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Year 1

The Vikings and their longboats

I can describe the features of Viking longboats.

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New
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Year 1

The Vikings and their longboats

I can describe the features of Viking longboats.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Vikings used fast, narrow boats called longboats for trading and raiding.
  2. Longboats had oars, sails, and were both strong and flexible, allowing them to withstand strong waves.
  3. Longboats had flat bottoms, allowing them to sail through shallow water and rivers when the tide was high.
  4. Longboats were often used for raiding and the sailors on board would hang their shields over the sides of the boat.
  5. Viking boats were light and fast, they could even be carried short distances over land to other rivers.

Keywords

  • Vikings - the Vikings were seafarers from Northern Europe

  • Longboat - a longboat was a strong, narrow boat used by the Vikings

  • Shield - a shield is a large piece of wood or metal with a handle at the back that is used for protection and defence

  • Raid - a raid is when a place is attacked and items are stolen

Common misconception

Pupils may have the impression that all Vikings were fierce, scary warriors.

Some Vikings were warriors, but not all. Vikings were also traders, farmers and settlers.


To help you plan your year 1 history lesson on: The Vikings and their longboats, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

In a safe open space, ask pupils to sit in two lines and imagine that they are the crew on a longboat. Then practice pretending to row in time together, like the Vikings did. One pupil could be the helmsman at the front calling directions.
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Teacher tip
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
How did early explorers travel around the Mediterranean?
by foot
Correct answer: by boat
by horse
Q2.
What type of boats did seafarers use in the early Mediterranean world?
rafts
canoes
Correct answer: galleys
Q3.
Why did early seafarers go on journeys around the Mediterranean?
taking holidays
Correct answer: trading for supplies
Correct answer: moving to new places
Q4.
Pick the word that refers to a time when people are fighting.
disagreement
Correct answer: war
argue
Q5.
How did galley ships move through the water of the Mediterranean Sea?
Correct answer: by oarsmen using oars
with a motor
waiting for waves to push the boat the right way
Q6.
During times that were not peaceful, what were galley ships used for?
used for going on holiday
Correct answer: used as warships for fighting
used as places to hide

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is a Viking longboat?
[Reuse image of Pesse Canoe]
[Reuse image of a Polynesian boat]
Correct answer: [Reuse image of a Viking longboat]
Q2.
Complete the sentence. Longboats had a flat bottom so they could sail through __________ water.
deep
Correct answer: shallow
stormy
Q3.
What did Viking warriors hang over the side of a longboat before a raid?
Correct answer: shields
oars
ropes
Q4.
Viking longboat journeys were usually for exploring, raiding and what else?
visiting
Correct answer: trading
sailing
Q5.
Where on a longboat would you find an animal shape?
Correct answer: at the front
at the back
under the boat
on the sail
Q6.
Why were Viking longboats so good at moving through strong waves?
They bounced on top of waves to avoid them.
Correct answer: The wood of the hull was flexible so it did not crack.
They went so fast they missed them.
Q1 image 1 "Pesse dug-out canoe" is licensed under CC BY 3.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Q1 image 3 © Mastclick/Shutterstock.com

Additional material

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