history websites ks2

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History Primary Resources

Our primary resources for History are great for helping your pupils take a trip through time. Discover dinosaur fossils, analyse ancient civilisations or explore Ancient Egyptian artifacts with our curriculum-aligned resources.

Our History resources have been carefully divided into relevant sections that work to the KS1 and KS2 National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence guidelines, making them easy to use in lesson plans.

Spanning significant historical events, as well as people and places of local and global significance, National Geographic Kids have it covered. We have resources to help your pupils take a leap into the lives of the Romans, Ancient Greeks and Anglo-Saxons, not to mention key world history resources for pupils to examine and evaluate.

POPULAR HISTORY RESOURCES

Tutankhamun’s treasures resource kit, ada lovelace primary resource.

Martin Luther King JR. primary resource

Nelson mandela primary resource, rosa parks primary resource, queen victoria primary resource, the 20th century primary resource, alexander the great primary resource, the georgians primary resource, international women’s day primary resource, all history resources.

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Shakespeare: English primary resource

Ancient egyptians primary resource, greek mythology primary resource, meet the vikings primary resource, romans primary resource, ancient greeks primary resource, the lost city of atlantis primary resource, first world war primary resource, mayan civilisation primary resource, anne frank primary resource, second world war primary resource, leonardo da vinci primary resource, the titanic primary resource, anglo saxons primary resource, neil armstrong primary resource, ancient egypt: pyramids primary resource, guy fawkes primary resource, imperial china primary resource, viking primary resource: old norse gods, roald dahl: english primary resource, lost city of pompeii primary resource, machu picchu primary resource, pablo picasso: art primary resource.

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History units.

Stone Age Britain: what do archaeologists think they know about it?

Bronze and Iron Age Britain: how did life change during this time?

Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?

Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar?

The earliest civilisations: the Indus and the Shang

The indus valley civilisation: what have archaeologists found out about it, the shang: what have archaeologists found out about them.

Iron Age Britain: what have historians learnt about Iron Age Britain?

Ancient Greek civilisation: what do we know about ancient Greece?

Ancient Greek civilisation: what is its most significant legacy?

Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'?

The Romans: what did it mean to be a Roman?

The Romans: what impact did the Romans have on Britain?

The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?

Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?

Early Islamic civilisation: how did Baghdad become the ‘City of Peace'?

Early Islamic civilisation: what connected Baghdad to the wider world?

Britain's settlement by Anglo-Saxons: what changed after the Romans left?

The Anglo-Saxons: how do we know about life in Anglo-Saxon England?

The Vikings: why did they come to the British Isles?

The Great War: how did the Great War affect local people and their communities?

The Vikings: how do we know so much about Viking York?

Resources you can trust

History at KS2

Here you'll find curated collections of teacher-created resources for our most popular KS2 history topics. Can't find what you're looking for? Follow the link to browse all history resources.

You may also like to see our comprehensive teaching packs on Castles , World War Two and Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age . 

Popular topics

Our most popular history resources for ks2.

Because history needs a little creativity sometimes...

Ks2 world history timeline.

