What would life have been like before smartphones, electric lights, and the cars we see today? During my travels, I have visited homes associated with Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, and Bill Clinton. Photos from these visits, along with pictures of an old cable car and a driverless car, offer wonderful starting points for exploring change. For young learners, noticing familiar things in unfamiliar forms can turn history into a conversation filled with curiosity!
My Then and Now Fact Booklet helps children compare life in the past with life today through simple nonfiction text, note-taking, research pages, and crafts. A take-home copy also invites families to share their own memories.
To extend the learning, my How to Draw Then and Now pairs guided drawings with three levels of writing. From log cabins and modern houses to candles and lamps, students can draw, write, and discover how people meet similar needs in different ways.
Here are five Read-Alouds to explore Then and Now:
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton — Follow the changes around a little house as its quiet countryside becomes a busy city. A lovely starting point for discussing how communities change.
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant — Childhood memories invite children to compare family routines and everyday experiences with their own lives.
Home Then and Now by Robin Nelson — Photographs and simple text introduce changes in lighting, food storage, and life at home.
School Then and Now by Robin Nelson — Explore classrooms, school supplies, and transportation from the past and present. Children will have plenty to compare with their own school!
Communication Then and Now by Robin Nelson — Discover how sharing messages has changed, and talk about the ways children communicate today.
Five Simple Classroom Activities
-Photo Detectives: Display historical and present-day photographs. Ask students to notice details and share what looks different or familiar.
-Then and Now Picture Sort: Sort pictures of homes, transportation, and everyday objects into groups. Include a “both” space for things people still use today!
-Ask an Older Relative or Friend: Invite children to ask a trusted adult about a childhood toy, school experience, or way of traveling. Share their discoveries through drawings or sentences.
-Draw and Compare: Draw a pair of related objects, such as a candle and a lamp. Discuss how they serve a similar purpose and write one comparison.
-Build a Class Museum: Display drawings, photographs, or safe everyday objects with simple labels explaining how people used them then and use them now.
Learning about then and now helps children see history in the places, objects, and stories around them. Although homes, transportation, and technology change, people continue to need shelter, connection, and ways to get from place to place. With photographs, books, drawing, and family conversations, even our youngest learners can begin making meaningful connections between the past and their own lives. What photograph or everyday object would you share to spark a “Then and Now” conversation?
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