EYFS

Understanding the World - Past and Present ELG

Children at the expected level of development will:

  • Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;
  • Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
  • Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

Early Historical Skills

Pupils in EYFS learn early chronology skills when sequencing stories and investigating the timelines of their own lives through understanding how they have changed. They learn about changes in the time of the day and seasons of the year and festivals and celebrations (religious and secular). Children begin to understand that they are unique and they gain a sense of community. They start to learn language associated with time (now, then, today, yesterday, tomorrow). Children learn how to compare and contrast, sort, categorise and to ask questions.  They are encouraged to be inquisitive and curious about the world around them.