Henry VIII and his Six Wives

Henry VIII KS2

Explore the fascinating story of Henry VIII and his six wives with this complete, ready-to-teach KS2 History scheme of work for Years 3 and 4. Children will investigate what historical sources can tell us about Henry VIII, discover why he married six times and explore how his decisions affected religion, politics and the Tudor succession.

Across seven engaging Henry VIII KS2 lessons, children go beyond simply learning the names and fates of Henry VIII's wives. They investigate why producing a male heir was so important, explore Henry VIII's break with Rome, consider the political and personal reasons behind his marriages and use historical evidence to make their own supported judgements about the past.

What will children learn?

Children begin by using portraits and written accounts as historical sources to investigate Henry VIII, making inferences about his appearance, interests, abilities and character and considering what sources can and cannot reliably tell us about people in the past.

They then explore Henry VIII and his six wives, beginning with Catherine of Aragon and investigating why Henry became determined to end their marriage. Children consider his desire for a male heir, his relationship with Anne Boleyn and his concerns about the validity of his first marriage before making their own judgement about which factor mattered most.

Children discover how Henry's wish to marry Anne Boleyn contributed to the break with Rome and major religious change in England, before exploring Jane Seymour and the importance of the birth of Edward to the Tudor succession. They then investigate Henry's marriages to Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, considering political alliances, personal relationships and how carefully historians must use evidence when drawing conclusions about the past.

Finally, children explore Catherine Parr before comparing all six wives of Henry VIII and considering the similarities and differences between Henry's marriages. They bring together their knowledge to make supported historical judgements about Henry's decisions, his marriages and their wider consequences.

Throughout the scheme, children develop important KS2 History skills including using historical sources, making inferences, exploring cause and consequence, comparing people and events, evaluating evidence and supporting historical judgements.

What's included?

This complete Henry VIII KS2 scheme of work includes everything you need to teach the topic:

• seven detailed lesson plans
• engaging teaching slides for each lesson
• differentiated worksheets and activities to support adaptive teaching
• portraits, written accounts and other historical source material
• activities exploring Henry VIII and his six wives
• a Henry VIII and his Six Wives Knowledge Organiser
• a History Assessment Grid to support assessment

With lesson plans, slides and supporting resources ready to download and teach, this complete set of Henry VIII KS2 planning and activities provides an engaging way to explore one of Britain's most famous monarchs while developing children's historical knowledge and enquiry skills.

Looking for a broader Tudor topic? Our Tudors Topic Bundle extends children's learning with further History lessons on Tudor life alongside cross-curricular learning in RE, Art, DT, Geography and Music.