Hands-on History Activities for Learning about Ancient Civilizations

You’ll love these hands on history ancient civilizations activities. Also, you’ll love my pages Ancient Civilizations and Ancient Civilization II.

Many things we use today come from the powerful empires of the past, but ancient history can sometimes be a challenge when teaching our kids.

Making a connection to the past through hands-on learning helps a child to not only remember what he has learned but helps him to develop critical thinking skills. 

By doing this instead of just memorizing, a child interacts with the past and this cements learning.

HANDS-ON HISTORY CONNECTING TO THE PAST

Do not feel intimidated either if you are not the crafty artsy type of person because hands-on history activities for learning about ancient civilizations do not have to be complicated.

Grab a few of these ideas.

 Mesopotamia

Draw the ABC’s of Mesopotamia.This is just way too cool and it’s a language arts lesson too.

The pictures are water color pencil with marker outline.

Carve a cuneiform cylinder seal using clay or play the royal game of Ur.

     
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Draw a ziggurat or build a ziggurat and hut.

And I love this hands-on geography, history and map curriculum I used because it fits hands-on learning at any age!

   
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Include some easy notebooking about Ancient Sumeria.

The Indus Valley

(Modern Day Pakistan)

Do a connect the dots of Mohenjo-Daro or build the city of Mohenjo-Daro.

Ancient China

Grab these paper dolls or make some terracotta warriors.

Build a pagoda or make Ming plates.

   
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Also, we love, love the activities from Home School in the Woods.

Read here about the hands-on activities for 14 great empires or you can look at the guide we used.

Phoencia

(Modern day Lebanon)

Check out my post about making a boat, creating some purple dye or learning the Phoenician alphabet.

Hands on History Ancient Civilizations Activities

Next, here are more hands-on history ancient civilizations activities.

• 20 Ancient Civilization History Coloring Pages 
• Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator
• Hands-On History: The Rosetta Stone and Breaking The Code
• 9 EASY and Fun Hands-on Ancient Greece Kids Activities

Assyria and Ancient Babylon

(Modern day Iraq or northern part of Mesopotamia)

Be sure to check out how to teach history in 14 lessons. You’ll love this curriculum if you need to teach history in broad strokes!

Also, read Why I Love and Use BrimWood Press History here.

And here is my hanging gardens of Babylon craft.

Ancient Greece

Create a playscape or ancient world and have a Greek feast.

   
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Play a Greek mythology matching card game or make a Grecian urn.

   
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Do a paper model of the Parthenon or make an ancient Greek water clock.

Ancient Egypt

 Use a shoebox to make a mini Egyptian Sarcophagus or mummify a rubber chicken.

Go from paper plate to creating an Egyptian collar or make a minibook printable on the Pharaohs crown using this free .pdf.

Include a sugar cube pyramid, cookie map or make yummy mummy hot dogs or make papyrus.

  
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Grab the Ancient Egyptian printable game I created or grab this free printable maze.       
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Ancient Rome

Make a styrofoam Colosseum or dig for the city of Pompeii.

       
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Make an easy peazy Roman costume or build an Roman aqueduct.

Make an easy Roman mosaic.

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And don’t forget, I created a lapbook about Ancient Civilizations. It is more like an overview on them.

Do you see anything to get you your kids inspired about learning about the Ancient Civilizations while keeping history hands-on?|