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Bring Pestalozzi’s timeless approach to life in your classroom today.
The Life of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
For elementary to advanced level students, these activities use word games to teach the factual information about Johann’s Heinrich Pestalozzi’s life, and drama techniques and drawing to give students personalised experience of his life, character and basic beliefs in ways that enable them to relate his life to their own lives.
Drama

A Play about Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and His Educational Approach
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students dramatize key moments from Pestalozzi’s life to explore how his experiences shaped his educational philosophy.

Role Play Extension
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students reimagine episodes from Pestalozzi’s life through new perspectives, creating unscripted role-plays to explore his ideas.

Freeze Frame
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students freeze during role-play to reflect on their character’s identity, actions, and emotions, deepening empathy and insight.

In the Hot Seat
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students question “Pestalozzi” in role to explore his life and ideas, building understanding through interactive Q&A and discussion.

Journalism
Intermediate (Classes 7-10)
Students interview characters from Pestalozzi’s life, then write and share newspaper articles to explore his experiences and values.

Role Play
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
A role-play activity exploring empathy, fairness, and discrimination through Pestalozzi’s values of equality and moral understanding.

Reactions out of role
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students reflect on characters’ actions after role-play, discussing behaviour, choices, and alternative outcomes to deepen understanding.

Tableaux, Statues or Still Images
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students recreate key moments from Pestalozzi’s life as frozen scenes, exploring characters’ thoughts, feelings, and significance.

The Biography of Pestalozzi:
‘The Life of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’ as a Play
Students adapt The Life of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi into a play, exploring key episodes through writing, performance, and creativity.

Voicing Thoughts
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students explore Pestalozzi’s inner thoughts and emotions through role-play, discussion, and creative visual mapping activities.

Writing in Role
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students write creatively from a character’s perspective after role-play, expressing thoughts and emotions inspired by Pestalozzi’s life.
Overviews

A Pestalozzi Cartoon Biography
through writing and drawing
Children bring Pestalozzi’s story to life through cartoons, learning empathy, creativity, and teamwork along the way.

A Pestalozzi Timeline
- through writing and drawing
Students create a visual timeline of Pestalozzi’s life, combining writing, art, and teamwork to explore his key achievements.

Background to Education in Europe in Pestalozzi’s Time
of Background to Education in Pestalozzi’s time
Learners investigate major European movements to understand how cultural change influenced Pestalozzi’s educational vision.

Bingo
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
A lively classroom game where students test their knowledge of Pestalozzi through clue-based Bingo, promoting active learning.

Board Games
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Learners deepen understanding of Pestalozzi’s life by designing educational board games that combine strategy, creativity, and learning.

Crossword
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
An interactive crossword activity that deepens students’ understanding of Pestalozzi’s life while promoting cooperative learning.

Linking – Europe and Your Country Before and at the Time of Pestalozzi
Advanced (Classes 11-12) Intermediate (Classes 7-10)
Students explore how history shaped education by comparing events in Pestalozzi’s Europe with those in their own country.

Scramblegram
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Learners build Scramblegrams inspired by Pestalozzi’s teachings, deepening understanding of his principles through problem-solving.

Scrambled Words
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students engage in wordplay and questioning to recall key facts about Pestalozzi, reinforcing literacy and comprehension through play.

The Life of Pestalozzi Mapped
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students bring Pestalozzi’s story to life by mapping key places in Switzerland and illustrating his journey of learning and compassion.

Word Search
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students complete a Pestalozzi-themed word search, discuss clues, and deepen understanding of his educational philosophy

Year Search
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
An interactive quiz-style activity where students identify and discuss key dates in Pestalozzi’s life to deepen historical understanding.

A Play about Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and His Educational Approach
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students dramatize key moments from Pestalozzi’s life to explore how his experiences shaped his educational philosophy.

Role Play Extension
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students reimagine episodes from Pestalozzi’s life through new perspectives, creating unscripted role-plays to explore his ideas.

Freeze Frame
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students freeze during role-play to reflect on their character’s identity, actions, and emotions, deepening empathy and insight.

In the Hot Seat
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students question “Pestalozzi” in role to explore his life and ideas, building understanding through interactive Q&A and discussion.

Journalism
Intermediate (Classes 7-10)
Students interview characters from Pestalozzi’s life, then write and share newspaper articles to explore his experiences and values.

Role Play
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
A role-play activity exploring empathy, fairness, and discrimination through Pestalozzi’s values of equality and moral understanding.

Reactions out of role
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students reflect on characters’ actions after role-play, discussing behaviour, choices, and alternative outcomes to deepen understanding.

Tableaux, Statues or Still Images
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students recreate key moments from Pestalozzi’s life as frozen scenes, exploring characters’ thoughts, feelings, and significance.

The Biography of Pestalozzi:
‘The Life of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’ as a Play
Students adapt The Life of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi into a play, exploring key episodes through writing, performance, and creativity.

Voicing Thoughts
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students explore Pestalozzi’s inner thoughts and emotions through role-play, discussion, and creative visual mapping activities.

Writing in Role
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students write creatively from a character’s perspective after role-play, expressing thoughts and emotions inspired by Pestalozzi’s life.

A Pestalozzi Cartoon Biography
through writing and drawing
Children bring Pestalozzi’s story to life through cartoons, learning empathy, creativity, and teamwork along the way.

A Pestalozzi Timeline
- through writing and drawing
Students create a visual timeline of Pestalozzi’s life, combining writing, art, and teamwork to explore his key achievements.

Background to Education in Europe in Pestalozzi’s Time
of Background to Education in Pestalozzi’s time
Learners investigate major European movements to understand how cultural change influenced Pestalozzi’s educational vision.

Bingo
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
A lively classroom game where students test their knowledge of Pestalozzi through clue-based Bingo, promoting active learning.

Board Games
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Learners deepen understanding of Pestalozzi’s life by designing educational board games that combine strategy, creativity, and learning.

Crossword
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
An interactive crossword activity that deepens students’ understanding of Pestalozzi’s life while promoting cooperative learning.

Linking – Europe and Your Country Before and at the Time of Pestalozzi
Advanced (Classes 11-12) Intermediate (Classes 7-10)
Students explore how history shaped education by comparing events in Pestalozzi’s Europe with those in their own country.

Scramblegram
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Learners build Scramblegrams inspired by Pestalozzi’s teachings, deepening understanding of his principles through problem-solving.

Scrambled Words
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students engage in wordplay and questioning to recall key facts about Pestalozzi, reinforcing literacy and comprehension through play.

The Life of Pestalozzi Mapped
Intermediate (Classes 7-10) Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students bring Pestalozzi’s story to life by mapping key places in Switzerland and illustrating his journey of learning and compassion.

Word Search
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
Students complete a Pestalozzi-themed word search, discuss clues, and deepen understanding of his educational philosophy

Year Search
Foundation House / Elementary (Classes 5-7)
An interactive quiz-style activity where students identify and discuss key dates in Pestalozzi’s life to deepen historical understanding.


