Greek gods and goddesses for kids worksheets

Kids Activities. We respect your email privacy. Founder and CEO of Woo! Kids Activities, Wendy loves creating crafts, activities and printables that help teachers educate and give parents creative ways to spend time with their children. Your email address will not be published. Following tradition, Hesiod beseeches the Muses and honors them first and foremost.

Then, he delves into the creation of the first-ever gods. In Greek mythology, Gaia was the first to be created, and from her, all life was born. She emerged from Chaos and bore countless children, either through parthenogenesis or coupling with one of her sons. In particular, the role belonging to an earth goddess is purported in numerous Indo-European cultures that emerged around the same time as the ancient Greeks.

The presence of a goddess being the progenitor of all life is reflected in Roman mythology — which derived inspiration for some of its myths from Hellenism — as well as in Norse, Anatolian, and Indo-Aryan myths. Therefore, the myth of creation in Greek mythology can indicate them being a matriarchal society at their earliest establishment.

Archaeological evidence discovered at Minoan sites prior to the mainland Mycenaean invasion further supports this theory. At this point in time, Hesiod had also written Theogony. Both pieces are crucial to understanding the genealogies of the gods and the order of succession of divine rulers. The Golden Age of Man is when the Titans ruled: a period of time when mankind knew no strife.

During this period that encompassed upwards of six generations, heroes came out of the woodwork. The start of the Heroic Age is around the time of the Argonauticawith the events of the Trojan War signifying the end. In both interpretations, the foremost is generally regarded as ideal. Prosperous and bountiful, mankind lived close to the gods during the Golden Age.

They had admirable traits but were still prone to falters and mistakes. More importantly, heroes were the epitome of what the Greeks believed it meant to be human. It must be a coincidence that many heroes in epic legends are simultaneously demigods. There are countless demigods that exist according to myth. On another hand, great deeds performed by a mortal were not always done by a demigod, though much of their success hinged on divine influence.

Across the Greek world, these heroes gained traction with the masses. Many of these greeks gods and goddesses for kids worksheets were inspired by characters in Homeric epics whom Mycenaean Greeks viewed as their ancestors. However, reverence of the dead — especially deceased forefathers — was not unheard of pre-Homer and wholly participated in.

In all, the defining difference between ancestor worship and Hero cults is that Hero cults were civically practiced. Meanwhile, worship of dead ancestors was usually restricted to the family unit. Over time Hero cults developed into the worship of local heroes rather than national ones. Hero cults began to tow a dangerous line between standard religious practice and exalting mankind as if they were divinities themselves.

Mythical creatures remain some of the most intriguing facets of Greek myth. Some helped further explain geography or a frightening event. Other creatures were simply there to be contrasted against a hero, whether morally or physically, and pose a challenge. Unique to ancient Greek culture, the following beings were thought to be tangible, existing in a veil between worlds:.

Greek mythology has a ton of monsters. They range from a giant, multi-headed serpent that can spit acid and bleed poison to a seriously rowdy boar. Monsters in ancient Greece acted as much as a warning to mankind as they acted as a roadblock in the machinations of Greek heroes. As they were, monsters signified chaos. They were an uncontrollable element that was incredibly difficult to overcome, if not close to impossible.

They threw a wrench in plans and made attaining something desirable a huge challenge. Some of the most famous monsters were unique plagues beset upon heroes, while others maintained their folklore origins. In the cases of many of the following monsters, they are both bestial and anthropomorphic. They contrast fiercely against the semi-divine beings they are often pitted against, thus highlighting their senseless brutality and frightening facades.

Much of the time, legendary items in Greek mythology are things that can have a direct impact on a story. Legendary items function as plot devices. For example, the constant suffering of the Royal House of Thebes starts to make a lot more sense when a cursed necklace is involved. The wax in his wings melted, and he fell into the sea and drowned.

Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. He begged Dionysus to take back his gift, which the god agreed to do. Home — Reading — Greek Myths. Theogony: Clash Of The Titans. Mythical Blueprint. Godly Association. Perseus And Medusa. Cupid And Psyche. Echoes Of Narcissus. Theseus And The Minotaur. Icarus And Daedalus. Divine Portraits.

He thought they were hilarious and fascinating. I like how mythology separates Greek heroes and mythical characters from villains and monsters. Many of these stories can be extremely weird, and slightly sexual when you learn about the goddess of love. So I recommend to preview what you are teaching, especially for younger students. Studying Greek Mythology can bring about some amazing conversations with our children.

You will be surprised how quick they will be to point out wrong behavior in the stories and actually explain to you why they are wrong. Most history curriculum that covers Ancient Greece may only have a few history lessons or one chapter that touch on the basics of Greek Mythology. There are so many stories and things that can be learned, so you may want to devote an entire unit to learning about the different myths.

I would suggest learning about many of them before tackling those large books in the upper grades. It will really help your older students to be familiar with the stories and give them a better understanding of what they are learning and reading about. It is great for young learners and has some beautiful illustrations. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief helped to get my son interested in learning more about mythology.

If you are wanting to dig deeper you can create your own lesson plan or a separate unit study for Greek mythology lessons with these worksheets and printables. We enjoyed using Greek mythology worksheets for middle school, but many of those listed below are good for a wide variety of ages.