Our Favourite Ways to Make Learning About History Fun

Learning about historical successes and failures is a great way to develop children's problem solving, memory, and research skills. It's also a great way to spend time together, learning about something that interests everyone. 

The important thing to remember is to make it fun - there are so many different ways in which children can learn. 

Day Trips

Whether it's just the pair of you or the whole family is involved, day trips to historical settings, or museums can be a good way to start conversations. If your children are interested in a specific subject, try to see what's on around that topic. From dinosaur bones to the diary of Anne Frank the list of topics that might spark your child's interest is endless.

Art Attack

Exploring history through arts and crafts can be exciting. Recreate the pyramids, paint the Mona Lisa, or simply trace the old town square. Research a historical time period, and look into the types of architecture - and design your own buildings. You never know what talents you'll uncover. 

Family Trees

Finding out who your ancestors were is like going on an expedition. You meet different personalities, explore new places and find out where you get your personality or physical traits from. This can be a very revealing task and it means talking to all of your family members - a great way to reach out to distant cousins you have only ever heard of. 

Get in Character

Who doesn't like dressing up in a frilly frock or a spikey costume?  Whether you find costumes in charity shops, or learn to sew, there are all sorts of skills you can teach your children and exciting things you can learn. Do your research and let them use their imagination to see what they can use to make up the missing pieces of their period costumes. 

Tasty Treats

For those who are adventurous there are all sorts of dishes you can try, from grinding corn to making corn bread, or preparing a Norman feast - challenge your children to eat their way through history - not only will it challenge their taste buds but they will also see how little our ancestors used to survive on. Who's the most adventurous of your brood?

Report

Writing an essay may seem like schoolwork, but becoming a reporter and writing about something can transport you to another time and place. Finding out the who, what, when, where, why and how of history helps your child fully immerse themselves in the culture, the people, and the experiences of history. 

Get into the Games

While board games are not everyone's cup of tea, there are a number of family games that help you explore days gone past, from Ticket to Ride and The Settlers of Catan, or if you'd rather get active, why not recreate the Olympic sports from the early 1900s.