Black and white photograph taken in the 1940s of a man and boy sawing a tree trunk.

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.
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