrects misconceptions, and connects abstract change to personal relevance for lasting impact.

How to differentiate this topic for varying abilities in Year 1?

Provide sentence starters for lower attainers during discussions, like 'In the past, children...'. Extend higher ones with family interviews for homework timelines. Use visual timelines and props for all, with peer buddies in groups. Regular checks via thumbs up/down ensure inclusive progress.