Technological Advancements in Toys

Children connect best when learning bridges their lived experience with the past. This topic works because students examine their own toys alongside historical examples, making abstract concepts concrete through comparison and role play.

• Year 1
• History
• 3 activities
• 20 min–25 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify toys that require batteries and explain their basic function.
2. Compare and contrast the features and play experience of battery-operated toys versus non-battery-operated toys.
3. Describe how electricity powers specific toy functions, such as lights or movement.
4. Predict potential future features of toys based on current technological trends.

Role Play

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Role Play: The Time Travelling Toy Shop

One student plays a shopkeeper from 1920 and another a modern child. The child tries to explain how their Nintendo Switch or Lego works, while the shopkeeper shows them a hoop and stick.

Prepare & details

What do you notice about toys that need batteries to work?

Facilitation Tip: During Role Play: The Time Travelling Toy Shop, assign clear roles so students practise historical enquiry by interviewing classmates about their ‘era’ of toys.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

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

Gallery Walk

⏱ 20 min·Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Our Favourite Toys

Students bring in a photo of their favourite toy and place it next to a photo of a similar toy from the past (e.g., a modern doll next to a Victorian doll). The class walks around to spot similarities.

Prepare & details

How is playing with a battery toy different from playing with a simple toy like a ball?

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Formal Debate

⏱ 20 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: Old vs New

Divide the class into two sides. One side argues why modern toys are better (lights, speed) and the other argues why old toys are better (don't break, no batteries needed).

Prepare & details

What do you think toys might look like in the future?

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Teachers approach this topic by modelling curiosity first. Use photographs and artefacts to show how toys reflect technology and culture, but anchor every lesson in students’ own experiences. Avoid assuming prior knowledge—build from what children already know about their favourite toys before introducing historical context.

What to Expect

Successful learning shows when students confidently describe how toys have changed, ask informed questions about the past, and explain why sources like photographs and interviews matter in history. Their curiosity about differences between old and new toys drives deeper enquiry.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Role Play: The Time Travelling Toy Shop, watch for students who imply that children in the past didn’t enjoy play.

What to Teach Instead

Use the role play to demonstrate old games like ‘Oranges and Lemons’ and have students compare the fun to their own games. Ask them to describe how rules or teamwork create enjoyment without modern tech.

Common Misconception

During Gallery Walk: Our Favourite Toys, watch for students who assume history is only in books.

What to Teach Instead

Guide students to treat classmates’ photos and descriptions as living sources. Ask them to interview a peer about why their toy is special and record their answers as evidence of change over time.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Gallery Walk: Our Favourite Toys, give students a picture of a battery-operated toy and a simple toy. Ask them to draw one line connecting a feature of the battery toy to the word ‘battery’ and write one sentence explaining how playing with it is different from playing with the simple toy.

Discussion Prompt

After Structured Debate: Old vs New, show students a simple toy and a battery-operated toy. Ask: ‘What makes this toy (point to battery toy) work differently than this toy (point to simple toy)?’ ‘What does the battery do?’ ‘How does the electricity help you play?’

Quick Check

During Role Play: The Time Travelling Toy Shop, hold up various toy parts (e.g., a wheel, a light-up button, a sound box). Ask students to give a thumbs up if they think that part needs a battery to work and explain why. Then, ask them to give a thumbs down if it does not and explain what makes it work.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to research and bring in a toy advertisement from any era, then present how it persuades buyers.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the debate, such as ‘One difference is...’ or ‘A similarity is...’.
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to design a toy that uses technology from the past in a modern way and explain their choices.

Key Vocabulary

battery	A device that stores and provides electrical energy to power toys and other electronic items.
electricity	A form of energy that flows through wires and powers many modern toys, making them light up or move.
circuit	The path that electricity follows to make a toy work, often involving batteries and wires.
function	The specific job or purpose a part of a toy performs, like making a sound or spinning.