History teacher Harry Hastings is passionate about the need to bring history alive for kids. He has come up with an ingeniously simple game. History Heroes is a pack of cards, one for each English monarch. Each card features a fun cartoon picture, the monarch’s dates and 6 key facts about their reign. There are variants on how you play but it is all about capturing as many kings and queens as possible. We tried it out on a group of children aged 8 to 12 who became very competitive. ‘Who was the first king to use the title King of England?’ ‘Who married Elizabeth of York and ended the Wars of the Roses?’ ‘Who handed over the first FA Cup at Wembley?’ I don’t know; ask the kids!

£7.99. Available online from www.historyheroes.co.uk or from various independent toy shops across London.