History is not boring: resources for Primary

Games, videos, theatrical performances... These are just some ideas to work on the Primary History curricular content in a more motivating and fun way.

Social changes, revolutions, wars... History is an elementary subject to understand the past, present and future. And it can be very exciting if it is explained in an original and attractive way, motivating students with resources ranging from video games to YouTube channels . Below, we leave you a selection of history resources to bring this subject closer to Primary students.

Index of contents

• 1 Recreate a historical scene

• 2 Objects from the past

• 3 Historical word search

• 4 Explanatory Videos

• 5 Books to teach History

Recreate a historical scene

What better way to learn history than by getting immersed in it? This idea offers a multitude of possibilities and will give children a fun time while learning first-hand how some historical events developed. The activity can be adapted to the time or moment being studied and, after a theoretical explanation and a brainstorming session with the students, the representation can be carried out. In addition, it is possible to use homemade costumes and other elements that provide realism to the chosen historical moment. 

Objects from the past

“What do you think this could be used for?” This question is the starting point of this exercise, whose objective is to show students objects that are unusual today but that were of great importance in the past. It is not necessary to go back to the Paleolithic to teach History; By traveling back a few years it is possible to find many objects that today's minors are unaware of: cassette tapes, analogue films, vinyl records... All of them left an important mark on the way of life of many people and therefore should be remembered to vindicate the role they had during several past eras. 

Historical word search

Word searches improve the development of visual memory and mental agility and are a fun way to learn. In addition, they are very easy to apply to the subject of History to complement the explanations given in class. An example of its use could be making one with the names of key characters and events that occurred at a certain historical moment. Napoleon, Bastille, Marie-Antoinette, Robespierre... These can appear in a word search whose theme is the French Revolution. 

Explanatory videos

Another option for teaching History is through audiovisual resources such as videos or films, thanks to which minors have the opportunity to view images that will help them understand the issues they are studying. An example: on YouTube it is possible to find the Happy Learning Spanish channel , which has numerous videos that explain historical topics such as the stages that make up Prehistory , with a pleasant tone that facilitates understanding for Primary school students.

Books to teach History

This activity allows students to discover past events while improving their reading comprehension. Some of the titles to use to complement the explanations of this subject with reading are Little History of Spain, by Manuel Vázquez Álvarez, full of fun illustrations that portray historical moments such as the Spanish Civil War; or Little History of the World, by Fernándo García de Cortázar, with which the reader will travel through the life of the World from Antiquity to the arrival of man in space.