Resources: A range of toys from the past, pencils and colouring pencils.
Support Handout (1): This handout provides key questions to support discussion.
Core Handout (2): This handout provides images of toys for children to sort into those from the past and those made recently.
Challenge Handout (4): This handout provides space for the children to draw and write about a toy from the past.
Using the starter slide, explain to the children that they will be finding out about ‘past’ and ‘present’ toys. Ask the children if they recognise any of the toys shown in the images. Ask the children to share with their partner what their favourite toy is.
Using the presentation, explain the meaning of ‘past’ and ‘present’.
Explore the different types of toys across the ages. Discuss with the children whether they think it is a toy from the past or present. Encourage the children to explain their reasons. Ask the children to think about the toys they played with when they were younger and the toys they play with now. Are they the same?
Here are a list of prompt questions to support the children's discussions:
Ask the children to bring their favourite toy to school. Allow them to present their toys to the class or play with them in small groups. Discuss with the children any special features about their toys: Does their toy need batteries? Does it move?
Ask the children to sort the images of toys into past and present.
Challenge Task: Ask the children to choose a toy from the past and write some sentences to explain why they think it is a toy from the past.
Ask the children to discuss their answers and ideas. How did they sort the pictures into toys from the past and toys from the present? Did they notice any differences?
To help the children understand the terms past and present, teachers can explain that the past is what has already happened, like when they were babies or when their grandparents were young, while the present is what is happening right now. Teachers could encourage the children to share memories, noticing the differences between then and now.
Children may think that toys from the past looked and worked just like the toys they play with today, or that people always had batteries, screens, and plastic. They might also believe that older toys were “worse” simply because they were simpler. Teachers can help address these misunderstandings by showing children real or replica historical toys, reading picture books about toys from different time periods, and inviting them to compare materials, shapes, and how toys were used.
Note: The timeline animation video references certain decades as falling within the children's parents' or grandparents' childhoods. This is to help contextualise the past for children, to support them in their early understanding of the passage of time. This may need clarifying with children whose relatives were born outside of these decades.
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