viking homework activities

Exploring Viking Culture with Forest School Viking Ideas

If you’re looking for forest school viking ideas, then look no further! Viking culture is a fascinating topic to explore with children and there are plenty of activities that can help bring it alive.

From outdoor games inspired by the Vikings to crafting projects, storytelling sessions and more – this blog post will provide some great inspiration on how to introduce your students or young learners to these legendary seafarers in an engaging way.

I know, I know, forest school is not curriculum-led. However, many of our readers work in outdoor learning roles, and I’m an Outdoor TA in one school.

Schools can implement outdoor experiences in a variety of ways, and often forest school leaders working in schools are asked to weave the curriculum into their sessions.

So if this term your class is doing Vikings, here’s how to translate that to the great outdoors.

Outdoor Activities Inspired by Vikings

Shelter building.

We love making a good shelter. Building shelters in the woods is an activity that will help them understand how Viking settlers lived and worked. The children can use natural materials such as sticks, leaves, and mud to construct their own shelter or recreate a traditional Viking longhouse.

If you don’t have time (or the materials) to make full-sized shelters, invite the children to create models instead.

Foraging for food like Vikings did is another fun outdoor activity that teaches kids about the importance of gathering wild plants and berries for sustenance. This could involve going on a nature walk to identify edible plants or creating a scavenger hunt with clues leading to different types of food sources.

Warning: You’ll need a risk assessment and a fair bit of adult supervision if you’re taking kids foraging. Just think through the implications of this before you plan out the session. Perhaps identify the plants but don’t eat them, or bring an experienced foraging expert to your setting to lead the session in an age-appropriate way.

Navigation and map-making

We do quite a lot of navigation-based outdoor activities in school because map-reading and orienteering is on the curriculum. Why not teach it with a Viking theme?

Going on an adventure with a map and compass is an exciting way to explore the outdoors while learning about Viking navigation techniques. Kids can practice orienteering skills by following directions on a treasure map or creating their own maps based on what they observe in nature around them.

Our children loved using cold tea to dye paper to make it look old. I did this as a child too and I wasn’t expecting them to love it so much because I’ve done it so many times it’s not personally exciting any longer! But to see them light up when they realised the transformation, comparing the different dyes (we used tea and coffee)… they were super engaged with it.

Then we lit candles and they carefully charred the edges of their treasure maps for extra oldness. Again – what child isn’t mesmorised by a candle?

This is a great exercise to do outside. We used a roasting tin to dip the paper in and then hung them up to dry which didn’t take long. Later, we returned to the sheets to burn the edges and decorate them with the treasure directions.

Encouraging children to take risks (not the ‘eat a plant I’ve found and see what happens’ kind of risk though) and think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving will help them develop important life skills while having fun outdoors.

Viking-themed games

Viking ship races.

This game is a great way to get children engaged in learning about Viking culture and history. It requires two teams of players, each with their own “ship” (a large blanket or tarp). The goal is for the teams to race across the area while staying on their ship. To make it more challenging, you can add obstacles such as chairs or hula hoops that they must navigate around. Can they work as a team to cross the ocean?

You can play this indoors or outside, but if you’re doing it outdoors I recommend a field or playground rather than a woodland as that will make it safer underfoot. It opens up opportunities for discussions about where the Vikings were going, why and what they did when they got there (keep this age-appropriate!).

A classic game with a twist! In this version of tag, one player is designated as the Viking and all other players are villagers trying to avoid being caught by the Viking.

If a villager gets tagged by the Viking, they become part of his or her crew and help him catch other villagers until everyone has been caught. This would be a good warm up activity if you’re working outside on a cold day.

Hide-and-seek Vikings

In this variation of hide-and-seek, one player hides while the others count from 1 to 10 in Old Norse numbers (eitt – tíu: maybe use a prior learning experience to research and practice these numbers before the game).

When found, each hidden player must give up a treasure such as coins or candy before rejoining the group. Remember to give out the sweets before they hide!

You do need quite a large area for hide-and-seek, with enough things to hide behind. This game would work well in your forest school area – it’s not so good on a bare playground!

Viking-themed crafts

Make a shield.

Making Viking shields is a great way to explore the culture of Vikings with children. It’s an activity that can be done indoors or outdoors, and it requires only basic materials such as cardboard, paint, glue, and string.

To make a shield, start by cutting out a circle from the cardboard. Then use paint to decorate it with symbols or designs inspired by Viking shields. Once dry, attach two pieces of string on either side for straps so that the child can wear their shield like a backpack!

Mini-longships

Constructing longships on minature scale is something else worth doing. Make paper boats or do what we do: find the biggest leaf you can and use that. Our preschoolers have also been known to float cream cheese tubs, anchovy tins and other packaging: they all make a great “longship” starter that can be adapted and decorated with whatever natural materials you can find.

Have fun sailing these homemade boats across any nearby body of water; streams and puddles are great. Give each child a straw if you want to turn it into a race: have them blow their boats between two points.

