The idea of 'timelining" your ancestors has been prominent in recent years among genealogy researchers. Timelines help us organize our sources, create a story of our ancestors' lives, and place their lives into perspective within the larger realms of local and world history. Several genealogy software programs these days offer the option to create timelines from our family trees, and there are even some websites that will do it for you, too.
While young children do not necessarily have a mature concept of time, they do understand the progression of basic life events: birth and school as children, marriage and having children as adults, death (usually) as an older person. I wanted to create a fun, hands-on way to teach my son about one of his ancestors using a timeline. So, we created a shoe box timeline. Here are the materials you will need:
- Empty shoe box with lid.
- Exacto knife or sharp scissors that will cut through the shoe box.
- White paper
- Tape
- Markers or crayons
- Family documents and/or photos pertaining to one ancestor
First, you will need to use the knife or scissors to cut a 'window' into the shoe box. (Definitely a job for the adult!). The lid to your box should look something like this when you are done:
While young children do not necessarily have a mature concept of time, they do understand the progression of basic life events: birth and school as children, marriage and having children as adults, death (usually) as an older person. I wanted to create a fun, hands-on way to teach my son about one of his ancestors using a timeline. So, we created a shoe box timeline. Here are the materials you will need:
- Empty shoe box with lid.
- Exacto knife or sharp scissors that will cut through the shoe box.
- White paper
- Tape
- Markers or crayons
- Family documents and/or photos pertaining to one ancestor
First, you will need to use the knife or scissors to cut a 'window' into the shoe box. (Definitely a job for the adult!). The lid to your box should look something like this when you are done:
Next, you will need several sheets of ordinary white paper. The number of sheets you will need depends on how many life events your timeline will cover. You may need to trim the height of the paper so that it will easily slip through the sides of the box. Then, tape the paper together so that you have one looooong sheet of paper that you can run through the box.
On the box itself, you will need to either lift the side flaps on the lid (as I did in the photo above), OR remove the side flaps of the lid all together, so that the paper can easily slip through. You will also have to tape the box lid to the main part of the box, otherwise it will fall forward when you set it on its side like this.
The next step will be to choose an ancestor for the timeline. Because it was Memorial Day, I suggested to my son that we use my maternal grandfather who was a WWII veteran. I got out my laptop and showed my son some photos of his great-grandfather. First, we talked about when he was born. For each life event, I wrote down the year in which it occurred, and my son wrote it on the picture he drew for that event. Even just writing the years down can teach kids a lot about the past and the passage of time; my son will be writing '20**' on his school papers and emails and work reports for the rest of his life - I'm pretty sure that, before this, he didn't realize what years really looked like before the year 2000.
My grandfather's birth: I told my son he had six older siblings when he was born, so he drew people to represent them all.
On the box itself, you will need to either lift the side flaps on the lid (as I did in the photo above), OR remove the side flaps of the lid all together, so that the paper can easily slip through. You will also have to tape the box lid to the main part of the box, otherwise it will fall forward when you set it on its side like this.
The next step will be to choose an ancestor for the timeline. Because it was Memorial Day, I suggested to my son that we use my maternal grandfather who was a WWII veteran. I got out my laptop and showed my son some photos of his great-grandfather. First, we talked about when he was born. For each life event, I wrote down the year in which it occurred, and my son wrote it on the picture he drew for that event. Even just writing the years down can teach kids a lot about the past and the passage of time; my son will be writing '20**' on his school papers and emails and work reports for the rest of his life - I'm pretty sure that, before this, he didn't realize what years really looked like before the year 2000.
My grandfather's birth: I told my son he had six older siblings when he was born, so he drew people to represent them all.
The other events he drew pictures for were high school graduation, joining the army, getting married, and having children. After that, he had had enough, which brings me to an important point. The child with whom you are working may get tired of the project before he/she has completed the entire life timeline. That's okay and completely normal! Put it away, come back to it later and finish it when he/she is ready. Also, be sure to use the opportunity to mention important historical events and how they affected your ancestor's life - in this case, we talked about WWII and how so many people got married and had children afterwards.
Here is what the timeline looks like all stretched out. (Click for larger view.) Both of my kids liked pulling it through the shoe box, and you could even pretend like it's a little movie production. When you are done, you can just roll up the paper and store it in the box for later.
So, if you know young children who like to draw, try this activity with them. They may enjoy it more than you know, and you could end up with timelines for several ancestors. (If you do try it, send me a photo! I'd love it see it!)
©2014, Emily Kowalski Schroeder