Resources: pens and pencils
Core Handout (2): This handout provides some question starters to support children in preparing for their debate.
Challenge Handout (4): The handout is a template of a time capsule with space for children to write.
Using the starter slide as a prompt, ask the children to compare the image of a rocking horse from the past and the image of a rocking horse today. How are they different? How are they similar?
Using the presentation, tell the children that in this lesson, they will be thinking about how children’s lives have changed over time by looking at what children used to do for fun. Use the picture prompts to compare children playing in the past and children today. You could ask the following questions to support the discussion:
Share some ideas as a class.
Watch the short video of Mike Linley talking about his favourite childhood toys and how playing in the past was very different.
Using the presentation, explore how children used to spend their time in the past, compared to today. Give the children time to discuss their own experiences.
Ask the children to hold a debate about whether children in the past had more fun playing than children today. Split the class in half, or in groups, and give them a side to debate. At the end of the debate, have a class vote.
Challenge Task:
Ask the children to imagine they are creating a time capsule for the future. If they could choose one toy from the past and one from the present, what would it be? Encourage the children to explain their answers.
Play a ‘would you rather’ style game. Ask the children to stand on one side of the room if they would choose to play with an older toy, or stand on the other side if they would choose to play with a new toy.
For example,
A) Marbles or B) game console
A) Spinning top or B) Watch TV
Teacher Mastery
Children played differently in the past because their toys and surroundings were very different from today. Many children had fewer toys, and the ones they had were often homemade from simple materials like wood, fabric, or metal. There were no electronic games or screens, so children spent more time playing outside, using their imagination to create games and stories with their friends. Play often involved exploring nature, helping with family chores, or using everyday objects as toys. Because life was simpler and technology was limited, children in the past relied more on creativity and social play to have fun.
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