2 of 10

Write now Article Tools

History often seems dull and boring to children. Who cares about what happened before me? We know that it is important to learn from those who came before us, who laid down the foundation for the life we live today, and we need to convey that importance to our children.

Newspapers:
Teachable Moments:
Read the Newspaper!
One way to introduce your children to the importance of history as well as current events is to read the newspaper yourself. If your children see you reading, it just might spark their curiosity as to what you are reading and why.

Discussion Time
Talk with your children - ask them if they know why you are reading the newspaper.
Tell them one or two really important things that are going on in the world.
Have family discussions about why it is important to stay aware of what is going on in the world.
Let your children find out ways that current events touch their world. One way this discussion can be structured is to bring your own growing up experience into the conversation.
Children love to hear about when their parents were young, so talk about the gas prices when you were their age. Talk about who was president when you were younger and what impact he had on the world. Talk about the wars you experienced growing up and compare it to what is happening in the military today.
Scrap booking
Have your children cut articles out of the newspaper each day or week and keep a scrapbook of current events.
Tie writing into it by having them write a 2-5 sentence reaction to the article.
Branching
If something catches your child's attention, allow them the opportunity to do some research and find more information about a specific topic.
The Why: Encouraging your children to put together learning books or scrap books of information about different events is a great way to teach children who learn best by doing. Turning history into discussion and discovery will take a lot of the "boringness" out of dry textbooks, enable them to "own" the learning process, and keep them engaged.
Questions Kids Ask:
"Why did ________ happen?"
Answer: Turn every question relating to history into discussion and discovery. If you do not know the answers, admit that it is a good question, and work together to find out the information

Famous People from History
Teachable Moments:
Money
Have your children put together a money album with a picture, facts and events relating to the important person on each coin and dollar bill. As a reward, they may even possibly earn that particular coin or dollar

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Teaching history in elementary school?
We want to hear your view. Write now!