Ways to Teach Kids About Historical Events and People
History is a great subject for children because it gives them an idea of why the world is the way it is now. Teaching children history from a young age provides them valuable knowledge of how to view the world around them. With so many historical events, filled with just as many famous historical figures, children can learn fun facts that are both stimulating and interesting.
How should parents teach their kids about history? There are many fun and easy activities that parents can use to get their children interested in this subject.
Act it out
For kids who love the stage, pick a historical figure from any lesson book that seems fascinating to them. By acting out as that figure, children can get a grasp of what that person experienced in a specific time period. If ambitious enough, the child can even dress up as that person and really get into the character. This is both educational and fun!
But it doesn’t stop with just historical figures. Involving a group of children to act out a historical event, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, can be a great learning activity as well.
This can work for both a historical event and a historical person. Searching through magazines or old newspapers for various clippings or searching online for pictures of events or people can be used for a scrapbook. The child can pick any event or person in history of their choice and be as creative as he or she wants to be. By collecting magazine or newspaper clippings, it can make the child seems as if he or she was part of that time period as well.
Searching online may provide more pictures and provide facts as well. Creating a scrapbook will engage a child into learning history through research and he or she can put in so much of their effort and creativity. Seeing the finished product is always a satisfying feeling.
Write your own biography/history book
For kids who like to write, writing a biography on a historical event or person will involve the child in so many ways. This will involve some research and a vast interest in the specific subject. Biographies and history books are full of pictures, timelines and lots of pertinent information, so a child has a lot of work to do. Although it may seem difficult, it can actually be a very fun activity because it involves a combination of skills, patience, and hard work.
Watch television programs about history
By visiting your local library, you can sometimes find videos or DVD’s about historical events. Watching these with your child can show and educate them about specific topics. Televisions channels, such as the History Channel, always have programs about historical events. The Biography Channel profiles specific people as well. After the end of each program, take a few minutes to discuss what you just watched and see how these programs apply to what the children may already know.