50 free lesson plans for KS1 and KS2
Start your year with a whole host of new ideas for every primary school subject with these 50 free lesson plans for Years 1-6…
1 | Create a savannah artwork
Art
Blend sunset colours and add striking silhouettes to produce unique compositions, says Robert Watts
2 | Create your own mobile style games
Computing
Use elements from your current topic to design your own Candy Crush style addictive games, says Adam Foster
3 | Use coding skills to beat the hacker
Computing
Set up an exciting imaginary emergency to help children showcase their computing talents, says Adam Parkhouse
4 | Sew a mini gown for a Tudor client
D&T, History
Establish your own fashion label and learn about historical fashions with Adam Newman’s crafty idea
5 | Open a Mexican restaurant at your school
D&T, English, Computing
Enhance a study of ancient Maya or Mexico by exploring the area’s traditional cuisine, says Adam Newman
6 | Design, build and evaluate a Viking longboat
History, D&T
Use questioning and trial and error to fire imaginations and hone innovation skills, says Adam Parkhouse
7 | Design, develop and market a Tudor property
History, D&T, Literacy
Bring the homes of the past to life in an engaging and practical way, says Adam Newman
8 | Storytelling from multiple perspectives
Literacy, PSHE
Reimagining well-known stories from different angles will challenge children and inspire creativity, says Adam Newman
9 | Let’s plan a trip to the rainforest
Geography
Help your class plan an imaginary adventure to the Amazon, says Kate Snowdon from National Geographic Kids
10 | Let’s play a game of river consequences
Geography
Adapt this playground favourite to learn about and describe the universal features of rivers, says Ben Ballin
11 | Learn sculpture and folk art with alebrijes
Art, Geography, English
Exploring and creating these unique Mexican designs will open imaginations and boost geographical knowledge, says Adam Newman
12 | Use news reports to learn about migrants
Geography, Literacy
Explore key vocabulary and important statistics with the help of The Week Junior, says Emma Espley
13 | Making global connections with chocolate
Geography
Learn about locations and climate by exploring the story of objects and how they are made, says Anthony Barlow
14 | Learn about the Empire Windrush
History, Literacy
Write a diary entry from the point of view of a passenger with Julianne Britton’s lesson idea
15 | Pretend to be archeologists on Time Team
History, Maths
Make connections between maths and history with this hands-on lesson about coordinate grids, says Abby King
16 | Someone has stolen our laptop!
Literacy
Use an imaginary crime scene to teach children how to read, spell and use question words, says Hannah Friedwald
17 | The world’s strictest teacher…
Literacy
Provide children with a poetry template and examples of indirect characterisation and watch their imaginations soar
18 | What makes someone a hero or villain?
Literacy
Use thinking maps to explore both fictional and real-life goodies and baddies, say Russell Grigg and Helen Lewis
19 | Goldilocks: calculating thief or innocent girl?
Literacy
Use different versions of this classic tale to explore inference, deduction and point of view, says Jacqueline Harris
20 | Have you met a professional crocodile?
Literacy
Help children show, not tell, with the help of a wonderful wordless picture book, says James Clements
21 | Host your own vocabulary marketplace
Literacy
Imagine if words had a value and could be bought and sold by children, says award-winning teacher Adam Parkhouse
22 | What if the World Cup was in outer space?
Literacy
Would gravity affect the offside rule? Use Frank Lampard’s football series to describe settings, suggests Jenny Baldwin
23 | Teach phonics with paper doughnuts
Literacy
Set up an imaginary baked goods delivery service to explore the ‘ough’ spelling with Cara Fairhall’s scrummy idea
24 | Write a play script with Paddington Bear
Literacy, Drama
Celebrate the famous bear’s 60th anniversary with James Clements’ fun lesson about dialogue and drama
25 | Use maps to inspire storytelling
Literacy
Immerse pupils in a spot of imaginary world-building and watch their fiction writing flourish, says Adam Parkhouse
26 | Write a menu for a monster restaurant
Literacy
Encourage children to use adjectives by creating a gruesome menu fit for a fantasy creature, says Brad Peterson
27 | Instructional writing with The BFG
Literacy
This fun, practical and engaging lesson will prove to be a favourite among pupils, says Julianne Britton
28 | Use your body to draw giant snowmen
Maths
Help pupils understand how size relates to quantity with Martin Saunders’ festive measurements lesson
29 | From cadet to test pilot: Project Flight!
Maths
Create paper planes in a cross-curricular project encompassing maths, literacy and teamwork, says Marc Bowen
30 | Make predictions with real-time statistics
Maths
Use the player and match stats on FIFA’s website to explore averages and percentages, says Aidan Severs
31 | Teach fruity fractions like a pirate
Maths
It’s all hands on deck in this volume and ratio lesson from Ian Goldsworthy that even landlubbers will enjoy
32 | Make your diet more eco-friendly
Maths, English, Science
Design a takeaway menu with a low water footprint with Kevin Mackay’s planet-saving lesson idea
33 | Fix a post office parcel mix-up
Maths
Practise your measuring skills by working out what it would cost to post a variety of packages, says Julianne Britton
34 | Avez-vous un animal, mademoiselle?
MFL
Use flashcards, mime and song to teach your class the vocabulary of pets in French, says Dr Amanda Barton
35 | Finding your way around French
MFL
Stay on the right path with Amanda Barton’s MFL ideas for teaching directions and building names
36 | La Maravillosa Medicina de Jorge…
MFL
Use the Spanish version of George’s Marvellous Medicine to write your own wacky recipes, explains Lisa Stevens
37 | Use games to learn colours in Spanish
MFL
Explore patterns and sounds of language through rhymes and link them with meaning, says Lisa Stevens
38 | Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire? Les passe-temps
MFL
Exploring hobbies in foreign languages is an effective way to teach the correct pronunciation of cognates, says Amanda Barton
39 | Link music and language with Saint Saens
MFL, Music
Activities based around The Carnival of the Animals provide an enriching and positive cross-curricular learning experience, says Lisa Stevens
40 | Get fit with five-a-day exercises
PE, Science
Set up mini circuits and encourage bursts of activity while learning about different muscles, says Leon Blake
41 | Yes, you’re playing at Wimbledon!
PE
Pick a tennis star’s name from a hat and enjoy an exciting four-person mini tournament, says Jim Lavin
42 | Craft mini reflection zones in boxes
RE, SMSC
Think about values by creating themed activities for a special decorated box, says Abby King
43 | Make solubility exciting by using candyfloss
Science
Use this delicious fairground favourite to demonstrate dissolving and solutions in KS2 science, says Ian Goldsworthy
44 | Who can make the biggest seagull splat?
Science
500 birds make a lot of mess! Use Deborah Herridge’s Roald Dahl-inspired lesson to look at forces and pattern seeking
45 | Write a piece of music about fossils
Science, Music
Combine two different areas of the curriculum in this innovative percussion lesson from Abby King
46 | What happens when you heat up slime?
Science
Learn all about the properties of materials with this on-trend science spectacular from Nick East
47 | Work out the contents of confusing cans
Science
You know that old saying, “does what it says on the tin”? Well, what if the tins are blank, asks Jane Dowden?
48 | Write letters from Galileo to the pope
Science
The science we now accept as fact was once heresy. Explore the solar system with Ian Goldsworthy
49 | Can we move objects with our minds?
Science
Investigate the physics of Roald Dahl’s Matilda and explore her special telekinetic powers with Deborah Herridge
50 | Use eggshells to learn about healthy teeth
Science
Experimenting with liquid reactions can help children understand how drinks affect their dental hygiene, says Natalie Sew
