History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Grandparents' Toys: Materials and Design

Active learning works for this topic because firsthand exploration of materials helps young learners move beyond abstract ideas to concrete understanding. Handling replicas of old toys lets children notice details that photos cannot capture, building a foundation for historical thinking.

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

• 15–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Material Detectives

Set up four stations with different toys: wooden blocks, a tin wind-up toy, a rag doll, and a modern plastic action figure. Students rotate in small groups to touch the toys and record if they feel cold, hard, soft, or heavy.

What do you notice about the toys your grandparents used to play with?

Facilitation Tip

For Material Detectives, place one replica toy at each station and have students record findings on a simple checklist with columns for material, colour, and texture.

What to look for

Provide students with two toy pictures, one old and one new. Ask them to draw one line connecting a feature of the old toy to a similar feature on the new toy, and one line connecting a different feature to a contrasting feature. They should label one pair 'Same' and one pair 'Different'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Mystery Object

Show the class an image of a Victorian spinning top or a cup-and-ball game. Students think about how it might work, discuss with a partner, and then share their ideas with the class before a live demonstration.

How are old toys the same as or different from the toys you have?

Facilitation Tip

During The Mystery Object, pause after the think phase to remind pairs to describe the object’s shape, size, and what they think it might do before guessing its use.

What to look for

Hold up a wooden block and a plastic building brick. Ask: 'How are these two objects the same? How are they different?' Then ask: 'Which one feels heavier? Which one do you think would break more easily? Why?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 20 min · Small Groups

Role Play: Grandparents' Playtime

Students act out a scene where they have no batteries or screens and must entertain themselves with a hoop and stick or marbles. This helps them experience the physical nature of older games.

Which old toy would you most like to play with, and why?

Facilitation Tip

In Role Play, model the first turn by speaking in short phrases and simple sentences as an elderly person, then invite hesitant students to repeat the pattern with a peer.

What to look for

Show students images of various toys (e.g., a wooden train, a rag doll, a metal car, a plastic action figure). Ask students to hold up one finger if the toy is mostly made of wood, two fingers for metal, three for cloth, and four for plastic.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should focus on sensory exploration and storytelling rather than abstract timelines. Avoid overloading with names of historical periods; instead, link materials directly to sensory experiences such as weight, sound, or feel. Research shows that firsthand contact with objects strengthens memory and chronological reasoning in young children.

Successful learning looks like pupils confidently naming materials, describing how toys were used, and explaining at least one key difference between old and new toys. They should show curiosity about why materials changed and share observations with peers.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Material Detectives, watch for students who dismiss old toys as 'boring' because they lack lights or sounds.

  Use the wooden spinning top and rag ball at the station. Ask students to spin the top and toss the ball, then prompt them to describe the fun they had without electronic help and how their bodies moved differently.

• During The Mystery Object, watch for students who assume old toys were always colourless.

  Set out the brightly painted tin horse and patchwork doll at the mystery object station. Invite students to describe the colours before guessing the toy’s use, directly countering the 'colourless past' idea.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Think-Pair-Share
• Role Play