Ditch the idea of making horned helmets. Real Viking helmets didn’t have horns . While they look great in books and on TV, they weren’t really part of Viking culture.

Exploring Viking culture

The Vikings were a seafaring people who lived in Scandinavia from the 8th to 11th centuries. They are known for their daring explorations, raids, and trading expeditions. You can take the culture outdoors by sharing stories and history with the children. Here are a couple of examples.

Learning about Norse mythology

Norse mythology is filled with tales of gods, goddesses, giants, dwarfs, and other mythical creatures. These stories provide insight into the beliefs of the Vikings and how they viewed the world around them.

Teaching these stories can help bring ancient cultures alive for young learners while also helping them understand why certain customs or practices may have been important to those living during that time period.

I would get a book out of your local library or take one from the school library. There are plenty of age-appropriate stories to share.

Studying the history of vikings

Have you been asked to weave some history and geography into your sessions?

You can start by looking at their exploration routes throughout Europe and beyond, examining artifacts such as weapons or jewelry found on archaeological sites (perhaps replicating a picture you have found in natural materials?), discussing how trade impacted their society (set up some ‘trading posts’ and have the kids run around seeing what they can ‘buy’) or researching how Christianity changed life for many Scandinavian people over time.

Investigating Viking artifacts

Examining artifacts associated with Viking culture can be a great way for kids to learn more about this era in history without having access to actual historical sites or museums dedicated solely to this topic.

Have a browse through the British Museum’s online collection of Viking artifacts and see if there are any items you could link to your session.

Common items include tools used by craftsmen like blacksmiths, pottery pieces decorated with intricate designs, coins used during trade transactions, jewellry made from precious metals like gold or silver, religious objects such as crucifixes or amulets worn by Christian converts, clothing items made from woolen fabrics dyed bright colors using natural dyes derived from plants found in Scandinavia’s forests and meadows – all providing clues into what life was like during this time period.

Turn these into activities by inviting the children to dig for hidden pottery or coins (which you would have to hide first unless you’re confident they will find something!). Have a go at creating natural dyes from blackberries, nettles or other plants available in your settings and painting on plain cotton.

Storytelling and role-playing with Vikings as the theme

If you are the kind of forest school leader or outdoor education lead that brings story telling and role-playing to their sessions, then this one is for you.

Creating characters based on Norse legends is an excellent way for kids to explore Viking stories. They can create their own characters based on gods or goddesses from the myths, or they can choose one of the more well-known figures like Thor or Odin.

Once they have chosen their character, they can use props such as shields and swords to act out scenes from the legends. This would be good to do on a day where they’ve come into school dressed up, because we have to have a themed non-uniform day, right?

Writing stories about Vikings and their adventures encourages creative thinking skills while teaching kids about Norse mythology. Children could write stories that involve gods battling giants or brave warriors setting off on epic quests. Not so easy to do outside, but if you’re looking for indoor Viking activities, it’s a winner. You can always take their stories outside to act out in groups.

Acting out scenes from Norse myths is an excellent way for kids to explore Viking culture through role-playing activities. They can act out battles between Thor and Loki (carefully), recreate famous events such as Ragnarok (the end of the world), or even create their own adventures featuring characters from these tales. The possibilities are endless; all that is required is a bit of imagination.

I’d say it’s important to give them some guidance when it comes to researching facts so that their stories are accurate but still entertaining! Otherwise their stories might have helmets with horns on!

Got a question?

What are some of the most popular forest school viking activities.

Popular activities include orienteering, shelter building, fire lighting and cooking over an open fire. Bushcraft skills such as knot tying, tool use and natural crafts can also be incorporated into the program. Forest school viking activities are popular among forest school leaders, early years educators and primary school educators, because they link to curriculum objectives. These activities often involve outdoor exploration, problem solving and team building, just like the Vikings would have done.

How can I incorporate traditional Viking culture into my forest school sessions?

Viking culture can be incorporated into forest school lessons in a variety of ways. For example, you could introduce stories and legends from Norse mythology to spark discussion and imagination.

You could also explore Viking history by looking at archaeological evidence such as artifacts or rune stones. Additionally, you could have students create their own Viking-inspired crafts like shields or wooden boats.

Finally, outdoor activities such as archery or fire building can help bring the culture to life in an engaging way for learners of all ages.

What safety considerations should be taken when introducing Viking-inspired activities to a forest school setting?

When introducing Viking-inspired activities to a forest school setting, safety should be the top priority. Plan ahead, and make sure activities are suitable for the age group (no axe throwing!).

It is important to ensure that children are adequately supervised, and complete a risk assessment. Finally, be prepared for any unexpected events or changes in weather conditions by having an emergency plan in place.

Will you try these activities?

I hope that these forest school viking ideas have inspired you to create fun and engaging activities for your students. Whether it’s playing Viking games, creating crafts, exploring the culture or participating in outdoor activities based on the Vikings, there are plenty of ways to bring this topic alive.

