Making History Fun!

2008 February 12 by: Scott

When your children ask, “Where did I come from?” and “Was I always here?” they are asking questions about history. These two questions contain the two main meanings of “history”:

1. the story of people and events and

2. the record of times past.

History helps us understand the past and how we got here.

Here are some things you can do at home.

* Share family history with your children. Share your memories, and help your relatives and friends share family stories, too. Encourage your children to tell their own stories.

* Read with your child about people and events that have made a difference in the world. Help your child pick others you both find interesting to learn more about.

* Watch television programs about topics related to the past with your children. Get library books on the same topics. Ask the librarian for help. Do the books and television programs agree?

* When you celebrate holidays such as the Fourth of July, Christmas, Passover, or Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, explain to your child what is being celebrated and why. Help your child find stories or speeches about these holidays at the library or in a newspaper or magazine.

* Get to know the history of the town or city where you live. Your newspaper may list parades, museum and art exhibits, children’s theater, music events, history talks and walks under “things to do.” Choose some of these activities to do with your children.