Free Printable History Timeline
Suitable for Any Homeschool History Curriculum Secular or Not
If you’re not keeping a timeline in your homeschool, I strongly encourage you to begin to do so. It’s an easy, very visual, hands-on, fun exercise! Amazing how such a simple act of gluing little images of events –or writing them down– into these arranged sheets, yields such clearer perspective. A total knowledge solidifier!
There are many ways to keep a timeline. Just google “history timeline” and you’ll get tons of options: Excellent websites, nifty iPad or tablet apps, innovative binder or books, and good ol’ paper printables. Though we’re technology geeks around here, I decided to use the paper version. In a moment of inspiration, I created my own “cute” history timeline, which I’m sharing now with all of you 🙂 After Super Hero spotted an error in dates, he actually helped correct it and do some other edits. Thank you Super Hero! (Mil gracias mi amor ♥)
History comes together so effortlessly with a timeline. For a hands-on learner like Super Hero, filling up the timeline sheets, is sort of a connect-the-dots exercise. It gives him a clearer picture of what’s happened in the world, regardless of when we study a given topic or event. I don’t know about you, but at our homeschool, studying history in chronological order seems rather elusive. There’s always something that piques our interest, and chances are, it won’t coincide with our homeschool history curriculum. Thank goodness for the timeline –it’s the quickest, easiest, and funnest fix. No matter when we get to cover a topic, Super Hero gets to anchor the events in the timeline and in his own mind, and mine, too!
A part 2 of this post covers the free history timeline figures we’re using. Also, you might like to explore Jimmie Lanley’s (from iHomeschool Network) hubpage with all you need to keep up a great timeline.
Timeline Poster
I found this timeline poster at amazon, that I’d be remiss not to share with you. It’s certainly an optional aide, but it does make a handsome visual and effective complement to your do-it-yourself world history timeline.
Horizontal Binder
One of my blog readers, Rachel, (Hi Rachel!) asked about the origin of our horizontal binder. While mine came from an old business checkbook, I found these two alternatives on Amazon. The first is regular letter size, 8 1/2 by 11 inches. The second, is cheaper, but it comes in legal size: 8 1/2 by 14 inches. If you, too, are partial to horizontal binders, I hope one of these will please you.
Horizontal letter size:
Horizontal legal size:
Our Secular Homeschool History Curriculum
Lastly, in case you’re wondering, we use Story of the World as our secular history curriculum. A lot of history curriculum is not secular, so I took my time researching options before I settled on Story of the World. We enjoy it quite well. Super Hero loves to listen –and relisten– to Jim Weiss’s readings and retellings in the audio version. So for Story of the World volume 2 (our current level), I bought only the MP3 version and skipped the printed or PDF book. I posted a tutorial on how to load it into your iPad, in case you’d like to do so also. Such ready access has definitely encouraged Super Hero’s attention to world history. What’s not to love about that? 😉
download the FREE printable history timeline 🙂
You can also download the free timeline figures to go along with this timeline!
If you do download and use this timeline, let me know in the comments below. Super Hero and I would be delighted to learn you’re using it. Happy timelining!
This post contains affiliate links
I just downloaded the timeline and I LOVE IT, but I was wondering if you also had the printable image events as well?
Hi Karalynn, I’m happy you liked the timeline. You can get all the links and details for the printable timeline figures here: https://raisingaselfreliantchild.com/2015/02/05/free-timeline-figures-homeschool-matching-story-world/ :))
Thanks for posting this!!! I have been looking for a downloadable timeline and figures. Someone posted about your site on a FB group that I am in. What a blessing!! Thanks again!
Hi Kaci, We’re both so happy you’re liking our timeline. Thank you so much for letting us know. It makes a difference!!
Wanted to download and use the timeline, but the page isn’t loading; don’t know if this is a problem on my end or yours. Thank you for the opportunity! It looks fascinating =)
Dear dj Faul, I’m sorry you had troubles downloading. I can’t seem to reproduce the issue though. The page loads and the download button works right up for me. Kindly try the link directly to the document here: http://bit.ly/1D3XM48. Please let me know how it goes for you. Thanks so much for your interest!!!
Hello,
I just stumbled across your timeline package. It looks amazing! I tried to down load it but I keep getting an error message about the app manager and the zip folder. Any ideas how to fix this?
Thanks!
Jessie
Dear Jessie,
Again, I’m sorry you had troubles downloading. I’m puzzled as to what can be going on because it works well for me. Kindly try the direct link to the document: http://bit.ly/1D3XM48. Please let me know how it goes for you. Thanks so much for your interest!!!
This is wonderful, thank you for sharing!
HI Emma,
I’m really happy to share. Thanks so much for your comment, it’s so nice to receive it 🙂
I too would love these timeline pages but the link isn’t working. Could you fix please or email them to mr?? PLease!!! Thanks! -Jill
Hi Jill, just out of curiosity are you clicking on the big blue button? I’m sorry if that’s kind of a silly question, but I really don’t have a clue what could be happening. It works perfectly well for me when I click on the button. Kindly try the direct link and please let me know how it goes for you. Thank you for your interest. http://bit.ly/1D3XM48.
Just downloaded and I’m excited to put this to use. My daughter loves history and we’re starting SOTW2 so we’ll have a lot of fun backtracking to fill out our new timeline! Thank you for the links to figures as well!
Thank you so much for this! I had seen the timeline cards on a previous Google search, but didn’t see a timeline book that I liked well enough! Thank you for this, I will be taking it to the printers this week and having it bound as well!
