Byzantine Empire Activities for Kids | Hands-On History Ideas

Teaching ideas, crafts, and fun activities for exploring the Byzantine Empire with kids!

This year in our homeschool history, we’re diving into the Middle Ages.  So I was prepping to teach the Byzantine Empire to early elementary and began with my usual Google, Pinterest, and TPT searches – my favorite go to for educational resources.  But, lo and behold! – Almost nothing! 

What?

I was shocked by the lack of teaching resources on the Byzantine Empire for young learners!  So, I decided to jump in and create some of my own.

But how do you make a faraway place, an ancient church, and rulers with unusual names feel exciting to kids in the elementary grades? Easy! With hands-on activities, simple storytelling, and a little creativity, the Byzantine world can come alive in your homeschool or classroom, too!

Let’s look at a few fun and easy ways to explore the Byzantine Empire with kids:

Start with Stories

Kids love people more than dates, so we began with the story of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. Their partnership, their big dreams, and their famous building projects make history relatable. We looked at biographies, and learned how Theodora rose from humble beginnings to become empress.  We explored Justinian’s dream of restoring the greatness of Rome through making new laws. These human details hook young learners and make history more interesting!

Explore Famous Buildings

The Hagia Sophia, Justinian’s grand church in Constantinople, is a must-see (even if only in pictures). My parents recently got to see it in person and came home boasting of its beauty!  Show your kids photographs and videos of its dome and mosaics and talk about why it was so important for the Byzantine people. Kids are often amazed to learn it stood for over 1,500 years as a church, mosque, and museum!

I really loved this video because it preserved the sounds of Middle Ages singing as well as displayed video of some of the incredible mosaic art inside the Hagia Sophia.

Use Hands-On Activities

Children learn best when they can cut, color, create and engage with the information for themselves. Here are three activities I designed to make the Byzantine Empire interesting for elementary learners:

1. Justinian & Theodora Flipbook

This simple 1-page activity lets kids cut, staple, and create a mini flipbook about Justinian and Theodora. Each page highlights a key idea — Justinian as a builder and lawgiver, Theodora as empress, and the two of them working as a team. It’s a bite-sized way for students to remember who these fascinating leaders were.

2. 3D Hagia Sophia Craft

I wish I could’ve transported my kids on a fieldtrip to see the Hagia Sophia in person!  But since we can’t – the next best thing is a great 3D craft to make it real!  If your kids love crafts, they’ll enjoy making their own 3D pop-out Hagia Sophia, too.

This was such a simple and fun activity!  With just crayons, scissors, and glue, students can build a mini version of the famous Byzantine church that “pops” off the page. It’s a creative way to reinforce architecture, art, and the importance of Constantinople.

3. Byzantine Empire Mini-Book

This little booklet is packed with information! Students can color, cut, and staple their own 12-page Byzantine Empire mini book, covering maps, mosaics, the Great Schism, Justinian’s Code, icons, and more. It’s available in black-and-white or color, with a version that has traceable titles for younger readers. It makes a great review or keepsake to tuck into a notebook.

More Ways to Explore the Byzantine Empire

Art Connection

Try a simple mosaic art project using construction paper squares. Kids will quickly understand why mosaics were such a popular Byzantine art form. This is lots of fun! We just stuck with making a sun because it was a lot easier than trying to make a person or anything complicated!

But if you’re feeling it, there are little glass tile in plaster mosaic kits out there you can purchase to make something more permanent or there are mosaic kits using stickers for less mess.

Geography

Pull out a map and show how Constantinople was a bridge between Europe and Asia. Kids love to see how trade routes connected different parts of the world. We used our maps from The Story of the World Vol. 2, our main textbook for study this year.

>>> See all of the books we will be using this year in our curated list of amazing Middle Ages books for kids.

Church History

In age-appropriate ways, you can introduce the idea of the Great Schism and how the Eastern and Western Catholic churches became different.  This is an important aspect of setting young kids up to understand the Crusades and the Reformation coming later this school year in our Middle Ages study.

Bringing It All Together

Teaching the Byzantine Empire doesn’t have to be dry. By focusing on people, places, and projects, kids can really grasp why this empire mattered. It can be fascinating and fun!

Whether you use stories, videos, hands-on crafts, or a mix of all three, your students will walk away with a strong foundation.

And if you’d like ready-to-use printable resources, you can find my Justinian & Theodora Flipbook, 3D Hagia Sophia Craft, and Byzantine Empire Mini-Book in my Teachers Pay Teachers store – there’s even a bundle of all 3 together at an amazing discount! They’re designed for elementary learners and keep your prep time low — just print, cut, and go!