Homework Gnome: History

Help with primary-school history homework

TheSchoolRun Homework Gnome
History is a compulsory national curriculum subject at Key Stages 1 and 2 and, throughout primary school, your child will be studying a range of different history topics. A new national curriculum for history was introduced in September 2014 for EYFS history, KS1 history and KS2 history.

For primary-school history homework, your child will often be asked to find out facts about the topic they are studying, look at different sources, create a timeline, perhaps create a poster, a model or come to school dressed as someone from that period. As parents, you'll be encouraged to help your child research the topic, and perhaps further their interest by arranging visits to any relevant places of interest or museums.

As anyone will know who has done a search of the internet, you can never be sure whether the sites that come up are suitable for children. But with the Homework Gnome, you don't have to worry! Every history topic is covered in an age-appropriate style, with information, images and videos suitable for primary school children*.

To get started, just look through the list below to find the topic your child is studying at school now.


Stone Age

Stone Age Homework Gnome
Find out about the earliest period of human culture, where and how humans lived.

Bronze Age

Bronze Age Homework Gnome
Read about the important advances that shaped the Bronze Age in Britain.

Iron Age

Iron Age Homework Gnome
Why did the use of iron tools have such an impact on the life early Britons? Find out here.

Early civilisations

Indus Valley

Indus Valley Homework Gnome
This Bronze Age civilisation was huge, but no-one really knows why it disappeared.

Ancient Sumer

Ancient Sumer
Find out about the amazing things the Ancient Sumerians invented (including writing and the wheel).

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian life and culture Homework Gnome
Uncover fascinating facts about how the Egyptians lived, their Pharaohs and what they've taught us about maths, medicine and farming.

Pyramids / mummies

Pyramids and mummies Homework Gnome
Discover what a mummy is and what the pyramids were really intended for.


Benin Homework Gnome
Find out about the first dynasty of the Edo and the legacy it has left today.

The Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty Homework Gnome
Read about the Shang Emperors, Gods and how they predicted the future.

The Mayans

Mayans Homework Gnome
They are famous for writing and building amazing pyramids. Discover more about the first Mesoamerican civilisation.

Native Americans

Native Americans Homework Gnome
Read about the indigenous peoples and cultures of the United States and discover fascinating facts about their history.

Baghdad c900

Baghdad c900 Homework Gnome
Discover a period where Islamic culture flourished and Baghdad became renowned as a centre of learning and tolerance.

Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome

Greek mythology

Greek gods and mythology Homework Gnome
Who were the gods and godesses that the Ancient Greeks worshiped and why were they often grumpy and sad?

Greek culture

Ancient Greek life and culture Homework Gnome
What did the Greeks ever do for us? Quite a lot, as it happens! Find out more about Ancient Greek philosophy, language, theatre, medicine, government and more.

Roman empire

Roman Empire Homework Gnome
Read all about how the Romans extended their rule far beyond the borders of Rome and why the Empire finally fell.

Roman culture

Roman life and culture Homework Gnome
What was it like to live in Italy or in the Empire when the Romans ruled? Find out how they spoke, dressed, lived and liked to relax.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar Homework Gnome
Find out about the most famous Roman leader, how he came to rule, his battles, why he was eventually killed and his legacy.


Pompeii Homework Gnome
In 79AD Mount Vesuvius erupted. Find out what happened to the people in nearby Pompeii.

Roman Britain

The Celts

Celts Homework Gnome
Find out about life during the Iron Age and how the Celts lived, worked and fought.


Boudica Homework Gnome
She led a rebellion against the Roman occupation of Britain but was eventually defeated. Find out all about the life of Celtish queen Boudica.

Anglo-Saxon Britain

The Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons Homework Gnome
The Anglo-Saxons ruled England for 300 years. Discover their famous kings and find out all about what life was like in Anglo-Saxon England.

Alfred the Great

King Alfred Homework Gnome
Find out if King Alfred really was 'great' and how he defended his kingdom against the Vikings.

The Vikings

Vikings Homework Gnome
The Vikings attacked Britain in 700AD and changed the country for good before they were finally defeated.

Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor Homework Gnome
Find out why King Edward was known for his faith and how his failures led to the Norman invasion of England.

1066: the Battle of Hastings

1066 Battle of Hastings Homework Gnome
Discover how the events of 14 October 1066 changed the course of British history forever.

Medieval history

The Normans

Normans Homework Gnome
Read about the Norman invasion of England and the reign of William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The Magna Carta

Magna Carta Homework Gnome
Find out about this important medieval document, written in 1215, which limited the rights of the king.

Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt

Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt Homework Gnome
Read about the life of England's "warrior king", Henry V, and his victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Tudor rulers and times

The Tudors

Tudors Homework Gnome
Religion, music and theatre, marriages, executions and punishments... it was all going on in Tudor times.

King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII Homework Gnome
Find out the truth about Henry VIII and his six wives, the palaces, the English Reformation, the entertainment and the fancy clothes.

Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I Homework Gnome
Discover why the daughter of King Henry VIII  and Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous queens England has ever had.

Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots Homework Gnome
Queen of France and Queen of Scotland, but never Queen of England, Mary was Elizabeth I's cousin and arch rival.

The Armada

The Armada Homework Gnome
Find out why the most famous fleet of all times set sail from Spain with the intention of invading England and overthrowing Elizabeth I.

The Aztecs

Aztecs Homework Gnome
The Aztecs were the rulers of one of the largest empires in the 15th century in Mesoamerica.

