Peek into the past
Opportunities for the children to reflect on memories and experiences from their own past and comment on images of familiar situations in the past.
EYFS outcomes
Development matters
- Comment on images of familiar situations in the past.
Characteristics of effective teaching and learning
- Playing and exploring – Children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.
- Active learning – Children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy their achievements for their own sake.
- Creating and thinking critically – Children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
See Development Matters (non-statutory curriculum guidance).
Early learning goals
ELG: Understanding the World – Past and Present
- Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
See Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, 2021.
Teacher video: Peek into the past
Teacher guidance
Using the activities
The activities are designed to support Reception teachers in targeting Development matters statements and laying the foundations for pupils’ further history learning. In this unit, the Development matters statement ‘Comment on images of familiar situations in the past‘ is broken down into its core skill and knowledge components, linked to the Kapow Primary History curriculum in KS1 and KS2.
Refer to the skills and knowledge grid below to choose which activities to use with your class.
Activities can be delivered in any order and at any time of the year to suit your curriculum, specific topic, or cohort.
Activities can be organised to suit your setting. Options include:
- Using them as a whole-class lesson.
- Introducing activities to the whole class before setting them up as part of the enhanced provision.
- Allowing children to access the activities independently as part of the enhanced provision.
Choose your activity
Activity 1: Can you guess who?
Activity 2: Past and present
Activity 3: My life timeline
Activity 4: Toy box
Activity 5: Spot the difference
Key skills
- Recounting activities
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Key knowledge
To know:
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Key vocabulary
adult
a long time ago
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Further guidance
Ideas for topic links
Seasons
All About Me
Transport
Celebrations
Recommended texts
‘Once There Were Giants’ by Martin Waddell.
Toys in the Past’ by Elizabeth Moore.
‘Peepo’ by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle.
‘The Leaf Thief’ by Alice Hemming.
Continuous provision ideas
Role play area: Provide baby dolls, bath, sponges, nappies and milk bottles. You could include dressing up clothes to suggest clothes from the past, for example, a flat cap, apron or a faux-fur scarf.
Wider experiences
Visitor: Parents, carers or members of the community to talk about their childhoods and share photographs.
Trip: Local toy or early childhood museum see link: Toy Museums.
Ideas for at home
To help children practise the skills covered in this unit and consolidate their knowledge, why not look at some photo albums together or photographs from past experiences or memories? Can they remember where they went in the photo? Whom did they go with? What happened that day?
Knowledge and skills progression 
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