Looking to teach your kids about this remarkable period? Here are some Victorian-era project ideas to do with your children.
We owe the Victorians so much. Life really wouldn’t be what it is today without the Victorian era, their efforts and their inventions. In our eighth adventure, we travel back to the Victorian era, where your children will learn all about this notable time in history and use these Victorian era project ideas. There’s so much to explore, including architecture, design, literature and critical advances in technology.
We have some amazing Victorian era project ideas, perfect for little history enthusiasts or for parents looking to teach their children about the Victorians, how they lived and what they contributed to life today.
Related: While you’re here — your kid might also love these Ancient China project ideas!
1. Create a Queen Victoria Collage
Queen Victoria was an incredible monarch. She was on the throne for nearly 64 years, from 1837 until she died in 1901. It wasn’t until 2015 that Queen Elizabeth II beat this record!
Queen Victoria was known as a strong, determined woman who was not to be underestimated. In a time when inequality was rife, Queen Victoria did a lot to try to level the playing field. At the time, most of Britain’s population couldn’t read or write and the average Brit had limited access to education. Victoria, however, believed education should be accessible for all, so she ordered school to become compulsory for both the rich and the poor.
Have a little lesson with your children and discuss facts about Queen Victoria — then work together to print out images, quotes and photographs and create an amazing collage inspired by Queen Victoria and her life.
2. List Your Favourite Inventions as a Victorian Era Project Idea
The Victorians were responsible for a huge number of advances in science and technology. They invented the telephone, the photograph, the typewriter and even the bicycle! The first electric lightbulb was invented in the Victorian era, as was the first electric train and the car. Factories with steam-powered machines opened, so people flocked to cities to take advantage of the new working opportunities.
Explore the many inventions that came to light during the Victorian era and get your children to list their favourites — explaining why these particular inventions are so important to them and how life would look different today had they never been invented.
Check out our FREE history printables!
3. Victorian Era Project Ideas: Make Your Own Victorian Toys
Back in the day, poor Victorian children had to make their own toys. Little girls played with clothes-peg dolls — no Fisher-Price for these kids!
Get out the arts and crafts and encourage your children to make their own clothes-peg dolls. There are many video tutorials explaining the process and your children can get really creative with textures and colours.
4. Create Your Own Bank Holiday
Did you know we have the Victorians to thank for creating bank holidays? The Bank Holidays Act of 1871 allows us to enjoy a few extra days off throughout the year. Banks and offices close and people can spend more quality time with their families. And, of course, children get to stay home from school!
We know all the obvious bank holidays — New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday. But we have other weird and wonderful holidays that aren’t yet bank holidays. For example, did you know we have a Charles Darwin Day in February?
If you had to create your own bank holiday, what would you call it? What would it celebrate?
5. Victorian Slang!
It’s a pity some words fall out of favour! There are some incredible Victorian slang words and phrases long forgotten that your kids are sure to love.
Just a few examples are “afternoonified”, meaning “smart”, “bang up to the elephant”, meaning “perfect” and “bags of mystery”, meaning “sausages” — because nobody knew what was in them! Another one worth noting is a “gigglemug”, used to describe a face that was always smiling.
Print out a copy of these slang words and set your children a task to write a story — the more words you can sneak in, the more points you get!
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