Ancient Mayan Civilization
🌟 Step into the incredible world of the ancient Mayans with this engaging video for kids! In this captivating lesson, students will explore the great cities, mighty pyramids, and rich traditions of a powerful civilization that thrived long before Europeans arrived in the Americas. In this ancient Mayans video for kids, learners will uncover the brilliant minds behind the 365-day calendar, early astronomy, and the origins of chocolate. Designed for Grades 4–7, this video brings social studies to life with vibrant visuals and unforgettable stories.
🏛️ Why This Ancient Mayans Video for Kids Belongs in Your Classroom
Students will travel to towering pyramids and bustling markets, learning how the Mayans built advanced cities deep in the jungles of Mesoamerica. They’ll explore the symbolic world of Mayan glyphs, meet powerful kings, and discover how trade networks stretched across Central America. With every scene, students will see how art, science, writing, and religion came together in one of history’s most fascinating civilizations.
🎥 Our ancient Mayans video for kids also introduces the innovative systems behind Mayan timekeeping and their deep knowledge of astronomy. Students will learn how the Mayans predicted eclipses, tracked the stars, and celebrated seasonal cycles through temples and rituals. The video connects ancient accomplishments to today’s world — including how the Mayans gave us chocolate!
🏆 This video is perfect for classrooms, homeschool lessons, or enrichment activities, offering a dynamic and accessible entry point into world history. Whether you’re teaching about ancient civilizations, global cultures, or early science and math, this resource will spark student curiosity and leave them with a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the ancient Mayans.
Video length: 22:20 minutes.
Worksheets
Quiz
Ancient Accomplishments
The Ancient Mayan Ball Game
Making a Mayan Structure
Phenomenal Pyramids
Important Ancient Mayan Cities
Draw A Scene
Universal Resources
National Standards
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Topics Covered
Who were the Mayans?
Where did they live?
The many Mayan accomplishments
Mesoamerican civilizations
Mayan night sky observatories
Mayan calendar(s)
Stelae & glyphs
Social structure
Mayan kings
Warfare & territory expansion
Common population
Mayan cuisine & lifestyle
Bartering & valuables
Mayan engineering
Palenque
Tikal
Uxmal
Teotihuacan
Chichen Itza
Classroom Ideas
Ancient Timeline
Create a timeline that shows what was happening in each of the Ancient Civilizations at certain points in time. For example, who created calendars and at what point in time? Who was building pyramids and when?
Mapping
Have students print out a map of the Ancient Mayan Civilization and identify where the sites in the video are located.
Ancient Civilization Comparisons
Divide your class into smaller groups, with each group responsible for further researching how each ancient civilization has benefited the world. They need to bring props to show (photos, food, items that represents tools and discoveries by each group).
Mayan Ball Game
Have students research the all-important ball game that was such an important part of their lives. Try to write out the rules, and try to play the game.
Diorama
Create a diorama of a Mayan city.
Pyramid Comparison
Have students compare the structure and purpose(s) of the Egyptian vs. Mayan pyramids. Discuss how they are similar and different. Discuss the techniques used to build each style of pyramid.
International Landmark Geometry
Identify geometric shapes found in famous structures such as Chichen Itza. Create structures using various geometric shapes (popsicle stick pyramid, toothpick tower, etc.)
Archaeology
Contact your local college or university to see if they have an archaeology program. If so, see if your class can visit them and learn what has been discovered by structures and buildings left behind different ancient civilizations.
Venn Diagram
After studying about a specific ancient civilization (Ancient Greece, Romans, Mayans, Egypt, etc. ), have a class discussion about what a day in the life of a person would be like.
Classroom Ideas for ALL Videos
Dozens and dozens of ideas that you can use in your classroom along with our videos!
Related Videos
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Ancient Greece
Ancient Egypt: Land of the Pyramids
Ancient Rome
Video Subscriptions
When you only need one video- Unlimited viewing of 1 video
- Post-trip quiz + resources for 1 video
- Access to Closed Captioned version of 1 video
- Lowest-cost option
Teacher + Class Subscription
Teacher + Students- Unlimited access to the entire video lesson library
- All quizzes + learning resources
- Access for 1 teacher + all students
- Access to all Spanish videos + resources
- Access to all Closed Captioned videos
- Best value option for one teacher
School-wide Site License
All teachers + All students- Unlimited access to the entire video lesson library
- All quizzes + learning resources
- Access for all teachers and all students
- Access to all Spanish videos + resources
- Access to all Closed Captioned videos
- Best for school administrators supporting their teachers & students
- Up to 500 students – $450/year
- 500-1,000 students – $600/year
- 1,000+ students – $1,000/year
