The Blitz KS2

Explore what the Blitz was, how it affected people’s lives during World War II and find clear, ready-to-teach KS2 activities to help your pupils understand this powerful history topic.

World War 2 Upper KS2 - Lesson 4: Life during the Blitz

This thoughtfully planned series of seven lessons will transport your children back to the time of WW2. Children will form a chronologically secure understanding of the WW2 timeline, including the...

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In the lesson:

Teach your KS2 class about the Blitz with this ready-to-teach lesson. During this lesson, children will learn about the significance of the Blitz, including why Britain was targeted by the German Luftwaffe. Children will analyse photographs from the time to generate historically valid questions and inferences about the impact of the Blitz. Alternatively, children can create poems to express their understanding.

This Blitz KS2 History lesson includes:

a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
a slideshow for the teaching input
a range of printable resources for independent learning activities

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The Blitz KS2

Let’s travel back in time to September 1940, during World War Two, when the Blitz lit up the skies over Britain. It was a frightening and unforgettable time in history.

What was the Blitz?

The word "Blitz" comes from the German word "Blitzkrieg," meaning "lightning war." Between 1940 and 1941, German planes dropped bombs on cities across Britain, including London, Coventry, and Liverpool. The idea was to frighten people and damage important buildings, like factories and ports on order to undermine Britain's war effort.

What happened during the Blitz?

Bombing raids usually happened at night, so families had to get ready as soon as they heard the air-raid sirens.
People hurried to air-raid shelters, like Anderson shelters in gardens or big underground places like the London Underground.
The sky was often filled with searchlights trying to spot enemy planes and loud anti-aircraft guns firing back.

Help children understand the overwhelming noise and discuss their response to the audio clips and photographs from the teaching input slideshow of the lesson pack.

Life During the Blitz

Living through the Blitz wasn’t easy!

Children had to go to school even if their school was damaged. Some children were evacuated to the countryside to stay safe.
People carried on with their jobs and helped each other rebuild damaged homes and streets.
At night, there was a blackout, where all lights were turned off to make it harder for planes to see where to drop their bombs.

The Blitz Spirit

Even though times were tough, the Blitz showed how strong and united people could be. Neighbours helped each other, families stuck together, and everyone found ways to keep smiling, even in the darkest times.

Encourage your class to think about what they would do if they had lived during the Blitz. Would they help in an air-raid shelter, become a messenger, or help clear rubble?