Early civilisations
Year 3 · History
Discover people and events, follow clues and put the past in order.
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Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Ancient Egypt: pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs quiz game
Who were the pharaohs? Why were the pyramids built? A free KS2 history game about Ancient Egypt, the Nile, hieroglyphs and Tutankhamun.
Play Ancient Egypt: pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs quiz game
Learning about early civilisations
In this Year 3 history collection, you can practise Ancient Egypt: pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs quiz game. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use a simple timeline to connect people and events. Ask how we know about the past, and distinguish a source from a later retelling. A matching or ordering game helps recall; explaining causes and comparing evidence take further discussion.
Ask: “What happened before this, and what changed afterwards?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Ancient Egypt: pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs quiz game
Ancient Egypt is one of the earliest civilisations. It began about 5,000 years ago, when people built villages along the River Nile in north-east Africa. The Nile flooded every year and left rich soil behind, so farmers could grow crops in the middle of a desert. Egypt was ruled by pharaohs, who were buried in great tombs such as the pyramids at Giza and, later, in the Valley of the Kings.
Try an example: Why were the pyramids built?
Pyramids held the bodies and treasures of the most important people in Egypt, ready for the afterlife.
Show the answer
As tombs for pharaohs.
What to look out for
Thinking Tutankhamun was buried in a pyramid. He was buried in a rock-cut tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The great pyramids are much older.
Read the full Ancient Egypt: pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs quiz game guide
Practise away from the screen
- Write your name in hieroglyphs using an alphabet chart.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Early civilisations in the National Curriculum in England. The programme groups requirements by key stage; the year shown here is our suggested practice placement. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with early civilisations?
Start with Ancient Egypt: pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs quiz game. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This collection brings together the games currently available for this learning area. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.