Key Stage 1 history · Events beyond living memory

KS1 history: festivals and anniversaries that remember the past

Some of the days we celebrate or mark each year remember real events from the past. In Years 1 and 2, children learn why we remember certain days, what happened long ago, and how those events have been remembered ever since. Schools choose which events to study; Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day are two common choices.

Festivals and anniversaries, explained

The National Curriculum asks schools to teach about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally, and it gives events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries as one example. That wording is a suggestion rather than a requirement, so different schools choose different events. Many pick Bonfire Night and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, or Remembrance Day and the end of fighting in the First World War in 1918. Festivals in other traditions, such as Hanukkah, Diwali or Easter, also remember events, but these are mostly taught in religious education (RE); in history lessons the focus is on the event itself.

An anniversary is the day each year that matches the date of an event. The word commemorate means to remember something important in a special way, such as a ceremony, a silence, a bonfire or a poppy. Children start with their own anniversaries, such as birthdays, and then see that countries and communities do the same for events that matter to many people.

The Gunpowder Plot happened in 1605, when a group of men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament while King James I was inside. Guy Fawkes was found guarding barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the building in the early hours of 5 November, and the plot failed. People lit bonfires to celebrate that the King was safe, and the tradition has continued for more than four centuries, though today most people enjoy the fireworks without thinking about the plot. Many teachers keep the story simple at this age; the religious disagreements behind the plot are usually explored in more depth in later years.

Remembrance has a different tone. On 11 November 1918, at 11 o’clock in the morning, fighting on the Western Front in the First World War stopped under an agreement called the Armistice. Each year on that date, and on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, people hold a two-minute silence and wear red paper poppies to remember those who died in wars. Teachers explain it gently to this age group: there was a very big war a long time ago, many people died, and we are quiet and wear poppies to remember them. Children are asked who is remembered, how, and why it matters.

Words your child will hear

Anniversary: The day each year that matches the date of an event, such as 5 November or 11 November.
Commemorate: To remember an important event or person in a special way, such as with a ceremony.
Festival: A special day or time that people celebrate together each year.
Tradition: Something families or communities have done for a long time and pass on.
Parliament: The group of people who make the laws of the country. They meet in the Houses of Parliament in London.
Remembrance: Remembering people who died in wars, especially in November.
Armistice: An agreement to stop fighting. The Armistice that ended the fighting in 1918 began on 11 November.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 1 says:

Pupils should be taught about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally
Pupils should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
Pupils should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: why do we remember the fifth of November?

Answer the enquiry question “Why do people light bonfires and fireworks on 5 November?” using evidence.

Find the event. In 1605 a group of men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament and the King. The plan is called the Gunpowder Plot.
Find what happened. Guy Fawkes was found in a cellar under Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. He was arrested, and the plot failed. We know this from records written at the time, including statements Fawkes signed, and from pictures made soon afterwards.
Say why it mattered. If the plot had worked, the King and many others would have been killed. People were relieved that the King was safe.
Say how it was remembered. People lit bonfires that night to celebrate, and they have done so each year since. There is even an old rhyme that begins “Remember, remember the fifth of November”.
Say what is the same and different now. We still gather on the evening, but today many people go to firework displays, and few are thinking about the King. The event is the same; the way we mark it has changed.

We light bonfires on 5 November because in 1605 a plan to blow up Parliament and the King was stopped. People celebrated that the King was safe, and the tradition has been passed down ever since. Today many people go to firework displays.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking Guy Fawkes was the only plotter, or the leader

The “guy” on the bonfire and the name on the rhyme make Fawkes seem like the whole story.

What helps: Explain that a group of men planned it, led by a man called Robert Catesby, and Fawkes was the one in charge of the gunpowder, so he was the one caught in the cellar.

Thinking Bonfire Night celebrates the plot succeeding

Fireworks and bangs sound like a celebration of explosions, so children connect them to the gunpowder.

What helps: Ask what people were happy about. They were glad the King was safe because the plot was found out in time.

Thinking Remembrance Day is a celebration, or only about one war

Poppies and ceremonies are unfamiliar, and the First World War is the one named in the story, so children think it is the only one.

What helps: Say that on Remembrance Sunday people remember those who died in wars, in the First World War and in later conflicts. It is a quiet day, not a party, and a short silence is a way of showing respect.

Having no sense of how long ago it was

Dates like 1605 and 1918 are just numbers, and an anniversary can sound as though the event was last year.

What helps: Count the years and then the generations on a timeline. 1605 is over 400 years ago, 1918 about 108 years ago, and your child’s great-grandparents might have known someone who was there.

How to help at home

Talk about your own anniversaries. Birthdays, the day you moved house and a wedding anniversary are all anniversaries. Ask how your family marks them, and why they matter. This makes the word less abstract.
Make a poppy and talk about it. Make a red paper poppy together. Explain that poppies grew on the fields where terrible fighting took place, and that people wear them to remember. Answer questions honestly but calmly.
Visit a war memorial. Take a walk on a pavement to a local memorial. Read a few names together and look for words and dates. Ask who put the memorial there and why.
Talk fire safety before Bonfire Night. If you go to a display, choose an organised one, keep a clear distance and agree where to meet if you get separated. Ask your child to explain the story behind it to a relative.
Ask about family traditions. Ask a grandparent which special days they remember from childhood and how they marked them. Compare with what your family does now.