Seaside Then and Now: Free Printable Card Set for Reception

Seaside Then and Now is a free printable card set for Reception (reception | ages 4 to 5), in Early Years Foundation Stage. Talk about beach visits. It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, a growing library of free printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795.

It is two A4 pages. Page 1 is the activity for children. Page 2 is for the grown-up: it has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea. Print it at home or in the classroom. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

This card set includes cards to cut out and use.

A look at what children will meet:

• What did you wear to the beach?
• What did you eat?
• Did you build a sandcastle?
• Did you paddle in the sea?
• What did you play?
• How did you get there?
• What did you find on the sand?
• Who came with you?
• What was your best bit?

Who this is for

Reception (reception | ages 4 to 5) in Early Years Foundation Stage.

The Early Years Foundation Stage runs from birth to the end of Reception, up to age 5. Children learn best through play, talk and hands-on activity, so this sheet is designed to be shared with a grown-up. Use it at home, in class, on a rainy afternoon or at a family gathering.

What children practise

• Speaking
• Comparing
• Listening

Talk about the seaside and compare a visit now with one long ago.

Learning focus and curriculum link

Subject: Geography. Key stage: Early Years Foundation Stage. It supports the subject at this level through short, focused practice.

This sheet is a practice and play activity. It supports classroom learning and is not a replacement for it.

How to use it

1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2 for the grown-up.
2. Use the cards with a grandparent, relative or family friend. Ask about a visit from when they were small.
3. Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice.
4. Check against the notes on page 2.
5. Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

If it feels too hard

Ask just one card at a time and wait for an answer.

To stretch confident children

Ask your child to say how their day was the same or different.

Make it a game

Play pretend beach with a towel, a bucket and a spade.

Tips for parents and teachers

• Print on plain A4 paper. Black and white printing works too.
• Work through it together the first time, then let children try alone.
• Praise effort and thinking, not only correct answers.

A screen-free geography activity for Reception

Children spend a lot of time on screens. This is a screen-free geography activity that needs only paper and a pencil. It works as quiet time after school, a rainy day activity, a holiday boredom buster or a calm moment before bed. Screen-free learning gives eyes a rest and gets children talking, thinking and writing by hand.

Free geography resources for teachers

Teachers can use this card set as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task, a supply teacher resource, a homework task or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. The learning focus and skills are listed above so you can match it to your planning, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.

Geography ideas for parents at home

You do not need to be a teacher to use this. Read the sheet through, sit with your child for the first go and let them lead. Short bursts of ten to fifteen minutes work better than long sessions. If you are looking for free geography worksheets for Reception, or simple home learning for the weekend or school holidays, this is a good place to start.

Home education and tutoring

Home educators and tutors can print this as part of a wider geography plan. It pairs well with books, outdoor play and everyday talk. Because the sheet is free and printable, you can use it again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.

Why it helps children learn

Hands-on, paper based activities slow learning down in a good way. Children read carefully, think before they answer and see their own progress on the page. Games and challenges add a reason to keep going. That mix of play and practice is why printable activities like this are popular with parents, teachers and home educators.

Curriculum links for teachers

This sheet supports the areas below. It is matched to the published England frameworks. Please check it against your own school plan.

Framework	Subject or area	Strand	Year
Early Years Foundation Stage	Understanding the World	Past and Present	Reception

What children will be able to do

• I can talk about what we see at the seaside.
• I can say one thing that was different long ago.
• I can say one thing that is the same now.

Check it worked

Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.

1. What would you take to the seaside today?
2. What looks different in the old picture?
3. What do you think people did at the seaside long ago?

More like this

• Our School Trail
• Weather Around the UK
• Desert Life Cards
• Holiday Postcard Planner

Same subject, one year up: Weather Around the UK

Why seaside then and now matters

Our view: a trip to the seaside gives a Reception child a real memory to hold up beside something from long ago. That is the idea behind these cards. They ask about a seaside visit now, using nine questions such as "What did you wear to the beach?", "How did you get there?" and "What was your best bit?". Then you compare with a visit from long ago.

The statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS), published on gov.uk, describes Understanding the World as guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. It says the frequency and range of children's personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them. A seaside day is one such experience.