Get in touch with us via our Facebook page and share what you have done on this topic.

About the author: Jon Borley

Jon qualified as a Level 3 Forest School Leader with the Sussex Wildlife Trust. He works independently as a practitioner running forest school clubs and also within schools both in a forest school capacity and as an outdoor learning teaching assistant, working with preschoolers to secondary-aged children. He has previously led sessions for adults as part of professional development events for the Sussex FSA, and is a member of MIAS.

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Meet the Vikings primary resource

Learn all about the legendary warriors and their way of life.

This primary resource introduces children to Viking life and culture. Who exactly were these legendary warriors? When did the Vikings invade British shores? What were they known for?

Pupils will learn about aspects of Viking life, such as social hierarchy, battle techniques and diet, in our National Geographic Kids’ Vikings primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for exploring Viking clothing and social roles, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard using the illustrations and short snippets of information included in the resource for class discussion.

Activity: Ask children to choose one of the Viking characters included in the resource and role play them in a short scene. They could use the Viking primary resource sheet as a guide for drawing and labelling traditional Viking dress, or write a newspaper report about the activities of Viking warriors.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence . We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa , Australia and New Zealand . If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: [email protected]

This History primary resource assists with teaching the following History objectives from the National Curriculum :

• Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
• Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

National Curriculum Key Stage 1 History objective:  

• Pupils should be taught significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

National Curriculum Key Stage 2 History objective:

• Pupils should be taught about: the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor

This History primary resource assists with teaching the following Social Studies Second level objective from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence :

• I can discuss why people and events from a particular time in the past were important, placing them within a historical sequence  
• I can compare and contrast a society in the past with my own and contribute to a discussion of the similarities and differences

Download primary resource

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Viking topic homework

Subject: Cross-curricular topics

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

4 December 2014

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With our Vikings lesson plan, students learn about the Vikings, including their historical significance, their lifestyles, and when and where they existed. Students learn and practice using related vocabulary and use the Viking alphabet.

Included with this lesson are some adjustments or additions that you can make if you’d like, found in the “Options for Lesson” section of the Classroom Procedure page. One of the optional additions to this lesson is to have students write a short letter to a family member using the Rune alphabet.

Description

Additional information, what our vikings lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Vikings introduces students to the history of the Vikings who lived in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages. The Viking ships, clothing, shields, and other objects will pique the students’ interest as well. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to define and identify the Vikings, the life of a Viking, Vikings influence and impact on Britain during the Middle Ages. This lesson is for students in 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the orange box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The supplies you will need for this lesson are large pieces of cardboard, scissors, tape, and paint, colored pencils, or markers. To prepare for this lesson ahead of time, you can prepare a message for the lesson opening, pair students for the activity, gather the supplies, and copy the handouts.

Options for Lesson

Included with this lesson is an “Options for Lesson” section that lists a number of suggestions for activities to add to the lesson or substitutions for the ones already in the lesson. One optional adjustment to the lesson activity is to display the students’ messages in the classroom, instead of having students swap and translate them. For the second part of the activity, you can have students vote on the most creative and most colorful shield designs. If you’d like an additional activity for this lesson, you can have students write a short letter to a family member using the Rune alphabet. If you have older students, they can create a 3D model of a Viking ship using craft sticks or other materials. Finally, you can invite a Viking history expert to speak to the class.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you’re preparing for this lesson.

VIKINGS LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Raiders and warriors.

The Vikings lesson plan includes four pages of content. The lesson begins by stating that students have likely heard of pirates, who were groups of people who used ships or boats to rob and attack other ships or coastal towns. We consider pirates warriors or raiders, and pirates have existed for thousands of years. One of the most infamous groups of raiders were the Vikings, who are a groups of people who lived in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages (between 500 and 1500 AD). The name Viking means “a pirate raid” in the Old Norse language. If you were going to raid a ship in those times, you would say you were “going raiding.” They had a bad reputation, and often used violence or caused destruction. However, this group of people also played a huge role in Great Britain for nearly 300 years.

Who Were the Vikings?

The Viking were pagans, which means that they did not believe in god. They would raid monasteries, which are religious buildings or communities. Monasteries were easy targets for them because the monks did not have weapons and often would not fight back. The buildings at the monasteries often housed jewelry, gold, and books, and the grounds would often have food, drink, cattle, clothes, tools, and more that the Vikings would also take.

Most Vikings were from Scandinavia, the area where we find Norway, Denmark, and Sweden today. We sometimes refer to them as Norsemen. They wrote using their own Norse alphabet called runes. Over time, as the Viking raiding more ships and villages, they began to want their own land.

Not all Vikings were warriors or invaders, and many of them wanted to settle land peacefully, growing crops and keeping animals. These people had many skills, like metalworking and carving, that they would use for shields.

