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Victorian Christmas

About this session

Key stage 1 and Key stage 2 | Subject: History | Topic: Victorians | Session type: Route-based and classroom

What did Victoria do at Christmas? Find out how celebrations changed from her childhood and throughout the period of her reign.

Through song, stories, games and object-handling, children will explore the development of Christmas from the Georgian period to the introduction in Victorian times of activities and festivities that are still carried out today.

What to expect?

  • In this hour-long session (45 minutes for Key Stage 1), your group will walk between several rooms inside the palace.
  • The session will be facilitated by a presenter in costume, playing a historical character, who will interact with children in a lively and responsive way. 
  • Teachers will be required to actively support the facilitator and engage with the session.  
  • Children will be encouraged to take an active part in the session through role-play activities, questioning and debate 

Learning objectives

Children will:

  • Discover that many current Christmas traditions have their beginnings in the Victorian period.
  • Find out that before the Victorians, Christmas was more of a celebration centred on religion.
  • Discover how the celebration of Christmas became more accessible to ordinary people.

National Curriculum links

This session supports:

History

  • Exploring the lives of significant individuals in the past (Queen Victoria).
  • Understanding historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance.

Booking information

Availability

Wednesday 26 November
Thursday 27 November
Friday 28 November
Wednesday 3 December
Thursday 5 December
Wednesday 10 December
Thursday 11 December
Wednesday 12 December 

11.00, 12.15, 13.45

Duration
Key Stage 1: 45 minutes 
Key Stage 2: 60 minutes 

Capacity

Up to 35 students

Price

£105 per session plus admission

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Learning Resources

Preview image of learning resource

Georgian to Victorian Kings and Queens Biographies and key facts

Short editable biographies of Georgian to Victorian Kings and Queens. Use key facts, activities and historic sources to explore these famous monarchs and their lives at Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace.