What was it like to be a child in the countryside?

Summary:

Your class will have the opportunity to explore what it would have been like as a child in the countryside from the early 1900s onwards and how it differs from their own lives today. Changes in technology, food, clothes and toys all tell us a story about the world that children once lived in.

Themes and topics:

• Local history study and a period after 1066
• Local history study

Suggested age range:

Primary and lower secondary

Links with other activities: 

This activity could also be used in conjunction with the ‘Country Showdown’ resource.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the activities students will:

• have a greater insight into what country life was like for children in the past and how it compares to their own lives
• have developed their enquiry skills; asking questions about what childhood was like in the countryside and why
• have compared everyday objects such as clothing, food and technology in the past and now.