KS2 World Timeline BC/AD

Ks2 world timeline bce/ce, enormous world timeline, (publisher) editable timeline, this printable world history timeline covers all of the specified civilisations on the 2014 national curriculum. measuring around 1.5m wide by nearly 60cm high, it provides a great visual stimulus to show children how different periods existed at the same time in different parts of the world. please read the notes section underneath for the reasoning behind the start and end dates of each period's timeline. these dates do not represent entire civilisation dates from beginning to end for all. children should be told that some civilsations may have existed before or after these periods. to print full size open the pdf in adobe reader as you normally would, press print, then select the 'poster' option. it should preview the timeline as separate a4 sheets with 'cut' marks. trim each sheet and stick it onto a sturdy background. shiresealing this works well. editable version you can add in or remove the aspects of the timeline that you want depending on the topics that you teach and the year groups that you teach them in. perfect for creating a timeline that over includes topics covered so far for timeline activities or displays. enormous version this version measures around 2m by 80cm which is perfect for displaying in classrooms and corridors. notes civilisations and periods such as ancient sumer and the stone age existed way before the timeline shows. this is due to scaling as the stone age lasted for around two million years. trying to show this plus the smaller british periods of history that lasted only around (or less than) 100 years would be impossible unless the display was three times the size which would not be suitable for most classrooms. the shorter british periods would end up as mere dots. whilst this would be good for showing duration and scale, it would be of limited use for display. stone/bronze/iron age dates - these vary between locations in britain and europe as different civilisations reached these milestones at different points. there is great conjecture about when each age started in britain. these dates have been chosen as a culmination of dates found from a variety of sources. ancient sumer - evidence suggests that people were living in sumer from around 5000bc and potentially before this too. this timeline starts at 4500bc as this is when the city of uruk was established, which is thought to be one of the very first cities in the world. this was then an important element in developing sumerian culture and innovations. this timeline ends around 2000bc as this is when the elamites and amorites began to overtake sumerian populations. ancient egypt - although people lived in egypt before 3100bc, it was around here when upper and lower egypt were unified, signalling the true start of egypt's history. this timeline ends in 332bc when alexander the great invaded, bringing his greek and hellensitic influences. people continued to live in egypt after this point. other sources may end this timeline with the roman invasion around 30bc for similar reasons. indus valley - life in the indus valley is usually cited from 3300bc in the early harappan phase, but this timeline starts at 2600bc which is known as the mature harappan phase where there was a lot more urban growth, establishing cities with effective and efficient planning and a focus on hygiene. it is overwhelmingly ended at 1300bc across multiple sources for a variety of reasons, the most likely being the invasion of nomadic tribes. maya - although the national curriculum focuses on the period around ad 900, this timeline starts at 1800bc as this is when some of the major settlements and maya cultures started to develop. some sources place this between 1800 and 2600bc. this has been included to show just how long the maya lasted and to show that they existed at similar times to other major civilisations around the world to provide comparison. this timeline ends at ad 1500 as this was roughly when spanish explorers arrived and the maya culture had declined significantly. shang dynasty - this timeline starts at 1600bc with the formation of the shang dynasty, but some sources place it at around 1766bc. more recent archaeolgocial evidence places it as starting around 1600bc. this timeline ends at 1046bc when it was replaced by the zhou dynasty. ancient greece - the greeks started much earlier than on this timeline as stone and bronze age civilisations. the two main groups who were considered 'greeks' today were the mycenae and the minoans. this timeline starts with the fall of the mycenae and what was considered the greek 'dark ages' which lasted until around 800bc. this is when things started to change and become more enlightened. this was known as the archaic period until around 500bc when they entered the classical period dominated by war. this timeline ends at 146bc when the romans invaded, but the greek timeline continues past this. the romans - this starts with the founding of rome in 753bc. this initially started as the roman kingdom (753bc-509bc) before becoming the roman republic (509bc-27bc) and then becoming the roman empire in 27bc which split in ad 476. the roman empire continued for nearly a thousand years after but as two different empires - the eastern empire and the western empire. roman britain - the timeline starts at ad 43 as this was when britain was successfully invaded by the romans. numerous previous attempts had been made but had not resulted in a sustained settlement. this timeline ends in 410ad when most traces of roman personnel had left britain. anglo-saxon and viking britain - these have been stacked on top of each other to show that they existed together, but not just as one or the other. britain did not just become viking britain when the vikings invaded. the conflicts between the two groups mean that they co-existed in britain at the same time, ending together in ad 1066 with the invasion of william the conqueror. anglo-saxon britain starts at ad 450 on this timeline as this is when significant anglo-saxon migration began. some sources place this at ad 449. the viking timeline starts at ad 793 as this was when more significant attacks on britain began, this being the attack on lindisfrane. another off the coast of wessex in ad 789 should also be noted. children should also be told that each group of people existed for thousands of years in their own countries, but this timeline represents them here in britain. early islam - this timeline starts at ad 570 with the birth of mohammad and the rise of islamic culture. they then experienced the golden age of islam from just before ad 800 until ad 1258 when baghdad was invaded by the mongol army, sacking the city and destroying much of it's culture and legacy, which is where this timeline ends. kingdom of benin - this timeline starts at ad 900 as this was around the time that the edo people started cutting down trees and developing small settlements. by ad 1100 there were power struggles. the timeline ends at ad 1897 as this is when british forces invaded and made it part of the british empire. british periods from the normans onwards - these generally begin and end with the passing of monarchies and rulers. post-victorian britain has been classed as '20th century britain' on the timeline as the edwardian period (1901-1910), wwi (1914-1918), inter-war years (1918-1939) and wwii (1939-1945) would have been too small to have scaled down and have been of use for display purposes. post-wwii is generally classed as either modern britain, the modern age or the technological age.  .

