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KS1 History Unit – Childhood and School Life in the 1950s–1960s (Complete 6-Lesson Bundle, Years 1-2)

This complete KS1 history bundle includes six lessons that explore childhood, homes, toys, shops, and school life in the 1950s and 1960s. Pupils compare past and present daily life, developing observation, discussion, and historical enquiry skills through hands-on activities, role play, and practical tasks. Ideal for Years 1–2, this unit supports the curriculum theme of **changes within living memory**. **What’s included:** ✔ Six detailed lesson plans with clear learning objectives, success criteria, and structured activities ✔ Editable PowerPoints with images, timelines, and prompts ✔ Worksheets and sorting cards for comparisons (toys, homes, schools, shops) ✔ Role play resources including 1960s school setup guidance, name tags, and timetable cards ✔ Reflection worksheets for pupils to record learning and favourite activities ✔ Differentiation support and challenge cards **Lesson overview / structure:** ★ **Lesson 1 – Childhood Then and Now:** Compare children’s lives today with a 1960s child through timelines, discussion, sorting activities, and role play. ★ **Lesson 2 – Homes in the Past and Present:** Investigate 1950s/1960s homes using photographs and objects, discussing differences with modern living spaces. ★ **Lesson 3 – Toys Past and Present:** Compare old and modern toys, discuss materials and design, and sequence toys on a timeline to understand change over time. ★ **Lesson 4 – Shops Then and Now:** Explore how shopping has changed using photographs, maps, and timelines; compare local shops past and present. ★ **Lesson 5 – School Life Now and Then:** Examine classrooms, lessons, playgrounds, uniforms, and rules, and create a group ‘Time Travel School Day Plan’ to highlight similarities and differences. ★ **Lesson 6 – 1960s School Day Role Play:** Pupils participate in an immersive 1960s school day, following a historical timetable including handwriting, mental arithmetic, PE, and singing, finishing with reflection. **Why it’s useful:** ✔ Supports KS1 history objectives on changes within living memory ✔ Encourages speaking, listening, observation, and comparison skills ✔ Differentiated activities for a range of abilities ✔ Engaging, practical, and discussion-based lessons ✔ Provides immersive and interactive learning experiences **Suggested use cases:** Perfect for KS1 history lessons, local history studies, themed history weeks, cross-curricular projects, group work, and whole-class role play. Suitable for Years 1–2. **Search tags:** KS1 history | childhood in the past | 1950s and 1960s | changes within living memory | school life then and now | toys past and present | homes past and present | shops past and present | Year 1 history | Year 2 history | outstanding KS1 history bundle | role play history activity | timeline activities KS1 | immersive history lessons