Family & Daily Life Then and Now Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)

Family & Daily Life Then and Now — a ready-to-teach elementary history unit (Grades 1–4). Invite your students to explore how families lived, worked, and spent their days long before smartphones and washing machines. Young historians investigate chores, meals, clothing, and homes of the past and compare them with family life today. They practice observing, asking questions, and explaining change over time in ways that connect history to their own lives.

What's included

This series opens with a clear overview and then moves through three connected units: Family in the Past, Daily Life Without Electricity, and Change Over Time. Each unit contains five ready-to-use resources: a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet built around a detailed reading passage and a matching word bank, a hands-on project or primary-source activity, a complete answer key, and a slideshow with picture prompts to spark class discussion. Teach the units in order for a full story of everyday life, or pull a single worksheet when you need a focused, standards-friendly activity. Together they build vocabulary, reading comprehension, and genuine historical thinking.

• Three levels of differentiation — Basic, Standard, and Plus — so every learner can access the same topic, plus an extension project task for early finishers.
• Varied task types, including sorting, labeling, short writing, cut-and-paste, and compare-and-contrast activities.
• A vocabulary word bank in every worksheet to support English language learners and build content-area language.
• Cited, kid-friendly sources and clear historical images that make the past feel real and trustworthy.
• No-prep and classroom-tested — simply print or assign, with no extra materials to gather.
• Instant digital download so you can start teaching today.

Format & use

Every file arrives as a print-ready PDF plus an editable Word or PowerPoint version, so you can adjust reading levels, swap images, or translate a page in minutes. This is an instant digital download with no shipping and nothing to wait for. Use it for guided reading, learning centers, sub plans, homework, morning work, or a full multi-week unit on family, community, and daily life.

Bring everyday history to life with these Family Then & Now teaching resources and worksheets — engaging, print-and-go activities your grades 1–4 students will connect with right away.