The month of October is Family History Month here in the United States, so I've complied a list of 31 easy ways in which we can engage children in family history. Most of these activities are fun, interactive, and don't take too much time, so hopefully the children in your life will really enjoy doing them with you and learn a little about their family at the same time.
1.) Share an ancestor's school yearbook or diploma.
2.) Share an ancestor's sports photo, uniform, or award.
3.) Share an ancestor's wedding photo.
4.) Watch a movie or TV show an ancestor enjoyed.
5.) Share a photo of an ancestor as a child.
6.) Have the child interview an elder family member.
7.) Have the child photograph or videotape an elder family member.
8.) Read a newspaper article about an ancestor.
9.) Share an heirloom an ancestor made or crafted.
10.) Watch old family home movies.
11.) Play a popular game from an ancestor's youth.
12.) Sing a popular song from an ancestor's youth.
13.) Learn a popular dance from an ancestor's youth.
14.) Share a map of an ancestor's town, state, or nation.
15.) Tell the child a story or memory about one of your grandparents.
16.) Read a popular children's book from an ancestor's youth.
17.) Try a hobby an ancestor enjoyed.
18.) Learn about popular clothing styles from an ancestor's youth.
19.) Draw a sketch of an old family photo.
20.) Learn about an ancestor's job.
21.) Share a photo of an ancestor's home or workplace.
22.) Visit a family cemetery or share photos of ancestor gravestones.
23.) Learn about popular hairstyles from an ancestor's youth.
24.) Learn about transportation and travel during an ancestor's youth.
25.) Cook or bake (and eat!) an ancestor's recipe.
26.) Learn about an ancestor's home country, language, and culture.
27.) Look at differences in invention/technology between an ancestor's date of birth and date of death.
28.) Look at famous paintings or sculptures made during an ancestor's childhood.
29.) Eat a meal with family heirloom dinnerware and/or silverware.
30.) Play dress-up with an ancestor's old clothing, jewelry, hats, or other accessories.
31.) Make a hands-on, interactive family tree or pedigree chart. (Click here for ideas.)
2.) Share an ancestor's sports photo, uniform, or award.
3.) Share an ancestor's wedding photo.
4.) Watch a movie or TV show an ancestor enjoyed.
5.) Share a photo of an ancestor as a child.
6.) Have the child interview an elder family member.
7.) Have the child photograph or videotape an elder family member.
8.) Read a newspaper article about an ancestor.
9.) Share an heirloom an ancestor made or crafted.
10.) Watch old family home movies.
11.) Play a popular game from an ancestor's youth.
12.) Sing a popular song from an ancestor's youth.
13.) Learn a popular dance from an ancestor's youth.
14.) Share a map of an ancestor's town, state, or nation.
15.) Tell the child a story or memory about one of your grandparents.
16.) Read a popular children's book from an ancestor's youth.
17.) Try a hobby an ancestor enjoyed.
18.) Learn about popular clothing styles from an ancestor's youth.
19.) Draw a sketch of an old family photo.
20.) Learn about an ancestor's job.
21.) Share a photo of an ancestor's home or workplace.
22.) Visit a family cemetery or share photos of ancestor gravestones.
23.) Learn about popular hairstyles from an ancestor's youth.
24.) Learn about transportation and travel during an ancestor's youth.
25.) Cook or bake (and eat!) an ancestor's recipe.
26.) Learn about an ancestor's home country, language, and culture.
27.) Look at differences in invention/technology between an ancestor's date of birth and date of death.
28.) Look at famous paintings or sculptures made during an ancestor's childhood.
29.) Eat a meal with family heirloom dinnerware and/or silverware.
30.) Play dress-up with an ancestor's old clothing, jewelry, hats, or other accessories.
31.) Make a hands-on, interactive family tree or pedigree chart. (Click here for ideas.)
Some of these ideas focus not only on learning about an ancestor as an individual, but also about learning about what life was like when that person was alive, an aspect that even we adults sometimes ignore in our genealogy research. Of course, this list is just the beginning! I'm sure you can think of many more fun and easy ways in which to get young people interested in their family history during Family History Month. Share a comment and tell me about them!
©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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