Knight Unit for Kids

Make the middle ages for kids come alive to kids of all ages with this fun, creative knight unit for kids that includes lots of crafts and activities for kids.

Knight Unit for Kids

This week in our hands on Medieval Times homeschool history for kids unit we took a closer look at Knights. We learned that the process to become a knight began when a boy was 8 years old and would begin serving as a Page in a noblemans household. Goofy was surprised to learn that he was the right age to begin his page training. This Mom got a feeling her baby is growing up too quickly! We also learned out Heraldry, made a Craft stick Bow & Arrow, and had some great time to play.

Homeschool Heraldry Study

In Medieval Times (also known as the Middle Ages) people were very interested in knowing about their ancestors and showing others what family they belonged to. People made up family designs that were passed down. These were also important for knights as when they were wearing armor you couldn't tell if you were fighting a friend or foe. Having your crest on your shield and banner helped others to know who they were fighting.

Note: We bought Design Your Own Coat of Arms but didn't find it any more helpful than using web based information like this site here.

Creating our own shields - hands on homeschool history

After picking the shape of their shield the kids picked colors they liked (and liked their significance). We picked typical symbols. Each of our shields had a sword cross symbol to symbolize we were all part of the same family and that we would fight for Jesus, our Lord and savior. My tender-hearted girls added hearts, and the castle symbol was popular with them too – wonder why =)

Homeschool Heraldry Study for Knight Unit

Finally, we made a coordinating flag for our castle. This helped neighboring kingdoms to know what family we belonged to.

Book Recommendations

At the heart of our lesson for the week were these great stories about knights. The Making of a Knight is a beautifully illustrated story of how a boy becomes a knight – a wonderful look at the process. Saint George and the Dragon is the retelling of a classic story. It is a longer story, good for 1st Graders or older. The Knight and the Dragon is short, sweet story perfect for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kindergarten learners. Knights in Shinning Armor is by one of my favorite authors for kids. Her books are always full of great information, nice illustrations, and in a wide variety of titles perfect for homeschool families.

DIY Q-tip Bow & Arrow

After seeing the super clever Q-tip Bow & Arrow I knew Goofy would love making it!

Bending caft sticks to make medieval bow and arrow kid activity

First off, soak your craft sticks for at least 3 hours. We used colored and plain ones – the plain ones absorbed the water better and therefore were more pliable. Then carefully, slowly bend the stick. Some are going to break – so make extra. Then keep it in the shape you choose until it dries, about 24 hours.

Craft stick and cott swab bow and arrow medieval kid activity

Use scissors to make a notch on both ends of your stick. Then wrap dental floss across and tie in knot. Dental floss is nice and stretchy that is why it works so well.

Hands on history middle ages kids activity

Now cut cotton swaps in half to serve as the arrows. Insert, pull back slightly, and release. This is more a cool novelty than a toy of the year.

Castle & Knight Play

Playmobil Castle Play for Homeschool Medieval History Unit

All our big units have lots of time for play! I feel strongly that children should be allowed to be children and actually play much of their day. I find that after a huge history unit my kids have lots of ideas and thoughts in their head that they want to act out and explore further. So besides playing in our DIY Cardboard Box Castle, we also played with Goofy’ Playmobil Castle. We spent some time modifying our original castle design to make sure it had all the parts of a castle we’d been learning about. Then we had fun playing and making up our own knight stories.

Looking for a fun suggestion for movie knight? The Sword in the stone would be a great pick for this week!