Timebox at KS2

Every time a new topic is launched pupils play a fun game called Timebox. Basically, each class has a box of images which are added to as the pupils move through the key stage. In Year 3 it would have images from Key Stage 1 from, say, the Victorian period, the 1950s/60s, and today. To these would be added images of Egyptian times.

Try to make the images relate to a particular theme, e.g. homes, people in period costume, transport, and an event (if appropriate). Pupils are asked to come to the front, place their hand in the Timebox and pull out a picture. They then go to the timeline and place it roughly in the right position. Don’t worry too much about duration and interval in Year 3: these ideas come later. Instead simply have the labels that the children will need. In this case, with the Year 3 example, they will need:

• 3,000 years ago, Ancient Egyptian
• 100 years ago
• 50 years ago
• Today

When you add the Vikings, introduce 1,000 years ago. When you add the Tudors you will need 500 years ago, and so on. As the box grows in size, so will the number of labels, so will the timeline, and so will children’s chronological awareness.

Why not bring Timebox out from time to time, and ask pupils to work in teams to turn it into a fun game?

Timebox Team badges
Activity cards
Activity cards