13 Ancient Egypt activity ideas that will excite your class

Two pupils read a book in history class

Ancient Egypt has one of the most rich and engrossing histories of any civilization. It also happens to be one of the most popular topic areas in primary education.

If you and your class are taking on Ancient Egypt this term, take a look through this collection of 16 unique activity ideas, spanning English, Maths, Science and more, that are sure to excite your class.

 

Ancient Egypt teaching ideas for KS1 or KS2

1. Crack the hieroglyphic code

Hieroglyphs are a fantastic way to apply the age of the Egyptians to basic coding skills. In this resource, you can challenge the class to match symbols to letters, cracking the hieroglyphic code and laying the foundations for pattern recognition, an essential skill in coding.

Learn more: Hope Education

 

2. Use Egyptian symbols as maths problems

You can also apply the idea of Egyptian symbols to maths. Assign a number to certain symbols and use them as the basis of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. Tailor the sums to match the maths proficiency of your class.

Learn more: TES

 

3. Read out some fun facts

Great as an ice breaker or introduction to the topic. Read out some fun facts about the period, inflaming the imagination of your class. For example, did you know that 15 metres of bandages would be used to during mummification of a body!?

Learn more: Hope Education

 

4. Create a new god

There are over 2,000 gods in ancient Egyptian mythology, but why not ask to class to create one more? Get creative and draw a brand-new Egyptian god, inspired by some of the ones you’ve learned about in class.

Learn more: Kids Konnect

 

5. Build a pyramid

When it comes to craft ideas with an ancient Egyptian twist, there is only one place to go – the pyramids. Grab some clay, gold paints and sprinkling of patience and your class can muster up their own model pyramid.

Learn more: Hope Education

 

6. Bring Egyptian life to science

Egyptian life was clearly very different to those of your class. Take some of the daily-life learning and apply it to science. An example from STEM.org is examining the properties of materials used for certain things (like boats or clothes) from then vs today.

Learn more: STEM.org

 

7. Howard Carter comprehension

The story of Howard Carter and the curse of Tutankhamun is a fascinating one who’s spooky mysteries with will excite your class. Apply that learning to some comprehension with this cut out and stick activity that challenges the class to get the events of it all into chronological order.

Learn more: Hope Education 

 

8. Mummify a tomato

More science fun now. Mummification is surely the most fascinating of ancient Egyptian rituals, and your class can get some insight into the process of it all with just a tomato and some sand. Let it fester for a few days and inspect the rotten results – yuck!

Learn more: Teach Primary

 

9. Paint an Egyptian mask

Another opportunity to get a little arty with ancient Egypt. Masks and headdresses are one of the most distinctive parts of a Pharaoh and their sarcophagus. Print out a template onto some card and paint your own.

Learn more: Hobbycraft

 

10. Inspect the timeline and create a quiz

There are hundreds of years of history to explore with ancient Egyptians, more than any term could hope to cover. However, running through a timeline of key events can be a strong foundation for learning about the period. Afterwards, why not quiz the class on what they have learned?

Learn more: Hope Education

 

11. Learn about the mummification process

Delve into the incredibly gruesome world of mummification with this worksheet that details the process at each level. From there, you could bring in some of the other activities for further learning, like mummifying a tomato (step 8) or crafting your own sarcophagus.

Learn more: Hope Education

 

12. Problem-solve the pyramids

The pyramids are a engineering marvel, so much so that many historians still scratch their heads at how this ancient civilization managed it. They can also be the basis of some pretty impressive maths, investigating the volume of 3D shapes.

Learn more: Twinkl

 

13. Learn and write about daily life

Back to the stark contrast in daily life that young people had in the times of the ancient Egyptians. Take that knowledge and apply it to creative writing, tasking your class with writing a diary entry written from the perspective of a child in ancient Egypt.

Learn more: History for kids

<a href="https://blog.hope-education.co.uk/author/amber-vaccianna/" target="_self">Amber Vaccianna</a>

Amber Vaccianna

Hope blog writer

28 May 2021

Tags - History | KS1 | KS2

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