Toys in Our Classroom

Overview

This 45-minute lesson introduces Year 1 pupils to the unit “Toys Through Time” by encouraging them to explore and share the toys they have brought from home. It fosters personal reflection and communication skills as pupils discuss their favourite toys, setting a foundation for developing an understanding of toys’ significance in history and culture.

---

National Curriculum Links (History – KS1)

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Changes within living memory. (NC History Programme of Study)
  • Ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
  • Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways it is represented.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Recall and describe their favourite toy and explain why it is special to them.
• Listen and respond respectfully to others sharing about their toys.
• Use historical vocabulary such as “old”, “new”, “play”, “special”, and “favourite” to describe toys.
• Begin to understand that toys are important in children’s lives and that they change over time.

---

Resources Needed

• Toys brought from home by each pupil (ensured safe and appropriate ahead of lesson)
• A large “Toy Sharing” carpet space or circle time arrangement
• A whiteboard or flip chart with markers
• Visual aid: Pictures of old and new toys (to be used in follow-up lessons)
• Label cards with simple vocabulary (special, favourite, play, old, new)
• A “Talking Toy” soft toy or puppet to facilitate turns speaking

---

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Gather pupils in a circle on the carpet.
• Introduce the lesson by saying: "Today we are going to start our new topic about toys! Toys are very important because they help us learn and have fun."
• Show the “Talking Toy” puppet and explain it will help us listen carefully while our friends share.
• Briefly establish ground rules: one person talks at a time, listen respectfully.

2. Toy Sharing Activity (25 minutes)

• Invite pupils one by one to show their toy and explain:
  • What is it?
  • Why is it your favourite toy?
  • How do you like to play with it?
• Use prompting questions if needed (“Is it soft or hard? Is it new or old?”).
• Model using historical-based vocabulary by repeating or paraphrasing pupils’ responses, e.g.: “Thank you for sharing your special toy. It’s a new toy, and you like to play with it outside!”
• Encourage peers to ask simple questions or comment positively, e.g., “I like your toy, too!”

3. Class Discussion & Reflection (7 minutes)

• After all have shared (or as many as possible), invite pupils to talk about what toys have in common and how toys help us have fun and learn.
• Write and display simple vocabulary on the board to support understanding and recall: special, favourite, play, old, new.
• Encourage pupils to predict how toys might have changed or stayed the same over time (bridge to next lessons).

4. Plenary and Assessment (3 minutes)

• Use a quick round robin where each pupil says one word that describes their toy or how they feel about playing with toys, reinforcing vocabulary and speaking confidence.
• Teacher notes observational assessment against learning objectives:
  • Can pupils describe their toy?
  • Do they use simple historical vocabulary?
  • Are they listening and responding appropriately?

---

Differentiation

• Support: Provide additional sentence starters or visual prompts for pupils who struggle with verbal expression.
• Extension: Ask pupils with higher abilities to compare their toy with one they saw earlier or to describe one thing they might like to invent as a toy.

---

Cross-Curricular Links

• English: Speaking and listening skills through sharing and turn-taking.
• PSHE: Respecting others’ opinions and sharing personal experiences.
• Art (future lessons): Designing own toys based on learning.

---

Teacher Reflection

• Did all pupils have the opportunity to participate?
• Were pupils able to use targeted vocabulary?
• How engaged were pupils in listening and responding?
• What adaptations might support quieter pupils in future sharing sessions?

---

This engaging and carefully scaffolded first lesson will captivate Year 1 pupils' curiosity about toys and set a strong foundation for investigating how toys have changed over time in the history unit.