History loving 4 yo DD.

[KatieKookaburra26]

My 4yo DD loves history. For Christmas I want to get her something special to do with history. I just don’t know what there is, I’ve thought about maybe some books or a trip somewhere (although I’d prefer something she could unwrap). Any ideas at all?.

Something to do with Horrible Histories. They do have a CD, I'm sure, with all the songs off the tv programmes.

Does she have a particular period that interests her? or a particular topic like clothes, coins or fossils?
Where abouts in the country are you?

She likes the Victorian’s, ww1 and ww2 and the Vikings but she’s interested in almost everything. We’re close to London.

If you work in London, or are going up there anyway, I would have a look in the museum shops e.g. at Winston Churchill museum, British Museum, London Museum and see what they have. There are bound to be stocking filler type things like pencils, notebooks but they will have bigger things too. Check and see if the museum shops are on line too.
Usborne do great non fiction historical books for children, I remember one called Animals In War which my DD loved but they do plenty of others.

We bought our DD a metal detector and some old coins (available online) when she was small. We buried them in the garden. She loved digging them up and moved on to going out detecting with her Dad in local fields. They managed to find a few interesting things, spindle whorls, WW2 memorabilia etc. She is doing a history related degree now.

My 5-year-old loves the Usborne ‘lift the flap’ books, of which there are several historical ones (Castles, Romans...)

We liked this book although I think there is a new edition now

www.goodreads.com/book/show/998478.A_Street_Through_Time

That book looks great chilly

Playmobil history set- there’s a pyramid or a Roman warrior ship.
Usbourne lift the flap books

I've got DD this book for her stocking

Also for Younger kids:

See inside Castles (Usborne Flap Books)

Mine loved really nice dressing up stuff, tabards, wooden swords and shields, bow and arrows, crowns, cloaks etc

When she's a bit older Horrible Histories Top Trumps and Jigsaw Puzzles are great fun.

www.waterstones.com/book/fantastically-great-women-who-changed-the-world/kate-pankhurst/9781408876985

We got DD this one when she was 4.5

usborne.com/browse-books/catalogue/product/1/5150/first-encyclopedia-of-history/

and one similar to this:

usborne.com/browse-books/catalogue/product/1/9348/look-inside-living-long-ago/

Usborne also does historical sticker books which were very popular in our house.

I found Horrible History quite hard for that age, DD only "got" it when she was 6-7. She couldn't read the books herself and they are not really designed to be read to. Also it may depend on the child's facination with all things brutal/horrible/bloody though.

If you are without her in Central London, the British Museum shop has a huge children section with lots of different areas covered.

You could also think about an annual membership to the Royal Palaces. A trip with overnight stay to Warwick Castle may also something she likes.

Thank you! I didn’t think I would get this many ideas as I couldn’t think of anything myself. Will show DH and start having a look around for her.

My youngest loves history, he has all of the Usborne lift the flap books and they are great. If you are able to go to Costco they sometimes have them

Usborne Beginner series also has a few nice history titles - we've been enjoying the one about the Romans.

My dd loves the Marcia Williams history picture books and playmobil pyramid, she also loves her Greek myths book

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Some great ideas on this thread - second the suggestion about museum shops - some lovely stocking fillers to be had.

Has your DD been to the Imperial War museum? Or Churchill's rooms?

When my DCs were little they enjoyed the Tower of London & Museum of London often has some great, child-friendly exhibitions. The one about the Great Fire was a hit with my two.

Have also just had a very successful visit to Stratford-upon-Avon but my DD is a bit older now.

A Street Through Time, as others have said! The best thing about it is that it's exactly the same location, so you can compare the same aspects of life, or even see when certain aspects lapse (such as how the Romans' successors were unable to maintain the infrastructure, so civilisation ended up going "backwards," which is a historical insight for your DD to grow into. It's a really hard book to outgrow: my DS was still using his in Y4 (ages 8-9)!

Usborne See Inside books are a great companion (for grandparents to buy).

Another excellent visual representation of world history, with text your DD can grow into, are DK's What Happened Where in the World. and What Happened When. Again, they provide a starting framework for history/ geography (called "Topic" at school) throughout primary school, so it's a book which really will last.

Stickers books of different historical dress is good and kings and Queens.

Musuem of London is also fantastic for all ages (once you get past stone age bit)

Maybe some nice dressing up clothes? www.heritagecostumes.com/Kids-Costumes-c15/ or TK Maxx have some lavish dresses.

I’ve ordered a few books. The street through time looks amazing and I think I will enjoy it more than her. I think we will try and take her to a museum before Christmas and then buy some things in the gift shop without her noticing.

The costumes look great. She’s really into stuff like that, she only ate porridge and stew over the weekend so she was like a lady from the olden days😂