Comparisons
While you can teach Early Years children facts about history which they can recall, I believe the best way to help children understand the past is to compare the past with now.
For three years in a row now, I have taught my class the Monarchs Song from Horrible Histories. I usually only teach the chorus but this year the children asked for the ‘William the conker’ song so I’ve tried to teach them the entire song.
You can find the lyrics for the songs here. There are lots of fun songs teaching the children about history, however I would listen to the songs first as they can sometimes be inappropriate for the very little ones. I’d particularly avoid Pachacuti and Evil Emperors. (Although, my 6 year old nephew in year two absolutely loves those particular horrible histories!)
Compare Now and Then
I personally believe the easiest way for little children to understand the past is to compare now and then.
For example,
 |  |
| This is my granddad as a child in the late 1920’s. | This is me as a child in the late 1980’s (although you could use a photo from a child in your class, or in a different class) |
The first thing children may say is that one picture is in colour and one picture is in black and white. This is where you can ask the children which is the oldest picture?
