Within Living Memory History Project Idea #NCLearning

I have put together a little Pictograph to demonstrate a Within Living Memory Project idea for those children working at Key Stage 1 (History and Citizenship). You identify a person along the top line, and then, reading the chart downward in straight lines you see the favourite childhood toys/games of each individual.

This is a fun and social activity in which a young child can involve those across three generations of his or her own family, in a subject that can really enthuse a 7 year old.

If your child is computer conversant and patient together you could straightforwardly copy the idea above using Microsoft Word, or PowerPoint to produce something similar and search personal files and online for toy images. Use a chart format as a template perhaps, and insert pics in the spaces.


Alternatively, and the following version is arguably more engaging for the child, is to make a hand made 2D version of the above either by using paper, felt tips, and real photograph cameos, and include hand drawn interpretations of popular toys past and present. To do this:


What you need:

A sheet of poster sized paper

A selection of recent photographs of family members being sure to include people who were aged between 5 or 7 years in the 1940s/50s; in the 1970s/80s; the noughties (approx), also a recent photograph of the participant who falls into the appropriate Key Stage 1 of curriculum working. Best to use full faced, front facing shots shots of family members as this works better for the display (check first with owners to see if it is okay to cut the photographs up!)

A small rectangular pieces of blank card/or paper

Felt tipped pens in variety of colours

Glue or glue stick






figure 2



What to do:

If the young participant does not already know the answer, they should ask this survey question to each person "What were your favourite toys when you were little?" they should collect between 1 and 4 examples from each interviewee. A 'family' comes in many guises so as long as the child includes people who are of the older generation, the middle generation, plus members of his or hers own generation, it'll make for a good display with a clear example of the changes in 'children and play' through the years with the introduction of different materials, plastic particularly, and how technology advancement has influenced in recent years.






figure 3



Obtain or print out hard copy photographs of each of the interviewees. Circle around the head and shoulders of each one, cutaway, and adhere to the poster sheet in a straight line. Just like the pic of me shows in figure 3. These photographs act as People introductions and then their choice of toys follows.





The toys need to be illustrated on the card pieces. Above we have a dumper truck (the favourite choice of middle generation Dad), and below that a toy doll and a bucket and spade (the favourite choice of mine). Where the child is unable to visualize, or finds it tricky to draw the toys, the grown up leading the session (or the people who were surveyed) should produce their own little sketches of their treasured toys, and perhaps just leave the colouring in to the child! The drawings should be arranged in a line in either a Portrait format as it is in the Pictorial, or as Landscape design as it is in Figure 2.