From exploring family histories to taking a deep dive into past events and ancient civilizations, we’ve gathered 31 historical timeline activities that are sure to engage and excite your learners! Whilst working through them, your students will have the opportunity to better connect with their roots as well as unearth an understanding of the rich history that has made the world into the place it is today.
1. Family Timeline
Get your students in touch with their roots as they piece together a unique family timeline. They’ll need to gather old photos and discover hidden stories before charting a timeline of their family history.
Learn More: Prezi
2. Decade Diary
Why not prompt your learners to take a creative approach to understanding the past? Have them create a decade-spanning diary in which they record major world events as they cover them in class.
Learn More: Twinkl
3. Timeline Clothesline
Transform your classroom into a living timeline by hanging a clothesline across your room and asking students to arrange historical events on it chronologically. The visual representation will help you facilitate a better understanding of sequential order throughout history.
Learn More: Pinterest
4. Historical Event Newspaper
Invite your learners to be reporters of the past as they practice their research and writing skills. They’ll need to research a specific event on the timeline and design a newspaper article as if they were on the scene when it happened!
Learn More: Presentation Magazine
5. Ancient Civilizations Timeline
Explore ancient civilizations with this colorful rendition of a basic timeline. Learners can highlight major events found throughout Egyptian, Greek, or even Roman history as they piece together a unique timeline.
Learn More: Pinterest
6. Historical Costume Timeline
Fancy a historical fashion show? Have your students represent different eras on the timeline by dressing up accordingly; thereby engaging with historical periods in a unique and memorable manner!
Learn More: Twinkl
7. President Timeline
Lead your class on a journey through the US presidency. Learners can pair up and create a timeline that marks important events that occurred during each president’s time in office.
Learn More: Twinkl
8. Invention Timeline
Explore innovations unearthed during the industrial revolution by having your students craft a timeline that lists significant inventions. As they add content, they should be prompted to spend time discussing the impact that said inventions have had on society.
Learn More: Teach Starter
9. Historical Board Game
Here, gaming meets learning! This activity integrates strategy, competition, and historical knowledge; providing an enjoyable way to study history. Task your kiddos with creating a board game where each space represents a different year or era.
Learn More: Pinterest
10. Timeline of Me
Make learning personal by getting your students to map out significant events of their own life on a timeline. This promotes self-reflection and historical understanding at a micro level.
Learn More: Live Worksheets
11. Historical Figure Biography
Have your learners take a deep dive into history as they select a single historical figure to explore. They can craft a personal timeline by penning a short biography in which they list facts relating to the person, their family, and life.
Learn More: EdrawMax
12. Cultural Timeline
Embark on a cultural journey with a cool timeline task. Students can craft a timeline featuring a specific culture or civilization to enrich their understanding of diverse societies.
Learn More: Twinkl
13. War and Peace Timeline
Foster an understanding of the ebb and flow of global harmony with a timeline that focuses on different wars throughout the ages. Learners can either focus on detailing one war or expand their knowledge by different wars and listing a few!
Learn More: Live Worksheets
14. Art History Timeline
Merge art and history with this colorful timeline! Your students can create a timeline that highlights different art styles and movements throughout the years; painting a picture of cultural and artistic evolution.
Learn More: TES
15. Natural History Timeline
Traverse the dawn of our time as you invite students to craft a timeline that spans from the formation of Earth to the advent of life; blending science and history in an enlightening way.
Learn More: Twinkl
16. Music Timeline
Challenge your kiddos to explore the invention and evolution of music with a timeline detailing unique music genres, inventions, and notable musicians!
Learn More: Live Worksheets
17. Fashion Evolution Timeline
Here, learners can trace the evolution of fashion; revealing a vibrant tapestry of societal change as styles altered.
Learn More: Twinkl
18. Women’s Rights Timeline
Empower your students by tasking them with exploring the history of women’s rights. As they revisit past events and insert them into a timeline, they’ll expand their sense of what is possible and be encouraged to dream big!
Learn More: Prezi
19. Historical Eras Mural
Display history on your school walls as your learners draw a mural that depicts different eras; resulting in a colorful and collective testament of their learning journey.
Learn More: Promote Your School
20. Space Exploration Timeline
Launch your students into the history of space exploration. They can detail all the significant events on a timeline and pair their write-ups with images.
Learn More: Pinay Homeschooler
21. Timeline Quiz
Host a fun quiz at the end of your timeline activity and challenge your learners to put their knowledge to the test!
Learn More: Brain Fall
22. Timeline of Local History
Connect global and local narratives and you task your students with designing a timeline that features events from local or state history.
Learn More: Teach Starter
23. Timeline Collage
How about a timeline with an artistic twist? Collect images from various eras and ask your learners to create a collage by placing them in chronological order and adding short descriptions.
Learn More: Pinterest
24. Timeline Puzzle
Here’s a hands-on approach to understanding the flow of history! Give your students the task of creating a puzzle with pieces that represent different eras.
Learn More: Homeschool Clearance Sale
25. Disease and Medicine Timeline
Trace the progress of medicine in this disease-driven timeline task. Learners can illustrate the evolution of disease and medicine by offering insights into scientific advances and human resilience.
Learn More: Twinkl
26. Historical Fiction Story
Looking to practice creative writing in a historical context? This one’s for you! Ignite your students’ imagination as you get them to write a historical fiction story based on a specific event on a given timeline.
Learn More: The History Quill
27. Interactive Digital Timeline
Have your pupils utilize technology to design a digital timeline. Their task? To design an interactive digital timeline that harnesses the power of digital media for educational purposes.
Learn More: EDM Studio
28. Historical Figures “Guess Who”
Spice up your class’s learning experience by having your students play a game of “Guess Who” with characters from different eras!
Learn More: YouTube
29. Historical Landmarks Timeline
Did you know that you can visit world landmarks right from the comfort of your classroom? Here, students can watch an entertaining video on historical landmarks before using a timeline to chart their construction!
Learn More: Twinkl
30. Timeline of Scientific Discoveries
Have your students unveil the breakthroughs that shaped our world as they feature major scientific discoveries visually and chronologically.
Learn More: Research Gate
31. Historical Diorama
Get hands-on with a 3D timeline task! Have your students choose a moment from the timeline to depict in diorama form; offering a unique visual representation of history.
Learn More: Judy Dodge Cummings
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