The Stuarts

London in the 1600s

London in the 1600s Homework Gnome
Overcrowding, disease, traffic and fake beauty spots... what was life really like in London in the 1660s?

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night

Guy Fawkes Homework Gnome
Who was the man behind the Gunpowder Plot and why do we light bonfires every November 5th?

The Great Fire of London

Great Fire of London Homework Gnome
Discover how a fire in a bakery ended up destroying much of London in 1666.

The Great Plague

The Great Plague Homework Gnome
By the end of 1665, about 100,000 people had died from the plague in London. Find out what caused it and how it spread.

Charles II

Charles II Homework Gnome
He was defeated by Oliver Cromwell but then came back to power in a period now known as the Restoration. Find out more...

The Georgians

King George I

King George I Homework Gnome
Find out how the first of the Hanoverian Monarchs helped to maintain the Protestant Church and defeated the Jacobites.

Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar

Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar Homework Gnome
Horatio Nelson is one of Britain's most celebrated naval commanders. Find out about his life and his triumph over Napoleon.

Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo Homework Gnome
Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, led the British army at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and defeated Napoleon’s French army.

The Victorians

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria Homework Gnome
Discover interesting facts about the longest-reigning monarch that Britain has ever had, her marriage to Albert and their children.

The Victorian era

Victorian era Homework Gnome
Find out about all the changest that happened in Britain during Queen Victoria's long reign on the throne.

Life in the Victorian era

Life in the Victorian era Homework Gnome
New inventions, new laws and improving standards of living – find out what it was really like to live during the Victorian era.

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale Homework Gnome
Who was the Lady of the Lamp, what did she do to improve hospital conditions and why is she considered the founder of modern nursing?

Mary Seacole

Mary Seacole Homework Gnome
She was voted one of the Greatest Black Britons for her role helping injured soldiers in the Crimean War. Find out all about her life and work.

Britain in the Twentieth Century

The Suffragettes

The Suffragettes Homework Gnome
Who were the Suffragettes and how did they fight for votes for women?


Titanic Homework Gnome
The most famous ship ever built, Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912.

World War I

World War I Homework Gnome
Find out about the main causes and events of the first World War (1914-1918), as well as conditions in the trenches and life in Britain. Remembrance Day and its significance are also covered.

World War II

World War II Homework Gnome
The events, battles and leaders of the second world war (1939-1945), including Dunkirk, D-Day, the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Bulge.

Life in Britain in WWII

Life in Britain in WWII
Food rationing, the Blitz and evacuation were all part of life in Britain during WWII. Find out more about the land girls, bomb shelters and VE Day.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill Homework Gnome
The life and times of Britain's most famous politician and WWII leader.

Anne Frank and the Holocaust

Anne Frank and the Holocaust Homework Gnome
The author of the world's most famous diary, Anne Frank, lived in Holland during WWII and died in the Holocaust.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II Homework Gnome
Queen Elizabeth II has been Head of State of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth since 1952. Find out more about her and the monarchy.

Black history

The Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade Homework Gnome iStock
Read about what happened during one of the darkest periods in history, what the slave trade involved and when it was finally outlawed.

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Jr Homework Gnome
Discover how this brave man played a crucial part in ending racial discrimination in the United States.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Homework Gnome
Find out about the man who spent 27 years in prison for believing that all people in South Africa should have equal rights.

KS1 history topic

Houses and homes

Houses and homes Homework Gnome
A cave, a cottage or a Celtic roundouse – what things do all homes have in common?

History of toys

History of toys Homework Gnome
Children have always played with toys, but they have changed a lot through the ages. Discover what toys were like 2000 years ago, how the teddy bear got his name and how toys have changed over time.


Castles Homework Gnome
Read about why castles were built, how they were defended and what it was really like to live inside a castle.

Artists, explorers, engineers, scientists and writers

Mary Anning

Mary Anning Homework Gnome
Find out more about this famous fossil hunter and collector.


Archimedes Homework Gnome
The most famous mathematician in Ancient Greece, Archimedes is famous for his work with simple machines. We still use his inventions today!

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Homework Gnome
Who was this famous Victorian engineer and how did he change transportation in Britain for ever?

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus Homework Gnome
He's famous for discovering America, but he actually thought he'd landed somewhere else! Find out more about the famous explorer.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci Homework Gnome
Da Vinci was a Renaissance painter, a sculptor, an architect, a poet, a composer, a scientist, a mathematician and an inventor!

Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake Homework Gnome
He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and was vice admiral of the English fleet at the time of the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison Homework Gnome
If you think he's just famous for inventing the lightbulb, you'd be wrong! Find out why...

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein Homework Gnome
One of the most famous scientists of all time, Einstein revolutionised our understanding of gravity and relativity.

Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei Homework Gnome
Why is Galileo famous for his work on mathematics and astronomy and why did it eventually lead him into such trouble?

Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke Homework Gnome
Find out why Hooke was called a 'polymath’, an expert in many subjects.

Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton Homework Gnome
You might know him as the man who saw an apple fall and figured out gravity... but there is lots more to discover about this famous mathematician.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Homework Gnome
Discover more about the life of this famous playwright and how his plays were first performed.

George Stephenson

George Stephenson Homework Gnome
He built the first passenger railways and the famous Rocket train. Find out all about him.

Can't find what you're looking for?

We're adding new history homework help topics all the time, so keep checking back. If there is a topic you think is missing, email us on enquiries@theschoolrun.com to let us know.
