History · Year 1 · Toys and Play Through Time · Autumn Term

Personal Toy Histories and Comparisons

Discussing individual favourite toys and drawing comparisons with historical examples.

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

About This Topic

This topic invites Year 1 children to share their favourite toys and reasons for loving them, then compare these with toys from the past. It aligns with KS1 History requirements to explore changes within living memory through toys and play. Children discuss key questions like whether Victorian children would enjoy modern toys, and how to discover past playthings using photos, stories, or museum visits. Simple comparisons highlight shifts in materials from wood and cloth to plastic, and play styles from skill-building to battery-powered fun.

The unit fosters historical skills such as questioning, observing evidence, and sequencing events in a child's lifetime or grandparents' era. It connects to personal, social, and emotional development as children value their own experiences alongside others. Teachers can source artefacts like rag dolls or spinning tops to make the past tangible.

Active learning thrives in this topic because children actively share, handle replicas, and collaborate on timelines. These methods turn abstract change into personal stories, boosting engagement, memory retention, and confidence in historical thinking. Hands-on comparisons ensure every child contributes, making lessons inclusive and memorable.

Key Questions

1. What is your favourite toy and why do you love it?
2. Do you think a child from a long time ago would enjoy playing with your toys? Why?
3. How could you find out about the toys children played with in the past?

Learning Objectives

• Compare their own favourite toys with historical toy examples.
• Explain how toys have changed over time, referencing materials and play styles.
• Identify methods for researching historical toys, such as looking at photographs or visiting museums.
• Classify toys based on the era they might belong to, using visual evidence.

Before You Start

My Family and Celebrations

Why: Students have experience discussing personal and family histories, which helps them relate to the idea of 'a long time ago'.

Objects Around Us

Why: Students have begun to identify and describe everyday objects, providing a foundation for discussing different types of toys.

Key Vocabulary

Artefact	An object made by a person, often from the past, such as a toy or tool.
Living memory	Events or experiences that people alive today can remember or have been told about by older relatives.
Material	The substance from which something is made, like wood, cloth, or plastic.
Compare	To look at two or more things to see how they are similar or different.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Toys from the past were exactly like today's toys.

What to Teach Instead

Show side-by-side images of wooden pull-along toys versus plastic remote-control cars. Active group sorting helps children spot material and function differences through touch and talk, correcting the idea that nothing has changed.

Common Misconception

Children long ago did not play with toys.

What to Teach Instead

Use stories and replica artefacts to reveal common toys like hoops or marbles. Hands-on play with replicas lets children experience past fun, challenging the view through direct engagement and peer discussion.

Common Misconception

Old toys were boring and simple.

What to Teach Instead

Demonstrate skills needed for cup-and-ball games. Pair activities where children try replicas build empathy, as they discover challenge and joy, shifting views via trial and shared success stories.

Active Learning Ideas

Circle Time Share: Favourite Toys

Children sit in a circle and pass a toy basket. Each child holds a favourite toy, shares why they love it, and passes it on. Record key words on a class chart for later comparison. End with a group vote on most surprising reason.

20 min·Whole Class

Pairs Draw and Compare: Then and Now

In pairs, children draw their toy next to a historical toy image provided. They label differences like colour or material. Pairs share one comparison with the class.

25 min·Pairs

Small Groups Sort: Toy Timeline

Provide toy pictures from now, grandparents' time, and great-grandparents' time. Groups sort them into a timeline strip, discuss changes, and present to class.

30 min·Small Groups

Individual Family Interview: Old Toys

Children take home a simple interview sheet to ask family about past toys. Next lesson, they share findings and add to class display.

15 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Museum curators, like those at the V&A Museum of Childhood, collect, preserve, and display toys from different historical periods so that people can learn about the past.
• Toy designers today draw inspiration from historical toys, sometimes creating modern versions of classic playthings or incorporating traditional materials into new designs.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Give each child a picture of a historical toy (e.g., a wooden spinning top) and a picture of a modern toy (e.g., a remote-control car). Ask them to draw one way the toys are different and one way they might be the same.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you met a child from 100 years ago. What would you show them about your favourite toy? What would you ask them about their favourite toy?' Record their ideas on a chart.

Quick Check

Show students a collection of toy images, some historical and some modern. Ask them to point to or name toys that a child from 'a long time ago' might have played with, and explain their reasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you introduce historical toys to Year 1?

Start with familiar modern toys in circle time, then transition to images or replicas of Victorian or wartime toys. Use simple stories like 'The Rag Doll' to spark interest. Build a class display with labelled examples, encouraging children to point out similarities first, which eases into differences and keeps attention high.

What active learning strategies work best for toy history comparisons?

Circle shares, pair drawing, and group sorting make abstract history concrete. Children handle replicas, discuss in safe groups, and create timelines, which deepens understanding of change over time. These approaches ensure participation, link personal toys to evidence, and develop speaking skills vital for historical enquiry.

How to address common misconceptions about past toys?

Tackle ideas like 'old toys were boring' with hands-on trials of replicas, such as skipping ropes or peg dolls. Group discussions after play sessions let children voice surprises, like discovering skill challenges. Visual timelines reinforce evidence-based corrections, building accurate mental models.

How does this topic link to other curriculum areas?

Connects to Art through drawing comparisons, English via toy stories and interviews, and PSHE by valuing family histories. Maths emerges in sequencing timelines or counting toy features. Cross-curricular displays showcase changes, reinforcing skills across subjects while keeping History central.