When I was younger, I thought seriously of becoming a full-fledged history teacher, while my career ended up taking a different path, now that I homeschool my kiddo, I am now a history teacher! Actually, more of a history student because we’re mostly learning together. Here are some ways to make homeschool history fun, hands-on, and memorable.
Lego Battle Scenes:
Unfortunately, a lot of history involves wars and fighting, but little boys won’t object to a play battle! Play and learn history at the same time! Bust out Legos, planes, ships, and a map, and reenact a battle from whatever era you are studying. You could pull out a map of Europe and reenact D-day on the map with Lego men if you’re studying WWII. Or you could pull out a floor map of the U.S. and have the Patriots going against the Redcoats with ships during the Revolutionary War. This is a nice way to keep history fun and hands-on for younger ones.
Documentaries/Movies:
Even at my age, I learn a new part of history through movies and documentaries almost every month. We recently watched Hidden Figures and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream speech” when going over some Civil Rights history. We’ve also watched a Netflix series on Pearl Harbor, a Ken Burn documentary on Lewis and Clark, and National Geographic documentaries on Ancient Egypt and The Great Pyramids.
With the internet, there is no shortage of documentaries on all things history. Look up whatever you’re learning about and there surely is something to watch to make the reading come alive!
Field Trips
History Museums, Pioneer Days, Dinosaur Excavation Sites, there are endless field trips you could take, especially if you like to travel. All of the Washington D.C. museums are on my bucket list, as is the Anne Frank House Museum in Amsterdam. In some historic sites, they dress up and do famous battle reenactments. History field trips are anything but boring!
History Timeline
Make a history timeline! Yes, this is self-promotion as I have this blank History Timeline for sale in my LifeandLogic Etsy shop. But I actually use this with my son and it’s a great, hands-on review of whatever we cover in history.
After printing it, I put it in a 3-ring binder. Then, we print pictures out and type up a snippet of something he remembers about what we’ve read or watched, and cut and paste them into the timeline. Older kiddos could add notes and dates, artists could add their own drawings, or you could add stickers of historical people and places. I love that in the end, it will be something we can keep, add to, and look back on, as we go through history over the years.
Outside of the Box History
History doesn’t all have to be about battles, wars, and sad stuff. If you have a sensitive kiddo you could learn about the history of:
- Architecture
- Fashion
- Inventions
- Science
Whatever we are learning about in science, I tend to want to learn a bit about the history of it. Learning about the Periodic Table led us to Mendeleev, and learning about DNA led us to read about Francis Crick. Reading biographies is one of my favorite ways to learn about history, some people have had such interesting lives and they make for mesmerizing stories.
Interview Grandparents
I feel like most grandparents would be thrilled to have their grandkids interview them! If they are not local, you could you use FaceTime or Skype. Have your kids think about the questions ahead of time and write them down. Hopefully grandparents will remember some fun stories and talk about how things were “in the good old days.” Kids can take notes or just listen. If grandparents are no longer around, you could ask a grandparent in the neighborhood or great-uncles or aunts for an interview.
Good Books
At a minimum, good books are all that is needed to learn about history. Instead of textbooks, we have been enjoying the Who, What, Was Series of books. These hold our attention well and are age-appropriate for elementary-aged kiddos. But older kids and even I, as an adult, read these and learn a lot. They are great for any age.
So there you have it! A couple of ideas to make homeschool history fun and hands-on! There is no reason for any kiddo to dread having to learn about history when there are so many fun ways to learn instead of just reading a dry textbook. Happy learning!
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