Vikings sailed in longships, which were long, narrow wooden ships that they could use in both deep and shallow water. These ships were famous for their unique design. They would use them to travel to trade and purchase goods, just like anyone else at this time. They would buy silver, spices, wine, and more. While they traveled, they tried to find better lands for their families.

Viking Invasions

The first recorded Viking invasion in England was in 787, though the Vikings didn’t start settling in Britain until the year 793. During their attack on a Monastery in England in 793, they decided that they should settle in the area, instead of just attacking it. In 865, Vikings took control of various kingdoms in Northern England after sailing across the North Sea. In 874, they invaded the Kingdom of Wessex. It was one of the last kingdoms that the Vikings did not control. A man named Alfred the Great ruled Wessex and beat the Vikings in a years-long battle. They eventually settled on a peace agreement and divided the land between them. In 994, Vikings from Denmark and Norway tried to conquer London but failed.

Canute the Great became the first Viking king of England after the Viking invasions in Britain. He ruled between 1016 and 1035. Vikings also settled in Scotland, Germany, and Iceland. They even founded the city of Dublin in Ireland and settled the town of Normandy in France (which means “northmen”). They also settled many towns in Great Britain. Leif Eriksson, a Viking warrior, even went to North America and started a settlement in Canada—hundreds of years before Columbus accidentally landed in the Americas.

The English, led by King Harold Godwinson, finally defeated the Vikings in 1066. This ended the Viking Age, which meant that they stopped invading and raided less often. The spread of Christianity throughout Scandinavia and Europe also contributed to their downfall. After their defeat, the countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark started to form.

Viking Life

The lives for Viking settlers was much like the lives of other settlers during this time period. They bathed once a week, on Saturdays. The rich members of society slept in beds, though most slept on benches. They worshiped Norse gods like Thor, and warriors believed that they would go to Valhalla when they died.

The Vikings didn’t write their laws down, but passed them from person to person. To make town-wide decisions, they met for meetings that they called Things to take a vote. If you broke the law, they would likely banish you and force you to live outside of the village. They could then hunt or kill you.

Vikings had kings as well as jarls, who were wealthy nobles. Below them were farmers and craft makers called karls. They called the poorest members of society thralls. They were slaves. Instead of going to school boys did work, learned how to hunt and fight, and learned history and religion. Girls weeded gardens and kept birds away.

Vikings raided, invaded, and conquered ships, communities, and lands. A lot of them preferred to live peaceful lives and farm, craft, and live with their families. They had a huge impact on Great Britain during the Middle Ages, though they only ruled for 300 years.

Here is a list of the vocabulary words students will learn in this lesson plan:

• Pirates: Groups of people who often use ships or boats to rob and attack other ships or coastal areas and towns
• Vikings: A group of people who lived in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages
• Pagans: People who did not believe in god
• Monasteries: A religious building or community
• Scandinavia: Located in the same area where Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are located today
• Norsemen: Another name used for Vikings
• Runes: The Norse alphabet used by the Vikings
• Longships: Long and narrow wooden sailboats that they used in both deep and shallow water
• Canute the Great: First Viking king of England between 1016 and 1035
• Leif Eriksson: Viking who traveled to North America as a settler
• Valhalla: The place a Viking warrior will go after he dies
• Thor: A Viking mythical god, the god of thunder
• Thing: A community meeting of Vikings where people gathered to make decisions
• Jarls: Wealthy nobles below the Viking king
• Karls: Everyday farmers and craft makers
• Thralls: Lowest members of Viking society who were slaves

VIKINGS LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Vikings lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet.

VIKING RUNES AND SHIELDS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

The activity for this lesson has two parts. For the first part, students will use the Viking’s Rune alphabet symbols to create a message for another student. They will also write it in English. They will swap messages with another student and will translate that student’s message into English.

For the second part of this activity, students will research Viking shields using the Internet. They will design their own Viking shield and will find a new fact about Vikings. Next, they will draw a draft of their shield design on the worksheet and will then create the final version of their shield using cardboard. They will write out their new fact about Vikings on the back of their shield.

Students can work alone for the second part of the activity.

TERMS PRACTICE WORKSHEET

For the practice worksheet, students will read descriptions and circle the correct corresponding term from the lesson.

VIKINGS HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

The homework assignment asks students to answer 11 questions about the lesson material, like “What is the same about a Viking and a pirate?”. Some of the questions are True or False questions.

Worksheet Answer Keys

This lesson plan includes answer keys for the practice worksheet and the homework assignment. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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Wonderful lesson plan

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The vikings

Excellent resource Really appreciate these free resources as I homeschool my son

Love free resources. This site is great!

Nice reading sheets and a variety of activities to go with them!

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A Magical Homeschool

A hands-on, joy-led home education

Viking homeschool! Free printables, crafts, lesson plans and more

Are you looking for fun resources to teach your kids about the Vikings? There are all sorts of wonderful crafts, printables, lesson plans and more — free for the taking!

