Family tree exploration activities for children and teens – Part 1

Looking for easy and fun, yet still educational things to do with your children? Activities that help us explore our family tree fit that bill perfectly for us! I believe with all my heart that knowing and sharing our family stories can help us when times are hard.

It’s true!  Research indicates that children who know more about their family tree are more resilient in the face of life’s challenges. You can read more about the study from Emory University in 2010 here.

With more time together at home, I am looking forward to drawing my family closer together. My friends and I have created 28-pages of EASY family history activities. Designed by the Kindred Press, it is chock-full of printables and simple activities. I am excited to do these with my own children.

In addition, I will be updating this post with more of our family’s favorite ways to make family history part of our day to day life at home. Let me know if there is an idea you want to hear more about and I will do a separate post!

Exploring your family tree at meal time

I’ll never forget this easy tip I learned in a parenting class. If you want to make a habit stick, attach it to something you are already doing everyday. That’s meal time! Especially with self-isolation happening around the world, family meals are an ideal time to connect and draw closer to our families. Here are a few of my favorite family history at meal time ideas.

Question Jar

It can be as simple as a mason jar with strips of paper! Write down or print out questions about your family or your ancestors. It may be fun to make a custom jar just for family history! You can use the same tutorial I used for this jar – easy for anyone to do! Or – if you want something already done for you – this Table Talks game is fun! We played a similar game at an extended family dinner. We were laughing forever over the question of who would play each of us in a movie.

Ancestor Birthday Dinners

If you have a Family Search account set up, you can access all your ancestor’s important dates in a calendar here when you are logged in. Don’t have a Family Search account yet? Go to Family Search and sign up for one – it’s free! Check out who has a birthday this month and celebrate them. Get out the birthday candles, balloons, and cake and share stories about the ancestor.

Family Recipes

What are you favorite family recipes from when you were a child? Were there meals you had for holidays or special occasions. Make that meal together and share your memories. Call Grandma and Grandpa and ask about their favorite recipes, too.

Special Place Mats/Table Cloth

Where does your family spend a lot of their time? At the kitchen table! Why not make it double as a learning center. All you need are a clear plastic table cloth and paper learning materials. Print out timelines, pictures, stories, maps – the possibilities are endless. This way, while your children are eating their cereal in the morning, they are also learning about their family. Win/win!

Family History at Bed Time

Chatbooks

Do you have any scrapbooks or chatbooks? (If not, perfect time to start making them! Chatbooks is very use to use!) Children love hearing about their own history and looking at pictures of themselves. I am using this downtime to create several more chatbooks with my kids.

Family Stories

Every night by boys beg for stories! Lately, they have been wanting to hear stories about when my husband served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Costa Rica. Share stories about your own life and ancestor stories, too!

Family Songs

Are there songs that have special meaning to your family? I remember my Grandma Kimball singing Skidamarink to me as a child. It’s a fun and silly song that I sing to my kids now, too. Reach back to your childhood and share some of those favorite songs as you put your kids to bed.

Tuck-in Time

One on one time is so important with our children. We have instituted Tuck-in Time at our house. Each child has a different day of the week when they get their “night.” On their night, they get to stay up later and do an activity with mom and/or dad. This can be reading more books, playing a game, etc.

Story Quilt

I love this quilt that my grandfather handed down to me. It is a story quilt! It has photos from his childhood. It also has squares that represent holidays, memories, etc. Each one is meant to prompt a question. What was Christmas like when you were a child? Did you go to football games? What did you do for the 4th of July? Beautiful family heirloom and great for snuggling up and telling stories!

Family History in the Home

Journal Time

Have you been journaling during the Covid social distancing? We are literally writing the history our descendants will be reading! Right now we are loving the Loom Connection Journals. My daughter and I take turns writing in the journal. It’s a great way for us to connect. The journal is full of prompts to get us started!

Ancestor Wall

Do you have pictures of your ancestors hanging in your home? Drop me a link in the comments – I would love to see! When our children see these people regularly, they are bound to ask questions about who they are and what their lives are like! I have a friend who rotates her ancestor pictures based on holidays. Veterans at the 4th of the July, women for Mother’s Day, men for Father’s Day.

Quote Board

Lately I have been going through the Memories pages on Family Search to find quotes from my ancestors. What are the inspiring things they have said that may inspire my family?

Temple Pictures

We love having pictures of temples around our home. Family Search has a page dedicated to finding out what temples your ancestors attended if they were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is fun to explore with the kids!

Stay tuned for our favorite family history tech and games! What are your favorite ways to do family history with your children and teens?