Schoolshistory.org.uk

History resources, stories and news. Author: Dan Moorhouse

Lessons and Activities

Lesson plans and activity ideas for history teachers. Our range of resources for history teachers at KS2, KS3, GCSE and A-Level history. Each lesson provides detail, sources and a range of questions or discussion points. Some have accompanying worksheets or PowerPoint presentations, others do not need them. 

History Classroom Posters (Pack 1)

History Classroom Posters (Pack 2)

Bundle – Both of the above at a special offer price

Using Source Material

How to Evaluate a Historical Source

Lindow Man: How did Pete Marsh Die?

Primary History Resources: Key Stage 2

Online Training. Our Primary CPD for Key Stage 2 History allows you access to a wide range of support materials that you can access anytime, anywhere, with no end date. Covering assessment methods, teaching and learning, Development of Historical Enquiries, the Ofsted Framework, Local history, each of the National Curriculum topic areas and more… this course has been put together with History Rocks! It combines our experiences of dealing with all aspects of the curriculum in the classroom, as subject leaders, CPD providers and as Historical Association committee members.

Ancient Greek Medicine

The Greek God of Healing: Asclepius for KS2

Romans in Britain

Norman Conquest for Key Stages 2 and 3

Bayeux Tapestry Sequencing Activity

Domesday Book. Using Sources lesson . Aimed at Year 7, this is ideal as an introduction to sourcework. Contains everything needed for a one-off lesson.

The Feudal System .

Pupils learn about the way in which Feudal Society developed after the Norman Conquest. Containing PowerPoint and supporting materials.

Motte and Bailey Castles

What was a Motte and Bailey Castle? Why did the Normans build so many of them? This lesson provides learners with an understanding of the purpose and strengths of early Norman Castles. It can be used as part of a sequence of lessons on the Normanisation of England, or in a series of lessons on the development of castles and fortifications.

Norman Conquest Workbook

Covers the basics and can be used as a standalone resource, homework pack or for cover lessons.

Black History and the First World War

Medieval England for Key Stage 3

The Crusades

Causes of the Peasants Revolt

Medieval Crime and Punishment

Including a PowerPoint, this lesson explores a variety of crimes, punishments and means of policing in the medieval era. Can be used to draw on pupils KS2 knowledge, or to develop an awareness of continuity and change.

King John: an assessment

Is John’s reputation deserved? This lesson guides pupils through different interpretations of King John’s reign. It structures their thoughts and responses whilst expecting them to support assertions with evidence.

The Slave Trade

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

These activities break down the main teaching points of the trade in Slaves. It addresses the way in which triangular trade worked. It introduces some imagery associated with the abolition movements. Comparisons between the 18th century and the modern day are included, to allow discussion about continuity and change, human rights and what freedom is

World War Two

D Day decision-making activity

Places pupils in the role of Allied High Command and asks them to consider the various options available when planning to open up a Western Front following the entry into the war of the United States. Online activity that can be used alongside other resources. Has been used with Primary classes and in Secondary at KS3, GCSE and A-Level.

D Day Infographic

The First World War

Global Warfare

How ‘Global’ was the First World War? This lesson introduces pupils to the war from the perspective of it being a world war. Students quickly learn about the interrelationship between different parts of the word and the manner in which colonialism and Imperialism continued to fuel the fighting.

Western Front – Would you have made a good officer?

Interactive Exercise. One of our oldest activities. A decision-making game about leadership on the front lines. It is really good at getting pupils to realise that the front lines were not as simple as they may appear to be. Best used on Desktop/Laptops.

Conscription – Key Stage 3 / GCSE

3 levels of difficulty included in this worksheet on Conscription in the First World War.

Kitchener’s Recruitment Drive 

Germany 1919-39. A study of Weimar and pre-war Nazi Germany at GCSE

Origins of the Weimar Republic

The Role of the SA. 

Source analysis lesson. Exploring a famous political cartoon, breaking it down into easy to digest pieces and structuring pupil responses to exam-style questions.

Revision notes on Weimar and Nazi Germany. 

Hitler’s Rise to Power – Revision Chart

Rise of Hitler

Rise of the Nazi Party: Themes and Factors

Life in Nazi Germany – Revision Chart

United States of America 1919-42 for GCSE History

The Great Depression

Health and Medicine through Time for GCSE History

Medical Monopoly: The Ancient World

Medieval Medicine: Simulation Activity

A challenging but highly engaging activity that places your class at the heart of the Medieval Medical World. Pupils take on roles as different types of care providers, or patients from different backgrounds. Moving around the medical marketplace they encounter all manner of beliefs and a few costly roadblocks to their preferred elixir! All resources provided. Featured in Teaching History and Recommended by TES .

Medicine in the Renaissance

Medical Change in the Renaissance

Renaissance -Timeline activity for Revision

William Harvey

Andreas Vesalius

Edward Jenner and the Smallpox vaccine.

This lesson examines source material on the first vaccine. It develops source evaluation skills and reinforces their understanding of views at the time.

The Fight Against Infectious Disease

Hippocrates and Clinical Observation

Great Plaque of London

Troubles in Northern Ireland – GCSE

Easter Rising 1919

Consequences of the Easter Rising

Partition of Ireland

The Troubles: 1968

Bloody Sunday 1972

Powerpoint based lesson on Bloody Sunday

Wars of the Roses lessons for A-Level History

A harvest of heads

Explore the personality of Henry 6th through a lesson that is designed to develop your classes understanding of the period. This Context-driven approach enables a breadth of understanding about the intricacies of the court.

Factions and Feuds

This lesson looks at the structure of Government in Henry’s Minority and Majority. From here it explores the way in which decision making was conducted. Sources are introduced to show students some of the reasons why factions began to develop and encourages them to think about how this may affect the structures of government.

A Paper Crown

What went wrong for Richard, 3rd Duke of York? This lesson explores the tumultuous events of 1459/60. Students will gain an awareness of the various pressures upon both factions at the time.

The Personality of King Henry VI

What did Henry’s contemporaries think of him? This lesson examines a series of sources to develop an awareness of different views and the reasons why subjects and other commentators interpreted him so differently. Exam-style questioning is included with tips for students.

How did Edward IV gain the crown in 1461? 

In this A-Level lesson, students explore the events from the death of Richard of York through to the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Towton. How was Edward able to turn a dire situation around so quickly?

Consolidating Power: The Edward IV Roll

This lesson takes a close look at the imagery in the Edward IV roll. It is designed to help students better understand the importance of legitimacy in the context of the day.

The ‘She-Wolf of France’: Is this a fair assessment of Margaret of Anjou?

Margaret of Anjou’s role in the build-up to the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses and its early stages is subject to much debate. Shakespeare’s caricature of her being a ‘She-Wolf’ remains a popular view. But how accurate is this assessment of Henry VI’s wife and Queen? This lesson explores the evidence.

Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville: Impact of their marriage on the State

The secret marriage of King Edward IV to Elizabeth Woodville was both unexpected and unwanted by many in the Council. Yet, it had to be accepted. The implications were large at court and ultimately throughout the country. In this A-Level lesson, we examine the consequences of various aspects of changes that the marriage resulted in.

Historiography of the Wars of the Roses . An introduction for A-Level students

This lesson provides students with an overview of the way in which historians views about the wars of the roses have changed over the years. This will help them to understand the various sources that are presented over their studies within context. This can lead to further exploration and analysis of historians changing views and the debates that have surrounded them.

Consummate Politician? Assessing Warwick the Kingmaker

Was Warwick the Kingmaker a consummate politician? This A-Level History exercise assesses his methods and motives c1450 to 1471.

Richard III: An extensive overview

A series of activities covering Richard’s adult life. A presentation provides an overarching chronology of his involvement in politics under the reign of Edward IV, explores the manner in which he became King in 1483, looks into his brief reign and finally addresses the invasion of Henry Tudor and Richard’s defeat and death at Bosworth.

A-Level and GCSE: Russia c1900-1953

Russian Empire: The Big Picture

Ruling Russia: Russian Government c1900

Revolution of 1905

February Revolution Tag Cloud

Short Term Causes of the Russian Revolution

Russian Revolution – Overview Video 

Russian Revolution – Video for use as a Starter Activity

Russian Revolution: Continuity and Change

Stalin’s Rise to Power – Revision

A Level Politics

Thomas Hobbes: Social Contract

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Primary Topic Websites

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Please note: these links are now over 10 years old and some may no longer work 

We have put together a short list of websites that may be useful for teaching particular topics. Please note this is not an exhaustive list, the sites are not necessarily ones we endorse and are by no means fully tried and tested by us, but are simply the result of a little research to put what seem to be useful sites all in one place for you. If you have any great sites to add, please let us know!

Great Fire of London

• Told in story form
• Complete package to teach the Great Fire.
• A package designed for teaching the Great Fire with museums
• Full e-CPD unit with teaching ideas and resources provided by the HA
• Article on bringing the Tudors to life in a cross-curricular approach. Although aimed at a secondary audience, primary practitioners may find it useful
• Link to a whole host of classic HA pamphlets on the Tudors.
• Simplified information and quizzes
• A landing page offering links to a host of Tudor games and activities
• Simple information produced on a website by children
• A more wordy site, but interesting information about society and life.
• A more wordy site, but good information about politics, events, customs and life .
• A Key Stage 2 resource package from Royal Armouries
• Background information and resources for teachers provided by Culture24
• Teachers' TV CPD input
• Topic pack of resources to teach Tudors
• The Tudors using ICT from Teachers' TV

Ancient Greece

• Guide to resources for teaching and learning about Ancient Greece provided by the HA
• Guide to links between Ancient Greece and the Olympics, as provided by the HA
• Factual site - very pupil friendly.
• A kid's diary of what Greece is like today
• A factual site, simplified for children
• Greek myths for children, with frame to write their own.
• A site giving advice and examples of lessons on Ancient Greece that have been rated as outstanding by Ofsted. Some are freely available, other resources are for members of this site only.

Florence Nightingale

• Teaching famous people at KS1 - HA provided
• Pupil Friendly factual information
• Interactive site from the BBC
• Teaching ideas
• Florence Nightingale through drama from Teachers' TV
• The Florence Nightingale Museum. They have artefacts online.