Crafts and costumes:

• Bug, Boo and Bean has instructions to make your own cardboard Viking helmets and swords and shields .
• Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational has another great DIY Viking shield .
• Hellokids.com has a printable Viking face mask .
• Loolido shows how to make a Viking ship from items from the recycling bin.
• Crayola offers another plan to make a Viking ship .
• House Manticore has detailed plans on how to make a Viking era tunic .
• Hurtswic has lots of photos of authentic looking Viking era clothing .

Lesson plans:

• Discovery Education offers a lesson plan that involves using egg cartons to make Viking longships , among other activities.
• Viking Network Ireland offers many lesson plans to teach kids about Vikings.
• CoreKnowledge.org offers The Vikings: Marauders or Explorers? (PDF file), The Vikings of Scandinavia (PDF file), Leif Ericsson (Leif “the Lucky”) an Unsung Discoverer (PDF file), Vikings: Vicious or Victorious? (PDF file), and Vikings: A Misunderstood People (PDF file).

Teacher resources:

• BBC offers lots of Vikings resources such as videos, worksheets, pictures and activities.

Online interactives:

• PBS’s The Vikings site offers a vast amount of information, including a video model Viking town and how to write your name as a rune.
• BBC offers a primary site all about the Vikings and Viking Quest .

Free downloads:

• The Smithsonian Institution’s Vikings Exhibit includes free PDF downloads for families and educators.
• www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk offers a printable Norman ship to color and assemble.

Further information:

• The Amazing Vikings offers in-depth information from Time magazine.
• A Book in Time offers books on the Vikings .

Just for fun:

• BBC offers a Horrible Histories online game for kids to play about the Vikings.
• Check out the GORM Olde Proverb Maker !

Post Author: A Magical Homeschool

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The Vikings

Who were the Vikings?

The Vikings came from all around Scandinavia (where Norway, Sweden and Denmark are today). They sent armies to Britain about the year 700 AD to take over some of the land, and they lived here until around 1050.

Even though the Vikings didn’t stay in Britain, they left a strong mark on society – we’ve even kept some of the same names of towns. They had a large settlement around York and the Midlands, and you can see some of the artefacts from Viking settlements today.

Top 10 facts

• The Vikings are also called Norsemen, and came from Scandinavia.
• They spoke Norse , which had an alphabet made up of characters called runes.
• They travelled over the sea in longships, which are long, narrow wooden boats that could be sailed in both deep and shallow water.
• The Vikings left their homeland because they were looking for better places to farm than the kind of terrain that Scandinavia had.
• The Vikings first attacked Britain in 787 AD, but didn’t start to invade and settle in the British Isles until 793 .
• In 878, King Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings in battle and had them sign a treaty saying they had to keep to their own land in England – this section of land was called Danelaw.
• Jorvik was a large Viking kingdom around York ; the last king of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe in 954.
• Viking warriors believed that when they died in battle, they went to Valhalla – this is where the king of the gods lived, named Odin.
• England once had a Viking king: King Canute ruled from 1016-1035, and his descendants ruled until 1042.
• A few weeks before the Anglo-Saxons were defeated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 , they defeated Viking warriors near York, led by Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

• 793 The Vikings attacked a monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria and started to settle in England
• 866 The Vikings raided and conquered York, and established the Viking Kingdom of Jorvik

• 878 Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun
• 886 The boundary between Anglo-Saxon and Viking territories was established, called Danelaw
• 950 Viking armies raided Wales
• 954 The Viking Kingdom of Jorvik became part of England again
• 994 Viking armies from Denmark and Norway attempted to raid London, but were defeated

• 25 September 1066 The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place near York, between the Anglo-Saxons and Viking invaders led by Harald Hardrada
• 14 October 1066 William from Normandy, "William the Conqueror", won the Battle of Hastings and the Normans began to rule England

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Did you know?

• The word ‘Viking’ means ‘a pirate raid’ in the Norse language, which is what the Vikings spoke.
• ‘-by’, as in Corby or Whitby, means ‘farm’ or ‘town’
• ‘-thorpe’, as in Scunthorpe, means ‘village’
• The Viking alphabet, ‘Futhark’, was made up of 24 characters called runes. Each one stood for entire words or gods, as well as sounds.
• There was a large Viking community around York called Jorvik. Archaeologists have found out a lot about the Vikings thanks to the artefacts they found there.
• The Vikings kept long benches in their homes that they’d use to sit on during the day, and then to sleep on at night. Only rich people had beds.
• In Viking times, people usually just took baths once a week! This was often on Saturdays.
• The Normans from France who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings were actually descendants of Vikings! Vikings settled around more places than just Britain – they went to Ireland , Iceland, Greenland, France and Spain too.

Can you find the following in the gallery below?