What the research says, and what it does not

We looked for research on how well Reception children understand "then" and "now". We did not find a study we could open and check, so we have no figures. The EYFS framework is not a study, but it does say what the early years curriculum is built on, and we can quote it.

• Conversation matters. The framework says the number and quality of the conversations children have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial.
• Stories and books matter. It says listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world.
• Words matter. It says enriching and widening children's vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.

These statements are about early years teaching in general. They do not test cards like these.

What Reception children are expected to learn

The EYFS framework sets an early learning goal called Past and Present. It says children at the expected level of development will:

• "Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society."
• "Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class."
• "Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling."

The second goal is close to what the cards do. They ask a child to draw on an experience and compare it with a time before.

The seaside long ago: what a museum says

We read three pages from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Two are old learning documents for schools, so treat the detail as a starting point for talk, not a full history.

• A V&A document says wealthy families began to visit the seaside in the 18th century, but it was in the 19th century that the seaside holiday, as we know it, developed. It says this was made possible by the expansion of the railways in the 1840s and 1850s.
• It says children could enjoy Punch and Judy shows, paddling, donkey rides and building sandcastles. It also says few people learnt to swim.
• It says that from the 1870s manufacturers began making toys for the beach, including buckets, spades, sieves and sand mills. At first these were made of wood, and tin soon became more common.
• The same article says children often featured in holiday posters, paddling, splashing around in rock pools, peering at sea anemones, scooping up crabs or gathering seaweed. It says that by the early 20th century railway companies were promoting seaside resorts for both day trips and longer holidays.
• A V&A article on holiday posters says donkey rides were a firm favourite. It describes Punch and Judy as a traditional pantomime-style slap-stick puppet show.

Why a talking activity can help

We did not find a study of a seaside comparison card, so we will not claim a result. The EYFS framework gives the reason we think it is worth doing. It says conversation matters, and that personal experiences build a child's sense of the world. The cards turn a day out into a conversation.

The sheet is a prompt for talking. It is not a lesson, and it does not replace one.

How to get the most out of Seaside Then and Now

Our own advice, not from a study:

1. Start with your child's own visit. Ask the first question and wait for an answer.
2. Take turns. Let your child pick a card. Answer one yourself.
3. Look at a picture from long ago. A museum website or a family photo works well.
4. Ask "what is the same, what is different?" The early learning goal talks about similarities and differences.
5. Add one fact. For example, buckets and spades began to be made for the beach in the 1870s, according to the V&A.
6. Draw or act it out. A drawing of a sandcastle is as good as an answer.
7. Read a seaside book afterwards. The framework says books help children understand the past.

Making it easier or harder, our own advice: for an easier start, use two or three cards and let your child point or draw. For a harder task, ask your child to explain one difference to a grandparent or a friend. You can also make two lists together, one headed Then and one headed Now, and fill them in over a few days.

Common mistakes, and what to say

These are our own suggestions, not research findings.

• Doing all the talking. Ask, then wait. Say: "What do you remember?"
• Saying then was worse. Say: "What was different?" and leave out good or bad.
• Treating one picture as the whole past. Say: "This picture shows one day at one beach."
• Correcting a child's answer straight away. If they say a dinosaur was on the beach, ask: "How could we find out?"
• Making it a quiz. Keep it light. Stop when your child loses interest.

Why teachers matter to us

We are a games company, and we have been making games for families since 1795. A printable does not replace a teacher. A 2011 interim report for the Sutton Trust looked at how much teachers affect pupil achievement. It found that in one year with a very effective maths teacher, pupils gain 40% more learning than with a poorly performing maths teacher. That is a finding about maths teachers, not early years teachers, and we do not claim it applies to talking about the past. The same report said that for poor pupils the difference between a good and a bad teacher is a whole year's learning.

It also said that paper qualifications and similar details explain less than 8% of teacher quality. A University of Bristol working paper, CMPO 09/212, found considerable variability in teacher effectiveness. We take from this that the people in the room matter. Our own view: a teacher who listens to a four-year-old talk about the sea is doing something a card cannot.

A caution on the Sutton Trust figures: the report draws on US studies as well as English ones. The 40% compares a very effective teacher (at the 84th percentile) with a poorly performing one (at the 16th percentile). The figure that paper credentials explain less than 8% of teacher quality comes from US research. We use them as pointers, not as a promise about any one child.

