Wondering How To Get Your Young Children Involved In Family History?
As a mother of young children I searched the internet, Pinterest, and blogs to find fun, unique activities to get them involved in Family History work. Hopefully you too can find some ways to get your kids involved in their own history and get a passion for learning more.
Interview a grandparent:
Kids love to talk and love to ask questions. Plan a visit to see a grandparent. Here are some ideas of questions to ask. Don't forget to bring a recorder.
Grandma...
What is your birthdate and where were you born?
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
What are your favorite memories with your siblings?
What is one of your favorite memories about your mother?
What is one of your favorite memories about your father?
Were there any deaths in the family that impacted you the most?
How old were you when you met Grandma or Grandpa? What was your first reaction of them?
How did he propose? How did you know you wanted to marry him/her?
How did your parents react to you getting married and to him/her?
What is your favorite holiday and why?What occupation did you have? How did you get that occupation?
What are some of the family traditions your family had growing up?
Have you accomplished all that you wanted to in life?
Were there any regrets?
What advice do you have for me?
What makes you proud to be an American? How do you feel about the state of the country now?
Historical Questions:
How old were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed?
What was your reaction?
How old were you when the Civil Rights movement was going on? What was your reaction to it? Where were you when JFK was assasinated and what was your reaction?
What historical event made the greatest impact on your life and why?
Do you have a FamilySearch.org account? Do you have the Family Search Memories app? You can record the interview and easily upload it to FamilySeach.org. To find out how, go here.
Walk Down Memory Lane:
Kids also love to hear stories. Take a night to talk about your childhood with your kids. Or you can talk about how you and their father/mother met. You can talk about a mission that you served. Or you can talk about your parents. Make the stories interesting and let them ask questions. Kids love funny and silly stories. Let them draw or color their favorite story.
Map Your Family Tree:
Get a large map to put on the wall. Also grab pins and two colors of yarn. Before doing this activity, right down all the locations of your child's direct lines both their father's line and their mother's line. If your ancestors are mostly from the United States and have been for a few centuries, stick with a map of the U.S. If your family are recent immigrants, then use a world map. Trace your child's family lines using a different color of yarn for their father's side then their mother's side. It will be fun to see how your family got to the place they are now.
Who Do I Look Like?
Pull out old photos of you and your spouse when you were children. Compare pictures with the kids to see who your kids look more alike. Also MyHeritage.com has a really fun app called the Look-Alike Meter. You need to register an account and enter in your own family tree first before you can do this. You will need to upload photos who those you are comparing as well. It is a fun activity and pretty funny results. The kids would LOVE it!
Here is also a unique form for your child to find out genetic markers in their family such as, who was left-handed, who has blue eyes, who has curly hair, etc. It's free too!
Time Travel Activity
What was life like back when your grandma was a child? What was life like in the 1800s, the 1950s, etc. What was family life like? What did they wear? What did kids do for fun? What are some fun games they played? Are those games still played today? Look on a census report to see the types of occupations your ancestors had. What did it mean to have that occupation? Was it something usually passed down from father to son or was it a professional occupation?
A Meal To Remember
Pick a time period and research food and drink that was eaten during the time period and location of your ancestors. Perhaps even learn some table etiquitte. Is your ancestry from a different country? Make a dinner from that country or origin of the world. Or perhaps there is a family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. Find a way to have the kids help make it. Have the kids make placemats by coloring maps of a country their ancestors come from.
Today in History Game
Use the birth dates of your children or the birthdates of ancestors to see what was going on that day in history. If you go to this website to search what happened on a specific date in time. It's way fun!
Make it a Movie Night
Watch a popular TV show or movie from the era grandma or grandpa or great-grandma/grandpa lived in. Don't forget the popcorn! Ask the children what is different about these shows compared to what they watch now.