• A map showing where the Vikings originally lived, and where they settled in Britain and Ireland
• A map showing the Danelaw
• A replica of a Viking longboat
• What a Viking warrior would have looked like
• A Viking warrior’s helmet
• What a Viking man would have worn
• What a Viking woman would have worn
• The names of clothing that the Vikings wore
• Weapons that the Vikings used
• A Viking ship reconstruction
• A Viking village reconstructed in Ukranenland, an archeological village-museum in Germany
• Viking gold bracelets
• A Viking boat sculpture in Iceland
• An illustration of a Viking boat
• A re-enactment of Viking life

The Vikings wanted new land because the places where they came from in Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden and Denmark – weren’t very easy to live in. It was hard to grow crops, which meant there wasn’t a lot of food as the population got bigger. Britain and Europe had plenty of good farmland , so the Vikings tried to claim some of that land for themselves.

Even though the Anglo-Saxons were pretty well established in England, the Vikings would turn up every now and then to raid towns and take a bit of land. Sometimes, instead of fighting the Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons decided it was better to pay them money so they’d stay away. This payment was called Danegeld.

The first Viking attack on England was in 787 on the Isle of Portland. The Vikings went home straight afterwards, but they came back to England in 793 and raided a monastery at Lindisfarne. Monastaries made easy targets because the monks who lived there didn’t have any weapons, and they did have money and food.

The Vikings believed in many different gods , and they thought making sacrifices to the gods kept them all happy. They also told stories about the gods, called Norse mythology . Some of the gods included:

• Thor , the god of thunder
• Idun , the goddess of spring
• Odin , the king of gods and the god of war

The Vikings believed that if a warrior died while fighting in battle, he’d go to Valhalla , which is where Odin was. Other heroes who had died would also be there. Odin would send his warrior maidens, called Valkyries, across the sky to ferry dead warriors to Valhalla.

Viking warriors were very good fighters. They’d wear helmets and carry shields to defend themselves, and they’d also have one of these weapons:

• spear – a leaf shape or spike at the end of a wooden shaft
• sword – these were expensive to make and usually double-edged, and warriors would decorate the hilts
• battle axe – an axe with a long handle, and cheaper to make than a sword

Boats that the Vikings built are called longships – they are long, narrow boats that can be used in both deep and shallow water, making them perfect for travelling over the ocean and carrying lots of warriors onto the shore. Longships were symmetrical, meaning they looked the same at the front as they did at the back. They’d often have dragon heads carved at either end.

VIkings sailed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to Newfoundland in North America in their longships!

Viking homes were long too – they were called longhouses ! They were rectangular, made from wood and were usually just one big room without any inside walls. There would be one big fire pit in the centre for cooking and keeping the house warm. The roof was covered in thatch, and there was a hole in the middle for smoke from the fire to go through. Benches around the house would be used both to sit on and to sleep on.

Most clothes that the Vikings had were made from wool, but they also had some clothes made from linen. They used dyes made from plants and minerals to make red, green, brown, yellow and blue, so their clothes were very colourful.

Viking men wore a long shirt, trousers with a drawstring tie and a coat with a belt around the waist. Viking women wore long dresses with a tunic over the top that was held up by two brooches pinned at the shoulders. Both men and women wore woollen socks and leather shoes.

Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun (in modern day Wiltshire). After this, he and the Vikings agreed to set boundaries for their kingdoms. The area that the Vikings lived in was called Danelaw, and it meant that the land south of the diagonal line between London and Chester belonged to King Alfred (Wessex). Danelaw eventually became smaller and smaller as the Anglo-Saxons took more and more control.

Jorvik was a large Viking kingdom around York. The last king of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe, who was driven out in 954. The Vikings in England then agreed to be ruled by the king of England rather than having their own king.

But, that doesn’t mean that the king of England couldn’t be a Viking! The first Viking king of England was King Canute in 1016. He ruled until 1035, and then his sons were kings after that – but only for a total of seven years. Harold Harefoot was king until 1040, then Hardicanute was king until 1042.

Names to know:

King Canute (ruled as king of England from 1016-1035) – Canute was the first Viking king of England. He won a battle against Edmund II that divided their kingdoms, but when Edmund died Canute ruled both kingdoms. His sons, Harold Harefoot and then Hardicanute, ruled until 1042.

Harald Hardrada (c.1015-1066) – Harald Hardrada was the king of Norway. He led Viking armies into England, but was defeated at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in York by King Harold II.

Leif Erikson (c.970-1020) – Leif Erikson was a famous Viking explorer who sailed all the way to North America. 

