Jamestown for Kids Unit with Fun Activities

Discover what it was like to live in the first permanent English Settlement in America with this fun, engaging Jamestown for Kids unit study. Explore this history lesson for kids of all ages from kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students. Children will learn about the Jamestown Settlement of 1607 with these fun projects, Jamestown activities, and free Jamestown Worksheets.

Jamestown for Kids

Make history come alive for children with this engaging history lesson for kids! In our Jamestown for Kids unit you will use fun Jamestown activities and free Jamestown printables to head back in time to the early 1600s as the English set sail for America, the men were hoping to find gold. They created a triangular shape fort for protection.  Learn about Captain John Smith, the Powhatan Native American tribe, what it was like in Colonial America, and how this Virginia settlement was the capital for over 90 years.  This is such a fun, engaging American History lesson for kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 students.

Jamestown Activities

I always get so excited to learn alongside my kids! This history unit is filled with Jamestown colony activities that will make the colonial America time period come alive for kids! This is the first less on our  Colonial America for kids study.

Colonial Food

To explore what it was like to live in the Jamestown Settlement we ate gruel for breakfast. It is pretty much flavored water. We learned that the colonists in early Jamestown were mainly ‘gentlemen’ and they didn’t want to plant crops or work. Many starved. The only food they had to eat was what they could grow in their garden or hunt. The kids decided Colonial food wasn’t that great.

Jamestown Colony Activities

We made a miniature Wattle & Daub House to better understand Colonial American homes (click to see directions on how we made it).

Jamestown Activity

We made our own tin lantern. We got the idea from Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself. Draw a simple design on the can; Goofy opted to make shapes. You fill a large empty tin can with water & freeze overnight. Then you use towels to keep it from moving. Use a hammer & a nail to make holes along your pattern line. (This is GREAT practice using a hammer, improves hand/eye coordination, small motor skills, and more!)

Allow the ice to melt and the can to dry out. Put wax in bottom of can and place tee light in bottom (wax is to hold tee light candle in place). Light your candle & enjoy. It is so cool! Remember this project requires close adult supervision. And fire should never be left to burn unsupervised.

   

Jamestown Activity Worksheet

My absolute favorite book that thoroughly explains Jamestown is The Jamestown Colony by Brendan January; it is great for K-4th grade. The book explains the history, Native American, John Smith, fort, tough times, Lord De La Ware, tobacco farms, Opechancanough attack on colony, King James I retaking control of colony from London Company, and the end of the colony in 1699 due to a fire.

Jamestown Worksheets

We’ve done several lapbooks this year so I decided it was time to mix it up a little. To remember our study of Colonial Times we made a Life In Colonial America Book. Since I am making the sheets as we go this download includes the pages of the book we made this week: Jamestown, Wattle & Daub homes, Pocahontas, Metalworking, and a blank page (in case you make your own creative project!). There are two choices in the download: #1 with text to trace about that particular aspect of Colonial life or #2 blank for your child to write. Both choices have a large box with space for your child’s drawing or picture of a project you did. Goofy is so proud of his book! 

Colonial America for kids

• Start off our Colonial America for Kids history unit with a look at the first permanent English settlement in America – Jamestown Activities. (Don’t forget to grab these FREE Printables Jamestown for Kids Book to Read, Color, and Learn)
• Talk about the Pilgrims, make costumes, learn how Squanto taught the settlers to plant crops, write with a quill, make simple Johnny Cakes and a traditional colonial toy – marbles!
• Explore the life of the Dutch and Swedes in America as you try creating homemade butter and build a log cabin.
• Finally discuss William Penn and the Quakers will kids enjoy making traditional silhouette art projects, a colonial punishment stock, and so much more.

History Lessons for Kids

Check out one of or MANY engaging, Free history lessons for kids

• Explore American History for kids including lots of fun, hands on activities and free printables
• Dive into Mesopotamia History to learn about Gilgamesh
• 4 week lesson about Early Explorers for Kids
• Learn about castles, knights, and more in this exciting Middle Ages for Kids
• Make a teepee, dig for arrowheads, color our printable books and more in this Native Americans for Kids lessons
• The Colonial America for Kids lesson takes kids on a journey back to the first permanent settlement in America – Jamestown. Students will learn about colonial life with lots of hands on projects like eating Gruel, making a Wattle & Daub house, and creating a tin lantern will make the settlement come alive.
• We will make westward expansion for kids come alive for kids as they learn facts about the time period from about 1783-1898. In addition to learning about the Oregon trail, pony express, gold rush, transcontinental railroad, students will also learn to match animal trails, map the united states, and learn about North American animals too.
• Civil War for Kids – students will learn about slavery, famous Americans from the Civil War, famous battles, and how our nation stayed together. Lesson includes printable worksheets, mapping activities, printable civil war board game and more!
• Learn about US States for Kids – state coloring pages, president coloring pages, state report forms, states and capital printables, and so much more!
• Pennant History Posters to see US History At-a-Glance
• Learn about the Roaring 1920s for Kids – Printable Book to Read, Color, and Learn
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• Learn about the Roaring 1920s for Kids – Printable Book to Read, Color, and Learn
• 1930s for Kids – Printable Book about the Golden age of Hollywood, Great Depression for Kids and more to read, color, and learn
• Life in the 1940s America for Kids Reader
• Learn about the trading of goods that began in 1941 with this Columbian Exchange for Kids printable reader.
• Anne Frank for Kids Printable Reader to read, color, and learn about this Jewish girl who lived behind the wall in Holland during World War 2
• 1950s for Kids Reader to Color, Learn and read about what life was like in America in 1950
• Life in the 1960s for Kids Printable book to read, color and learn about life in the 1960s
• Learn about platform shoes, disco, the beginning of Star Wars and more with this 1970s for kids Reader
• 1980s for kids Reader to read, color, and learn!
• 1990s for Kids Printable Reader filled with information about fashion, technology, Presidents, and more!
• Learn about life for early 2000s Kids with these american history printables to read, color, and learn!
• Review what you’ve leanred with these American History Worksheets (Notebooking)