History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Local Celebrations and Traditions

Active learning works because young children connect emotionally to celebrations they can see and touch. When they walk, listen, and make things with their hands, they build lasting memories about local traditions and why they matter.

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

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Whole Class

Community Walk: Local Festival Trail

Plan a short walk around the school neighbourhood to spot signs of past celebrations, like plaques or decorations. Pupils sketch what they see and note questions for later. Back in class, share drawings and discuss findings.

Can you name a celebration or tradition that is special to our local area?

Facilitation Tip

During the Community Walk, carry a simple map with marked stops so children know exactly where to go and what to look for.

What to look for

Provide each student with a drawing of a local celebration. Ask them to write or draw one thing that has changed about this celebration over time and one thing that has stayed the same.

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

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Pairs

Interview Station: Family Stories

Set up stations with props like old photos. Pupils in pairs practise questions like 'What local tradition did you enjoy as a child?' then interview a volunteer grandparent or teacher. Record answers on sticky notes.

Why do you think this local tradition started, and what does it mean to people?

Facilitation Tip

Set up the Interview Station with labelled photo cards and sentence stems to guide children’s questions.

What to look for

Show the class a photograph of a local celebration from the past and one from the present. Ask: 'What do you notice is different between these two pictures? What do you notice is the same? Why do you think these changes happened?'

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

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Timeline Build: Tradition Changes

Provide images of a local celebration from different years. Small groups sort them chronologically on a class timeline strip, adding labels for changes like 'more people now'. Present to the class.

How has this local celebration changed or stayed the same over time?

Facilitation Tip

For the Timeline Build, pre-cut strips of different colored paper so each event has its own space and children can physically move them.

What to look for

During a class discussion about a local tradition, ask students to give a thumbs up if they can name one person or group who helps make the tradition happen. Then ask them to give a thumbs up if they can explain one reason why the tradition is important to the community.

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

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 40 min · Small Groups

Role Play: Festival Scene

Assign roles from a local tradition, such as dancers or stall holders. Practise simple actions and dialogue in small groups, then perform for the class while explaining what happens at the event.

Can you name a celebration or tradition that is special to our local area?

Facilitation Tip

Role Play works best if you provide props and a short script outline so children focus on expressing the tradition, not inventing the whole scene.

What to look for

Provide each student with a drawing of a local celebration. Ask them to write or draw one thing that has changed about this celebration over time and one thing that has stayed the same.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by starting with the concrete—their own street or village—so children feel ownership. Avoid generic festivals; instead, focus on what pupils can observe or hear from family. Research shows that when children collect real evidence through walks and interviews, their understanding of change over time becomes authentic and memorable.

By the end of the unit, pupils can name two local celebrations, describe one change and one constant in those celebrations, and explain who helps make them happen. Success looks like confident sharing in pairs, clear labels on timelines, and respectful listening during interviews.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Community Walk, watch for children who assume every decorated shop or banner belongs to an old tradition. Redirect them by asking, ‘Is this new or old? How can we tell?’ and have them check dates on notices or ask shopkeepers.

  During the Interview Station, help children notice that many traditions began recently by prompting them to ask, ‘When did this festival start?’ and listening for answers like ‘My mum started this bake sale five years ago.’

• During the Timeline Build activity, children may think all traditions look exactly the same in old photos. Pause and ask them to compare details such as costumes or food to spot small but important changes.

  During the Role Play activity, ask children to change one element in their scene, like adding a phone or a different food, to show how traditions adapt while keeping their core meaning.

• During the Community Walk, some children may say festivals are the same everywhere. Gather them around a local map and ask, ‘Who celebrates this? Where else?’ to highlight unique local traditions.

  During the Timeline Build, display a simple Venn diagram on the board and have children place pictures of traditions inside or outside the overlapping area to show what is shared and what is local.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inside-Outside Circle
• Role Play