Eric Bloodaxe (died in 954) – Eric Bloodaxe was king of the Viking kingdom of Jorvik between 947-948 and 952-954. He was the last king of Jorvik before it became part of England.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

• Type your name into the box and see how it looks written in Viking runes!
• Have Mum or Dad help you make some porridge in the way that the Vikings would have had it
• Watch Horrible Histories songs about the Vikings, the  Vikings & Garkunkel Song and  The Vikings - Literally
• Print some Viking colouring sheets  and a  Viking Age boat to colour in
• Make your own Viking tortoise brooches and try  Viking cord winding
• You'll find amazing artefacts from the Viking Age on the Jorvik Discover from Home  webpage, as well as Viking colouring, puzzles, crafts, stories and videos
• Quiz yourself on the Vikings
• Make your own Viking name
• Bake your own Viking flatbread
• The Cbeebies television show Gudrun the Viking Princess offers a glimpse of what life might have been like for the Vikings a thousand years ago
• Listen to a collection of Viking sagas  told by Loki, Viking god of fire, on BBC Schools Radio
• Read a National Geographic kids comic set on a Viking longboat
• Make your own Viking shield , Viking longboat and Viking helmet with step-by-step instructions and videos from Hobbycraft
• Try some Viking puzzles from the Yorvik Centre
• Step back to 876AD and make your own Viking longship, Viking longship figurehead and Viking helmet

Children's books about the Vikings

See for yourself

• Visit Jorvik Viking Centre  in York to go back in time and see what it was like to live as a Viking
• See a Viking coin made in England  for a Viking ruler
• Step into a  Viking Longhouse reconstruction at the Ancient Technology Outdoor Education Centre
• At the National Museum of Scotland, see the Galloway Hoard , the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in the British Isles

Find out more:

• Watch BBC Bitesize animations about the Vikings
• A children's introduction to the Vikings from DKfindout!
• See an animated film about the life of a ten-year-old Viking boy
• Learn about everyday life in the Viking age
• Find out about the Vikings in Scotland with BBC Bitesize animations
• Watch a virtual tour of the British Museum's  Vikings Live  exhibition
• Discover the  secrets of Viking ships
• "Walk" through a real Viking village
• Read stories and sagas from the Viking world – we've collected the best kids' books about the Vikings
• Find out about the Viking words we use in English place names . Did you know that words like berserk, ugly, muck, knife, die and cake come from Old Norse, the Viking language ?
• Information about  Viking gods and mythology
• Did Vikings have horned helmets? Find out!
• See some images of Viking clothes  and Viking jewellery  and find out about Viking pets
• The Vikings were warriors of the sea. Find out more about Viking voyages and sea-faring life
• Download a  Viking information booklet, packed with pictures
• Watch a video about the Vikings Eric the Red and his son Leif Ericson, who explored areas of Greenland and North America

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• Apr 23, 2020

Fun Viking Craft Activities for Kids

Updated: Jan 1

The word 'Viking' means 'a pirate raid' in the Norse language. As a group of self-named pirates going on raids, they needed good boats to travel in and strong weapons and armour to attack with.

Learn about the Viking voyages and battles by creating your own Viking equipment and vessels with these craft activities:

Viking Longships

Viking Longships were used for lots of different purposes including trading, exploring and raiding. They were light and fast with a shallow hull that allowed them to sail in both deep or shallow waters.

Longships had a very distinctive look. They were long and slender in shape and were made out of wood. They had a single square sail in the centre of the boat. They also had oars to row the boat if there was no wind. The Vikings would store their shields on the side of the boat both to provide protection to the boat's hull and to save space aboard the ship.

Longships are sometimes called Dragonships because they often had a dragon head at the prow (the front) of the boat. This dragon head would strike fear into their enemies and ward off evil spirits.

Find out more about Viking Longships

Create your own Viking Longship with this simple craft activity from Happy Brown House .

Create the hull of the boat using an old juice carton then add your oars, sail and even a dragon's head at the front.

Find full details for this Viking Ship Craft for Kids at HappyBrownHouse .

If you want to go even further, why not make your own Viking shields out of small circles of cardboard to hang on the side of your boat?

Viking Helmets

Vikings had armour to protect themselves in battle. Their helmets were made from several pieces of iron joined together with rivets. Their helmets were often a basic dome shape with nose or eye guards. Historians believe there would have been a leather strap that looped under the chin to keep the helmet fixed onto the head.

Contrary to popular belief, Vikings did not have horns on their helmets. Horns would have made the helmet heavy and difficult to wear as well as throwing the wearer off balance. No Vikings helmets have ever been found adorned with horns (though there are plenty of depictions of the Norse God Thor sporting wings on his helmet). The idea of the Vikings wearing horned helmets likely came from the Anglo-Saxon Monks who described the Viking invaders as demons or devils.

Find out more about Viking Weaponry

There are plenty of online resources decribing how to make a costume helmet with horns. But if you're looking to make an historically accurate Viking helmet, check out our Make A Viking Helmet craft activity .

In this craft activity, you will layer cardboard in strips to create a dome shaped helmet just like the Vikings would have done with strips of iron.

Find the full guide to Make your Own Viking Helmet here .

Viking Shields

The Vikings used round shields made from wood, fixed together with a leather rim around the outside. They had a metal boss (dome) in the centre. The Viking would hold the shield with one hand behind this metal boss (it wasn't strapped to the arm like most shields). Shields were often decorated in different colours and designs to represent the region the owner came from. They would have used oil to coat the shield to prevent it from absorbing water when they were out at sea.

