History through objects

The Early Learning Goals and even Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum are quite vague on what young children should ‘learn’ in history, and rightly so. The Early Learning Goal in the Knowledge and Understanding of the World section simply says: ‘find out about past and present events in their own lives and in those of their families and other people they know’. Early years history is not about particular periods but rather about developing a sense of time and the skills to make sense of the past.