Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Although formal history is not taught as a discrete subject in EYFS, Kapow Primary’s history materials introduce foundational concepts that connect seamlessly with the KS1 and KS2 history curriculum. This ensures a unified and progressive approach from EYFS through to Year 6.

For the EYFS, the activities allow our Year R pupils to work towards the Understanding the World Development Matters statements and Early Learning Goals, while also covering foundational knowledge that will support them in their further history learning in key stage 1. The children explore the concept of history by reflecting on key experiences from their own past, helping them understand that they each have their own histories. Then, they engage in activities to compare and contrast characters from stories, including historical figures, deepening their understanding of how individual lives fit into broader historical narratives.

Children in reception will be learning to:

• Talk about members of their immediate family and community.
• Name and describe people who are familiar to them.
• Compare and contrast characters from stories, including figures from the past.
• Comment on images of familiar situations in the past.
• Recognise some environments that are different from the one in which they live. 
• 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.

Year R Development Matters statements - Understanding the World.