Kids Rule! Guide to Castles

Welcome to the Kids Rule! guide to castles where you can learn about England’s history, discover more about our sites and find loads of fun things to watch, read and do! Here's what we've got in store for you:

INTERVIEW WITH A MEDIEVAL NOBLEWOMAN

We sent young Members Olivia and Felicity to Framlingham Castle in Suffolk to interview former Duchess of Norfolk Margaret Brotherton, who lived here in the 14th century when she was one of England's wealthiest women.

Watch the video to find out what it was like to live in a castle, the duties of a countess, what was on the menu at a medieval feast and how to drink and eat like a real lady!

Watch the Video

THE KIDS RULE! GUIDE TO CASTLES

Read Kids Rule! magazine online to learn about life in medieval castles, including castle design, how to attack and defend a castle and what your perfect castle job would be.

This is the sixth in the Kids Rule! magazine series following the history of England, designed to help you discover more about the past, through fun facts, illustrated stories, games, puzzles and competitions.

Read Kids Rule! Online

Kings of the Castles

Introducing five of the best English Heritage castles, their royal romances, bloody battles and lords and ladies! Read about these five fortresses, have a go at our quiz questions, then test your castle knowledge with our Eye Spy match activity.

Discover the castles!

Things to make and do: get creative with our medieval castle themed activities

COLOUR YOUR OWN MEDIEVAL CASTLE

Download this colouring sheet to create your own version of our medieval castles history timeline poster! Read through the introduction to medieval castles, then get creative with coloured pencils, pens or paints.

Download your colouring sheet

BUILD YOUR OWN CARDBOARD CASTLE

Design and build a medieval castle out of cardboard! Watch our video to get inspired and find out how it’s done, then follow our step-by-step instructions to build your own castle model.
MAKE A CARDBOARD KNIGHT'S HELMET

Dress up as a knight in shining armour with our step-by-step guide to creating your own helmet fit for a courageous castle siege! To get started, click the image and follow the instructions.
MAKE A MAGNIFICENT MEDIEVAL MEAT PIE

Have your own medieval banquet with our recipe to create a delicious meat pie with a crust shaped like castle battlements! Don’t forget to ask an adult to help you and you’ll be feasting like a lord or lady in no time!
More things to make and do

Get hands-on and crafty with history. From model historical homes to costumes and coats of arms, there’s plenty to be inspired by. Simply download our easy-to-use templates and instructions, and get making!

Quiz: What would be your perfect job in a medieval castle?

Would you be a Lord, Lady, Steward, Soldier or Jester? Discover your ideal job in a medieval castle, by taking our fun quiz!

Take the quiz!

Castle Poster: Make your Mega Timeline

We've created a series of posters showing how people lived in England through the ages, like this one showing life in England's castles.

Each of the posters follows on from each other, so that when you download them all from the Kids Rule! pages, you can create your own mega timeline of English history!

Download your poster