Ian Luff constructs a rationale for the use of drama, practical demonstration and roleplay in pupils' learning. He follows this with a wealth of practical examples and detailed advice based on his own professional experience and his experience in running training sessions for other teachers. His analysis of the value of such activities is particularly interesting. He is emphatic that these are not merely extras, designed only to relax or to have some fun. They can be used as serious learning activities with rigorous learning objectives and they need to be positioned carefully within a planned learning sequence. This is entirely consistent with their being enormous fun. Such activities can also transform a pupil's attitude to historical study. Ian discusses the types of skills, knowledge and understanding that these activities support, making a case for the interplay of thinking and feeling in children's intellectual development, motivation and historical understanding.