Indus Valley

• Factual site for teachers
• Interactive factual site for children
• Site dedicated to teaching this topic - resources, advice and articles available.
• Resource package for this topic
• Fact/information site for kids
• Simple information for kids
• Information site for adults and kids, with interactive puzzles and music games for kids.
• Teaching resources provided by the British Museum

The Victorians

• Complete e-CPD unit provided by the HA.
• Simplified pupil friendly factual site
• Interactive factual site with links and games from the BBC.
• Factual information - possible to difficult for pupils, but good for planning and research or the topic
• Great interactive site offering pupils the chance to see the "virtual Victorians." They can follow them through their daily life and ask them questions. There are also embedded primary sources such as newspapers that they can read.
• A bit too wordy for pupils, but good for research and planning
• Topic pack of resources to teach the Victorians
• Professional development and examples of Ofsted rated outstanding lessons on the Victorians. Be warned however that for some resources, you need to be a member.

World War II

• Links to great new interactive site by award winning film maker Laurence Rees - WW2History.com. However, you need to be a member of the site to get the full benefit. Reductions are on offer to HA members .
• Teaching emotive subjects - T.E.A.C.H Online and HA resource
• What it was like to be a child in World War II from the BBC
• Factual children friendly site
• Teaching resources and interactive site.
• Children in war Professional development from Teachers' TV
• Teaching ideas and resources
• Topic resource pack to teach the topic

Ancient Egypt

• Simple pupil friendly factual site
• Factual site for children
• Primary school site with simple facts designed for children
• Quizzes, crosswords and games based around Ancient Egypt
• Egypt cyberhunt
• List of fun sites for pupils on Ancient Egypt
• Resources offered by the British Museum
• Escape from the mummy's tomb interactive game offered by National Museums Liverpool
• Topic resource pack on Egypt

The Vikings

• Here come the Vikings - HA provided.
• Briefing on the Vikings from the sagas. Competition is now over, but resource still useful.
• Simple child friendly site
• Fun facts about the Vikings
• Factual site with games
• Fun interactive site from the BBC for kids
• Jorvik Viking Centre
• Resource pack provided by museum of childhood and partners.
• A little wordy, but some interesting information for teachers and includes links to pictures and other useful sites
• A brief history of toys to get you started
• Teaching resources
• Topic pack of resources for teaching the topic .
• The Historical Association
• Encyclopedia site on a vast number of topics
• BBC History
• BBC History learning site
• This site gives links to lots of other sites on curriculum topics
• Link to free resources
• More for secondary schools, but activities and information on crossover topics may be of use.
• Decent coverage of primary topics
• The History Faculty - Some podasts available. This may be of more use to secondary schools, but may be good for subject knowledge
• Good on Tudors and Victorians and provides other weblinks
• More for secondary, but some limited primary resources and some good advice/information/links for primary teachers

Lessons and resources for primary history

Stone age to iron age.

Lessons & Resources

Stone Age to Iron Age Lessons Pack

A complete 10-lesson history unit of work for Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11), with detailed lesson plans, Powerpoint slides, teacher guides and printable activity sheets.

Stone Age Boy English Pack

A two-week literacy unit for Y3/4 based on the book 'Stone Age Boy'

How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth English Pack

A two-week literacy unit for Y3/4 on instructional texts, based on the book 'How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth'

FREE: Cave Art Lesson

A free lesson about Stone Age cave art, including powerpoint, lesson plan and pupil resources.

Stig of the Dump Teacher's Pack

This pack contains a copy of Stig of the Dump and the popular 'Read and Respond' teacher guide

Recommended Books

1. What does prehistory mean?

2. How did hunter-gatherers survive in the Stone Age?

3. What was Stone Age cave art? (FREE)

4. What kind of sources tell us about the Stone Age?

5. What was Skara Brae?

6. Why are there so many mysteries about Stonehenge?

7. How did bronze replace stone in the Bronze Age?

8. What do grave goods tell us about the Bronze Age?

9. What was life like in an Iron Age hillfort?

10. What was Iron Age art like?

Stone Age to Iron Age Resource Pack (Download)

Info guides.

Cross-curricular Ideas

Free Downloadable Lesson 

Video Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00dtrcn

A  video from BBC Hands-on History about 10-year old Eric and his adventures in the Stone Age. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohij1e2oZio

A video from The Museum of London about the process of making tools during the Bronze Age.

Planning & Resource Pack