Viking shields were often only 80-90cm in diameter so they didn't protect a lot of the Viking's body. But their size meant they were light and maneuverable. These shields were often used as a weapon for attack as well as defence, including ramming or punching their opponents, or disarming their enemies.

Create and decorate your own full sized Viking shield with this craft from Deceptively Educational .

All you need to create this basic shield is cardboard for the 'wood' and duct tape for the 'leather' binding. Then you can create your own design to decorate your shield, including different colours, rivets, a boss in the centre and more!

Find the full guide to create a Viking Shield at Deceptively Educational .

If you are a Primary School teacher then you'll definitely want Imagining History to bring their 'How to Launch a Viking Raid' Interactive workshop to your school.

Have your students got what it takes to launch a successful Viking raid?

In this award-winning workshop, our practitioners will use interactive activities with a drama and performance twist to teach your students everything they need to know to raid the Anglo-Saxon monastery on Lindisfarne. Your students will:

Create a timeline stretching from the first Viking raid to the end of the Viking era.

Construct a Viking Longship using just their bodies.

Interact with replica Viking Weapons, Armour and tools, including a sword, shield, spear, and sunstone.

Use their teamworking skills to test out Viking navigation techniques

Launch a raid on Lindisfarne & outsmart the Monks to steal their treasure.

Find out more by clicking here!

The web links in this article have been included for reference only and are in no way affiliated with Imagining History. Imagining History has no control over what content is included on these web links so discretion is advised.

Further Reading from the Imagining History Blog:

Viking Weaponry

Viking Longships - Quick Facts

Viking Travel - Where, Why, How?

• Craft Activities
• Kids History Guides

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Teach Your Kids About … Vikings

The Vikings were a fierce, strong, and very interesting people from the Northlands. Here are some great resources to help you teach your children more about them.

Lesson Plans

• Classroom Activity from The National Museum of Ireland – activity sheets for the Grade 3 to 6 level
• Primary History: The Vikings from BBC – lessons, activities and games about the vikings, including teacher resources.
• The Vikings from PBS.org – Lessons and resources.
• Viking Lesson Plans from CoreKnowledge – PDF lessons about the Vikings, mostly for 3rd grade. Includes Leif Ericsson, discovering how they are misunderstood, their contributions to history, sagas, and more.
• Vikings Co-op Lessons from HighHill Homeschool – what one group did week by week to teach their kids about vikings.
• Vikings Lesson Plan from Historica Canada – students view “ Heritage Minute, Vikings ” and then use criticial thinking skills to discuss how the Vikings and First Nations people are portrayed in the video.

Worksheets, Notebooks, and Lapbooks

• Viking Adventure Lapbook from Homeschool Share
• Viking Lapbook from Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus
• Me and the Vikings Venn Diagram by Heather Carlsen
• Viking Exploration of North America by Ami Alvis
• Viking Runes Worksheet by Mikal Staley
• You Wouldn’t Want to Be A Viking Explorer Questions by Tinker’s Thinkers – questions about the book with the same name.

Crafts & Activities

• In the Art Room:Viking Ship Collages from Cassie Stephens – a creative art project for students in grades 3 to 5 ish.
• Paper Dolls  from Practical Pages – men and women paper dolls with period clothing. Scroll down to find the link to each.
• Tissue Box Viking Ship from Crayola
• Cardboard Viking Shield from Deceptively Educational

Other Resource

• Jorvik Viking Centre – an in-person Viking village in York, England. Online resources include the option for a virtual visit through Skype, and printables such as colouring pages, information sheets and other activities. Site has lots of detailed information about “who were the Vikings.”
• The Vikings Answer Lady – A comprehensive information website about the life and times of the Vikings
• Clothing the Viking Age – detailed information about the clothing for men and women
• How to make Viking Musical Instruments – how to make pipes, whistles, drums and horn bugle
• Viking Recipes

• Heritage Minutes: Vikings 
• Horrible Histories: Vicious Vikings
• Horrible Histories: Literally – a Viking Song . – a soft rock viking ballad
• The Vikings Who Were They BBC Documentary- The Discovery Channel – needs previewing first as it contains some battle scenes etc
• The Viking Sagas: BBC

This post is part of a challenge that will blog through the alphabet over 26 weeks – hosted by Ben And Me. This is letter V. Feel free to join in yourself, or see what other people are blogging about!

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3 thoughts on “Teach Your Kids About … Vikings”

Great resources. This is one thing I want to work on with my son this year.

I did a short unit with my kids on the vikings recently. It’s definitely a way fun topic! If we ever get involved with our local SCA (medieval re-enactment group), we are thinking of being vikings. 🙂

I just came across that you used my vikings runes worksheet! That is so great and I feel so special! Thanks! 🙂

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