Roman Britain KS2 Topic Ideas: Activities and Project Inspiration for Primary Schools
From marching Roman armies and magnificent villas to rebellious Celtic queens, Roman Britain is a topic packed with stories that can capture children’s imaginations.
For KS2 pupils, studying the Romans offers much more than learning dates and names. It provides opportunities to investigate invasion and resistance, explore how people lived, discover Roman inventions and compare Roman Britain with life today.
If you are planning a Roman Britain KS2 topic, here are some activity and project ideas to help bring this fascinating period of history to life.
Create a Roman Britain Timeline
Roman Britain covers hundreds of years, so a timeline can help pupils understand when key events happened and how they relate to one another.
Children could research important moments such as:
- Julius Caesar’s attempts to invade Britain
- Emperor Claudius and the Roman invasion
- Boudica’s rebellion
- the building of Hadrian’s Wall
- the development of Roman towns and roads
- the eventual end of Roman rule in Britain
Rather than simply writing dates on a worksheet, turn it into a class project. Pupils could add illustrations, maps, short descriptions or even speech bubbles from people who might have witnessed each event.
A large timeline displayed across the classroom can then be added to as children learn more.
Investigate What Life Was Like in Roman Britain
What would it actually have been like to live in Roman Britain?
This is a brilliant question for encouraging pupils to look beyond emperors and battles and consider the experiences of ordinary people.
Different groups could investigate areas such as:
- Roman homes
- clothing
- food
- schools and education
- jobs
- entertainment
- religion
- bathing
- towns and marketplaces
Children could then present their discoveries to the class or create a guide entitled A Day in Roman Britain.
It is also worth exploring how differently people lived. Life in a wealthy Roman villa would have been very different from life for a soldier, enslaved person, farmer or craftsperson.
Design a Roman Villa
Roman villas offer plenty of opportunities for creative work.
After looking at examples of Roman homes, pupils could design their own villa, thinking carefully about what different rooms were used for.
They might include bedrooms, dining areas, kitchens, courtyards and bathing areas.
Older pupils could label their designs and explain which features demonstrate wealth or Roman influence.
You could even turn this into a larger class project by creating a model villa from cardboard and recycled materials.
Make a Roman Mosaic
Roman mosaics are an easy way to combine history with art.
Start by exploring the patterns, images and colours found in surviving Roman mosaics. Children can then create their own designs using squares of coloured paper, card or other classroom materials.
They could create geometric patterns or design a mosaic showing an animal, Roman object or scene from daily life.
The finished designs can make a fantastic Roman-themed classroom display.
Become Roman Archaeologists
Much of what we know about Roman Britain comes from objects and buildings that have survived.
Give pupils photographs or replicas of different Roman artefacts and ask them to become archaeologists.
- What is the object?
- Who might have used it?
- What was it made from?
- What does it tell us about Roman life?
Items could include coins, pottery, jewellery, sandals, writing tablets or cooking equipment.
This encourages children to think about how we know about the past, rather than simply learning information that has already been interpreted for them.
Explore Roman Roads and Engineering
The Romans were impressive builders and engineers, making this a useful opportunity to introduce elements of STEM learning.
Children could investigate how Roman roads were constructed and why building straight, reliable routes was so important to the Roman army and wider empire.
They could then design their own Roman road network between imaginary settlements.
For a more practical challenge, groups could try building a bridge using limited classroom materials and see which design can support the greatest weight.
Write a Roman Soldier’s Diary
Creative writing is a natural way to build on a Roman Britain KS2 topic.
Ask pupils to imagine they are a Roman soldier arriving in Britain.
- What can they see?
- What is the weather like?
- How do they feel about being so far from home?
- What do they think of the people already living in Britain?
Children could write about marching with the army, living in a fort or receiving orders to travel to another part of the country.
It gives pupils a chance to use historical knowledge while developing descriptive writing and first-person storytelling skills.
Investigate Boudica and the Roman Invasion
The story of Boudica provides an opportunity to explore the Roman invasion from different perspectives.
Pupils could investigate why Boudica and the Iceni rebelled against Roman rule before considering how the same events might have been viewed by Roman soldiers, British tribes or people living in affected settlements.
Groups could prepare arguments from different viewpoints or hold a classroom debate.
Was Roman rule good for Britain?
There does not have to be one simple answer. Encouraging children to use historical evidence to support different viewpoints can lead to some lively discussion.
Create a Roman Newspaper
Imagine newspapers existed in Roman Britain.
What would have made the front page?
Children could create reports covering events such as an invasion, rebellion, new Roman road or visit from an important Roman official.
A Roman newspaper might include:
- a dramatic headline
- eyewitness accounts
- an interview
- advertisements
- reports from around the Roman Empire
- drawings or maps
It is a particularly useful way to combine history research with English skills.
Plan a Roman Feast
Food is another fun route into everyday Roman life.
Pupils can investigate ingredients that Romans living in Britain may have eaten and compare them with the food we eat today.
They could create a Roman menu, design invitations for a feast or investigate which foods would have been available to rich and poorer families.
There is also an interesting discussion to be had about how trade across the Roman Empire introduced new foods, products and ideas to Britain.
Map Roman Britain
Maps can help pupils understand just how significantly Roman occupation changed Britain.
Children could locate important Roman settlements, forts, roads and landmarks.
Depending on the focus of your class topic, these might include places such as Londinium, Bath, Hadrian’s Wall and major Roman roads.
They could also compare a map of Roman Britain with a modern UK map and investigate which Roman settlements eventually developed into towns and cities we still recognise today.
Try Roman Roleplay
Sometimes the easiest way to understand history is to step straight into it.
Turn the classroom into a Roman fort, settlement or battlefield and give pupils different roles.
They might become soldiers preparing for inspection, citizens visiting a Roman market or members of a British tribe deciding how to respond to the arrival of the Roman army.
Roleplay gives children the chance to ask questions, make decisions and imagine how historical events might actually have felt to the people experiencing them.
And, unsurprisingly, pretending to be a Roman soldier is generally a little more exciting than filling in another worksheet.
Use a Roman Workshop to Bring the Topic to Life
Classroom activities can provide fantastic opportunities to explore Roman Britain, but an immersive experience can help pupils connect all that learning together.
The Adventure Team’s Roman workshops for primary schools use storytelling, roleplay, games and team challenges to turn pupils into part of the adventure.
Rather than simply hearing about the Roman invasion, children can imagine themselves inside the story, working together, tackling challenges and exploring Roman Britain through active participation.
It can work particularly well when introducing a Roman Britain KS2 topic, giving children experiences and characters to refer back to throughout the unit. Alternatively, a workshop towards the end of the topic can help pupils reinforce what they have already learned.
Bring Roman Britain to Your Primary School
Roman Britain is packed with battles, inventions, extraordinary characters and stories, making it perfect for imaginative and interactive learning.
Whether your pupils are investigating Boudica, designing mosaics, building Roman roads or marching into battle as Roman soldiers, giving them opportunities to actively explore the topic can help make the history much more memorable.
The Adventure Team delivers energetic, immersive history workshops for primary schools, including Roman adventures designed to complement classroom learning.
Find out more about our educational history workshops and bring a little Roman adventure to your school.
