The primary thing I’ve learned in studying Ancient Mesopotamia with my 6 year old is that I’m really glad I don’t live in Ancient Mesopotamia. There doesn’t seem to be anything warm, nurturing, or cradle-like about the cradle of civilization. Ancient Mesopotamian leaders seem to have been predominantly harsh and exacting if not outright cruel and vengeful. I made these Montessori-style, split cards featuring important figures from Ancient Mesopotamian history primarily for myself rather than for my 6 year old. (It’s hard to keep everybody straight!)
I’m sure at some point in the future, we’ll study these people and this era in more depth, but for now, these cards combined with my free, printable Ancient Mesopotamia Definition Cards will give my child a point of reference when it comes to this period of world history. I’m not sure in the long run how much he’ll retain, but when he sees them again in his future, hopefully they won’t be entirely unfamiliar.
We primarily studied this time period using the relevant sections from The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History, which is turning out to be a great book for teaching history to preschool through early elementary aged kids (maybe even older). I may add more people in the future, but for now, this set includes the following Ancient Mesopotamian historical figures:
The self-correcting, Montessori-style cards allow kids to test their own knowledge by trying to match the picture of the historical figure to the name and biographical information. At the suggestion of a reader, I’ve also added the option of matching just the name to the biographical information, so there are lots of different ways to learn. The control cards are provided so that kids can check their answers. As a bonus, I’ve also made small labels to be added to world history timelines for kids who would like to visualize the progression of history. My own free, blank world history timeline can be found here.
See my Ancient History page for a list of posts on other cultures such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Sign up for my newsletter to stay up-to-date as this list of free resources grows.
Recommended Age Range: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Time Required: ~30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable, less than $2 in used supplies (even less if you choose not to laminate the cards)
Materials:
- paper for printing Ancient Mesopotamian cards and associated control cards. (Note: you do not need to print the last 2 pages of each document as they just contain legal information regarding image sources.)
- thermal laminating pouches
- optional: paper for printing Ancient Mesopotamians for History Timeline (only first page needs to be printed)
Supplies & Tools:
- laminator
- paper cutter or scissors
Instructions:
- Print Ancient Mesopotamian cards, associated control cards, and Ancient Mesopotamians for History Timeline (optional).
- Laminate the split and control cards for extra durability if desired and cut them out.
- If using, add your Ancient Mesopotamians for history timeline labels to your blank world history timeline.
Have fun learning about famous Ancient Mesopotamians!
Click here for more Ancient History activities and printables for kids.
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Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 
Thanks a lot for sharing
No problem! You’re very welcome. :)
Thanks ever so much for sharing your files so freely they are really appreciated
Awwww, you are so welcome! Glad you can use them!