Why education matters to us

Our own view: noticing that life was different before is a good first step towards history. We want every child to begin with something they can hold and talk about. Jaques of London has been making things for children to hold and play with for generations. The Mini Minds Hub carries that on with free, screen-free sheets. You need only paper and a pencil.

Seaside Then and Now: 20 questions and answers

1. What does Past and Present mean in the EYFS?

It is an early learning goal under Understanding the World. It is about knowing some similarities and differences between things in the past and now.

2. What exactly must children be able to do?

The framework says children at the expected level will "Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class."

3. Which card should we start with?

Our suggestion: start with "What was your best bit?". It is easy to answer and gets your child talking.

4. Why does the sheet ask "How did you get there?"

Our reading: it links to travel then and now. A V&A document says railway expansion in the 1840s and 1850s made seaside travel affordable for most people.

5. What did children do at the seaside long ago?

A V&A document lists Punch and Judy shows, paddling, donkey rides and building sandcastles.

6. Did Victorian children swim?

A V&A document says few people learnt to swim. Another V&A document says those who had costumes could bathe in the sea.

7. When did buckets and spades begin?

The V&A says manufacturers began making beach toys, including buckets, spades, sieves and sand mills, from the 1870s.

8. What were old buckets made of?

The V&A says they were first made of wood, then tin became more common.

9. What is Punch and Judy?

A V&A article describes it as a traditional pantomime-style slap-stick puppet show. It says it was a familiar feature of British beaches at the time of a 1952 poster.

10. What is a pier?

A V&A document says piers were originally intended as set down points for boats. It says they later came to house theatres, merry-go-rounds, shooting galleries and model railways.

11. What if we have never been to the seaside?

The framework says children can understand the past through books read in class and storytelling. Our suggestion: borrow a seaside picture book and talk about it.

12. Can we use a museum?

The framework names museums among the experiences that build knowledge of the world. Our suggestion: a museum's website is a free way to see old seaside pictures.

13. How do I talk about an old photograph?

Our suggestion: ask what they can see, what is the same as today, and what is different.

14. What words should we use?

The goal uses "similarities and differences", and "past and now". Our suggestion: use "then", "now", "same" and "different" in plain talk.

15. Why does vocabulary matter?

The framework says enriching and widening children's vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.

16. Does the beach have to be in Britain?

Our suggestion: any beach your child has visited works for the "now" side.

17. Can my child answer by drawing?

Yes. The Fine Motor goal includes "Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing". Our suggestion: let a drawing count as an answer.

18. Should an adult write the answers?

Our suggestion: yes, at first. Write the words your child says, so the talking stays the main job.

19. How do I show "long ago"?

Our suggestion: ask a grandparent or older neighbour about a seaside trip when they were small. The first goal asks children to talk about the lives of the people around them.

20. Are the V&A details exact for every seaside town?

No. They are general statements from two V&A school documents and an article. Treat them as a starting point, and check a local museum for your own coast.

Sources

1. Department for Education, Early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers: gov.uk.
2. Victoria and Albert Museum, Toys and games from the past (learning document): media.vam.ac.uk.
3. Victoria and Albert Museum, Victorian Children (learning document): media.vam.ac.uk.
4. Victoria and Albert Museum, Selling the seaside: vam.ac.uk.
5. Sutton Trust, Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK, interim findings (2011): dera.ioe.ac.uk.
6. Slater, Davies and Burgess, University of Bristol CMPO Working Paper 09/212 (2009): bristol.ac.uk.

Frequently asked questions

What age is Seaside Then and Now for?

It is written for Reception (reception | ages 4 to 5), in Early Years Foundation Stage.

What will children practise?

Talk about the seaside and compare a visit now with one long ago.

How do I use it?

Use the cards with a grandparent, relative or family friend. Ask about a visit from when they were small.

What if it feels too hard?

Ask just one card at a time and wait for an answer.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use.

Is Seaside Then and Now suitable for teachers to use in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Is this a screen-free activity?

Yes. It is a screen-free printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.

Can I use it for home education?

Yes. Home educators and tutors can use it on its own or as part of a wider plan. It is free to print again for brothers, sisters or revision.

How long does it take?

Most children finish page 1 in 10 to 20 minutes. The notes on page 2 suggest ways to make it shorter or longer.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.

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