This is amazing and so are you!! While we were listening to SOTW, I wished we had a timeline and sat down with intent to make it! You did it already! We are PRINTING! Thank you thank you!
Thank you for this – it’s wonderful!!! I was hoping to print it on legal, do you have a legal size version that would fill a legal page?
I would also LOVE a legal-size version, but I can’t think of an easy way to do it … Let me know if you end up making one at some point!
Thank you for sharing your work! It is amazing and just what I’ve been looking for!
Thank you SO much for this resource! I appreciate this (I’m using the timeline with my daughter this year.)
Hi Demetria, I’m happy you and your daughter are liking it and using it! Thanks for letting me know!
Hello, thank you so much for taking the time to put together the timeline layout. I am however having trouble downloading it. When I hit the download button it puts in at the bottom of the screen as a zip pdf. I tried right clicking this to extract files and I don’t have that option at this point so I then saved the file and then tried to right click it to extract the files and I don’t have that option again to extract. Wondering if you might have any advice for me?
HI Brandy, Sorry to learn the download is failing you somehow. Please try to download it from Educents: http://www.educents.com/my-history-timeline.html/#raisingaselfreliantchild This should work for you right away. Let me know. Thank you so much for your interest!
Hi Brandy, Please try downloading it from Educents. Though you do have to register there, it’s still free: http://www.educents.com/my-history-timeline.html/#raisingaselfreliantchild. Hope that solves all troubles 🙂
Hi Patricia. Thanks so much for sharing your hard work! I’m thinking about making a book for each of my 4 boys but have a couple of questions.
1. Did you print on card stock? Single-sided? Or double-sided?
2. Did all 150+ pages fit into one binder? What width horizontal binder do you recommend?
3. Would there be a way to stretch this to fit a legal size print out? I didn’t know if I could get my hands on the original document and make changes myself . . .
4. Do you ever wish you could take the pages out and see a whole section in succession? I’m debating if it is too much of a project to assemble the pages in an accordion style, maybe separated by the SOTW ages.
I love the increments of time that you have chosen. We really do need more space as we get closer to our modern times 🙂 Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks again.
-Lauren
Thank you for making this incredible timeline. But how am I able to make the timeline legal size?
I believe you could just use legal size paper and have the printer “fit size”. I have tried printing like that for other, unrelated documents. I’ve also tried setting it to 105%, for example. Though it wasn’t actually legal paper I was using, it worked well for that particular printable. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Patricia! Thank you for sharing this!! What a great resource! Have you heard anything about Mary’s progress on the SOTW volume 4 timeline cards?
I’ve checked Mary’s site from time to time, but it doesn’t look she’s active with her blog anymore. That’s just too bad! I think there’s so many of us who were hoping she’d gift us with the last set of timeline figures. Her first 3 sets are awesome and oh so generous!
Do you know if there is anyway or anyplace to get her first three volumes of the timeline figures? I’ve been searching online and can’t find it anywhere. It looks like her site is no longer active and the links give dropbox errors. I was so hoping to start this with my kids! 🙁
Thank you for this!! It’s lovely and my kids are very excited to start using it. So generous and thoughtful of you to share it. 🙂
Thank you so much for your time line free printable
Thank you for sharing wonderful educational material with us! It will make my boys’ history lesson as fun as it should be. Blessings,
I cannot believe how helpful these FREE resources are!!! Thank You! I have searched for weeks for a history supplement to use with our MFW 1st grade curriculuum. These are much prettier than the resources I was planning to purchase. They are also much more appropriate for my young daughters. 🙂
I can’t get the link to work -is it down? It looks fabulous and a great inclusion to our history plans!!
Thank you so much for the free printable! You’ve saved me money & time. Much appreciation!
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Hi Patricia!!!
I would like to have these printed at a print shop onto cardstock. My printer does not do cardstock well. Is this something I would need special permission for from you? It would be paying the print shop for 2 printed copies. Thanks!
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I truly love the timeline and all the work you put into this!!!! One of my children has his own ways of organizing his notebooks that works for him. Any chance that you have a vertical notebook version that I am just not seeing on the page? If not, any ideas, how I might be able to change it myself?
Hello – I’ve tried to click on the link for the timeline pictures but the website wont load for some reason … any idea how else I could get the pictures for Story of the World? Thanks so much.
Kindly go thru the comments, I believe you will find the links to all timeline figures that helpful moms have posted as they found them. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this wonderful resource!
You’re so welcome!
Is there another way to access the timeline images? Her page is no longer active.
Her blog is down for good it seems. Kindly read through the comments, many helpful homeschooling moms have posted links to pretty much all the timeline figures. I think you’ll find them all 🙂
I’m so excited to find this! However, the link isn’t working for me. I also tried the couple of links that you posted in the comments. Those aren’t working either. Would you mind sending it to me or posting a new link? Thank you so much!
I am unable to get this link, and the one above to work for the free download. Are you still offering the Timeline download. It looks wonderful Thank you L Warnes
Hi! I love this timeline and would love to print one but the link isn’t working for me. I also tried the links you posted in the comments to other people with similar problems and those didn’t work either. Is there a way I could get a fresh link to try?
I can’t download the Timeline from the link provided or the bitly. link that you also gave. Any ideas? This looks like a wonderful resource! Thank you for sharing it.
Is this timeline no longer available? The link is not working.
Any way I can get the timeline since the link isn’t working anymore?! Please help!
Thanks for this wonderful resource! The download link wasn’t working for me, but I right-clicked on the blue button and picked open in new window. Then I had to highlight and enter in address bar, which brought up win-zip and allowed me to open it.