How do I get my kids excited about family history? That’s a question I hear a lot! I’ve tried many different ideas over the years and I keep coming back to these four simple statements: Meet them where they are at. Meet them where it matters. Meet them at the mileposts. Meet them in the moment.
When it comes to family history for children, a sprinkle is more effective than a firehose. Plant the seeds with stories, fun activities, and memorable moments. Here’s what I mean:
Compare a Face on Family Search
1. Meet your children where they’re at.
When we hear the words, “family history,” we may think of our ancestors, but family history actually begins with us as individuals! Children love learning all about themselves – what their name means, what they were like as babies, etc. Go to the activities page on Family Search and let your children discover all about themselves! Upload a selfie so they can see which ancestors they look the most like. See what was happening the year they were born. Family history starts with learning more about ourselves, then our parents, then our grandparents, then the rest of our ancestors!
2. Meet them where it matters to them.
Look at what they’re interested in. Do they like bedtime stories? Is there something with technology? Here’s something fun my daughter and I did. I challenged her to recreate on Minecraft her great-great-grandfather’s buildings that he designed. He was an architect and designed his own homes as well as many community buildings. Above is one of the homes she rebuilt on Minecraft – I wish I had a screenshot of her Minecraft recreation! This activity familiarized her with the memories section on Minecraft, taught her a little about her ancestor, and engaged her 100 percent!
3. Meet them at the mileposts.
Every day we have mileposts: things that are happening every single day. For example, when the children get home from school, bedtime, mealtimes, car pool. These mileposts are golden opportunities because they are habits we have already established. When I was a young mom, a mentor advised me to attach new habits to an well-established habit – something you are already doing everyday. It’s an ideal way to remember to do the new habit!
I love adding family history to our milepost moments. We’ve put stories, photos, and maps under a clear plastic table cloth on my kitchen table. It’s the cereal box concept – we ready what’s in front of us! We tell bedtime stories with family stories mixed in. We cook family recipes and share stories associated with them at dinner time.
4. Meet them in the moment.
Look for those teachable moments where it’s easy to slip in that family history. For example, we visited the Park City Museum, and my son found an exhibit for a telephone switch operator. It had this fun game where you connected the lights and the wires just like a telephone operator would have, and he loved it because he had to beat the buzzer. I remembered that my husband’s grandma had been a switchboard operator. So, I said “Cort, what fast fingers you have, maybe you got those fast fingers from Grandma, Jo. Did you know this was her job?” It was so easy to sprinkle in that little piece of family history. They are more likely to remember things when they are in the moment and already engaged.
Whether it is meeting your child in the moment or meeting them where it matters to them – I hope you find a way to connect in a way that is meaningful to you! I would love to hear in the comments below your family’s favorite way to do family history together!
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Rootstech - KeepMovingForwardWithMe · February 18, 2021 at 6:00 pm
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