And Other Activities on Ancient Civilizations
Activities on Archeology for kids, & Prehistorical Age, Antediluvian Age, & Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient China, & Ancient Israel
Our Archeology for kids activities start this section, with some additional ideas with dinosaurs & fossils in the Prehistorical section.
The Antediluvian Age (Noah’s Flood) is in a separate section since it does not apply to all viewpoints. If it does apply to you, check out the model of Noah’s ark–this is not one of the “cutesy” versions!
Next are history projects on the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, China, & Israel.
Find more Ancient History projects on our pages for Ancient History—General Topics, as well as projects for Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. All of these categories have a separate page of their own.
General Ancient World Topics
The activities here could be used for several ancient world civilizations. For instance, we tend to think of the Romans when we introduce mosaics, but they actually were used by other cultures. All the crafts here can be adapted to almost any early historical time period.
Mosaics can be attributed to several ancient cultures, most notably Greek and Roman. Craft ideas include several mediums: cut paper or beans or ceramic tiles or even painted pumpkin seeds.
History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations, Grades 1-3 by Jill Norris & Sandi Johnson. Evan-Moor.
You will love these books (it’s a series)! This title includes projects on Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, and the Aztecs. Lots of photocopiable, informative projects to make. Most of the finished products will fit in a notebook.
Find paper soldiers to print and cut out. Includes figures for Egyptian, Hittite, Greek, Persian, Chinese, Visigoth and more!
Hands-On Ancient People, Volume 1: Art Activities about Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Islam and Hands-On Ancient People, Volume 2: Art Activities About Minoans, Mycenaeans, Trojans, Ancient Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans by Yvonne Young Merrill, illus. Mary Simpson. Kits Publishing. E-JH
These great books give you lots of ideas for reproductions of authentic artifacts. Check them out!
Professor Noggin Ancient Civilizations Card Game
Archeology for Kids
The Young Archeologist’s Club offers several downloadable archeology worksheets that are perfect for classroom activities.
Keep it fun by making frozen Dinosaur Eggs! Great archeology project for the younger ones, and all you need are balloons and small plastic dinosaurs…and a freezer, of course!
Find more downloadable archeology worksheets from the Young Archeologist’s Club–these are on historic buildings.
Get additional Archeology ideas in the Prehistorical Age section below!
Prehistorical Age Activities
Print, cut, and fold to make realistic paper dinosaurs, or go here for a simple T-Rex or click here for very simple dinosaur patterns.
Make your own fossil cast. Or use these instructions to make a fossil using Plaster of Paris.
Antediluvian Age Activities
Make a miniature model of Noah’s ark in realistic dimensions.
Mesopotamia Activities
Write like an ancient Sumerian scribe using clay and cuneiform!
This worksheet displays cuneiform numbers. Give each student some clay and a popsicle stick to practice!
Ancient China Projects
Make a Chinese Slat Book to understand why the Chinese wrote from top to bottom and from right to left. There is also a link to basic Chinese characters, and how to imitate them.
Look under our World Cultures heading for more craft ideas for China.
Ancient Israel Projects
Tabernacle Model (Candle Discovery Series)
Read about the Tabernacle in this book and then create a model of it with supplies found in the back!
Tabernacle Paper Model (Paper Model of the Tabernacle)
This model is for the more advanced student. It contains 60
full-color figures that need to be cut out. Full-color scale model
includes animals and all the furnishings.
Solomon’s Temple Model
Read about this magnificent ancient structure and then create a
miniature model of it with supplies found in the back of the book.
Ancient Egypt
Click here for hands-on projects on Ancient Egypt. There are so many that they have a page of their own.
Ancient Greece
This site offers lots of good ancient Greek crafts for the upper elementary school child, including directions for a paper mache Trojan horse, a pasta drama mask, and more!
If you don’t mind putting in the extra effort, creating a paper mache horse makes good sense when you want to illustrate how soldiers hid inside the Trojan horse! Here are instructions!
Print this paper Trojan Horse for students to cut, color (optional), and assemble from DLTK’s Crafts for Kids.
This site has several characters from Greek mythology to print, color (optional), and assemble. The only other supply needed is a toilet paper tube. Characters available are Zeus, Perseus, Medusa, Harpy, the Cyclops, and Athena, all from DLTK’s Crafts for Kids.
Use rounds of cardboard and classical Greek Shield patterns to make your own authentic shields.
History Pockets: Ancient Greece
by Evan-Moor. UE
Read our review of the History Pockets series!
Stage your own Olympic Games
with Spartans vs. Athenians! Our class did the Discus Throw (i.e.,
Ring Toss); Racing (i.e., with a Maze on paper OR blowing a ping pong
ball to the Finish Line); Archery (i.e., flicking a marble onto a flat
target OR Bean Bag Toss); and Wrestling (i.e., Thumb or Arm Wrestling). Use the Olympic Award Certificate from A Book In Time to fill out and keep in your notebook as a memory of all the fun.
Literature Pockets, Greek & Roman Myths, Grades 4-6
The History Pockets series has a Literature-based book on Greek & Roman Myths. Learn and create! Projects are supplied for 8 myths, and all handwork can be stored in the “pockets” the student creates.
Have you read the Greek myth of Arachne? Make a spider bracelet to go along with the story! Better yet, create and eat spider cupcakes!
The Book of Greek Myths Pop-Up Board Games is a unique treasure! It includes 4 pop-up Board Games on the Trojan Horse, Odysseus, Theseus & the Minotaur, and Daedalus & Icarus, along with a 14-page book of the stories. Learn and play, and then play some more!
Make a Grecian Urn out of paper mache. These instructions walk you through everything step-by-step. Click here.
All
kids seem to be enthralled with Medusa!! They will love to make this
mask surrounded by her snakes. The instructions also show you how to
make a shield with the same design. It’s easy, too! Click here to see
how to make the Medusa Mask or Shield.
Print & cut out playing cards of the Greek gods to play a Matching game or to play Snap.
Ancient Rome
These 2 simple projects require only printing, cutting, and assembling with either glue or tape. Construct the Colosseum or Constantine’s Arch!
Build a paper model of the Colosseum, compliments of Canon’s Paper Craft.
Jesus was born during the Roman era. This simple paper Nativity Scene prints in color.
This is an awesome Roman horse & chariot for kids to put together. The pattern is pretty self-sufficient, and everything is backed onto cardboard to make your model sturdy. This project is probably best appropriate for an older child because of the detail. (Scroll down a bit for this model.)
This unit on Rome features instructions for making a toga, a vellum journal, mosaics, and weapons!
Roman Ship Model (Candle Discovery Series)
This book is based on the New Testament journeys of Paul in a Roman
ship. After reading and learning, punch out the model ship in the back
of the book to build your own!
History Pockets: Ancient Rome, Grades 4-6+
by Evan-Moor. UE
The books in the History Pockets series are full of photocopiable
crafts and projects that lie flat and are designed to be kept in
“pockets” in a binder or folder. We have found these to be a perfect
resource for no-fuss, simple crafts. Read our review of the History Pockets series!
This Roman Imperial Helmet is so easy to make! Just print and assemble, and then have fun wearing your creation. Project is from FirstPalette.
Dress the Roman Soldier with this paper cut-out craft! Easy & fun for kids!
Find more Ancient History projects on our pages for
General Ancient World Crafts AND the page for Ancient Egypt projects.
Please e-mail us with any links to add to this collection!
