Past or Present? Flashcard Game Worksheet for 9-Year-Olds — English & Social Studies (5–7 min)

Instructions

Read each section carefully and complete the activities. You will explore what life was like in the past and how it is different from life today. Good luck!

Part 1: Past or Present?

Read each sentence below. Does it describe something from the PAST or the PRESENT? Circle the correct answer.

1. A family watches their favorite show on a streaming service.

   PAST       PRESENT

2. A person writes a letter using a feather quill and a pot of ink.

   PAST       PRESENT

3. A student uses a laptop to do their homework research online.

   PAST       PRESENT

4. A child listens to music on a record player.

   PAST       PRESENT

5. A message is sent across the country by a rider on a horse.

   PAST       PRESENT

6. Someone cooks dinner over an open fire inside a stone hut.

   PAST       PRESENT

Part 2: Action in the Past

When we talk about something that already happened, we use the past tense of a verb. For example, today we draw, but in the past, people drew.

Complete each sentence by writing the correct past tense verb from the word box.

1. Long ago, people ______________ horses to get from one town to another.


2. For dinner last night, my family and I ______________ spaghetti and meatballs.


3. Before paper was common, people ______________ on clay tablets or scrolls.


4. My grandmother told me that when she was a girl, she ______________ her own dolls from scraps of cloth.


5. At the history museum, I ______________ a real suit of armor from a knight.

Part 3: Then and Now Matching

Our daily needs haven't changed much, but the way we meet them has! Draw a line to match the activity from the PAST to a similar activity we do in the PRESENT.

Answer Key

Part 1: Past or Present?

1. PRESENT
2. PAST
3. PRESENT
4. PAST
5. PAST
6. PAST

Part 2: Action in the Past

1. rode
2. ate
3. wrote
4. made
5. saw

Part 3: Then and Now Matching

1. 1 → C
2. 2 → D
3. 3 → A
4. 4 → B