Does your kid ever talk to you about their history lessons at school? Hopefully, they’ve got an inspiring teacher and are interested in this lesson. However, all too often schools fail to impart a real love of history, and it is taught through dry textbooks rather than through interacting with any historical materials or artifacts. Luckily, you can take matters into your own hands by introducing your kid to the wonders of history yourself. If you’re not sure how just check out these simple yet effective tips.
Visit a Museum
One of the most immediate ways of engaging your kids with history is to visit a good museum. Start with a fairly general one, which has displays on ancient and more recent history, before you specialize in more specific exhibitions and displays. Children love finding out about the world through looking at artifacts, and it’s likely that in some museums they will be eager to spend more time there than you!
Subscribe to a Magazine
There are loads of great magazines out there aimed at kids, which will teach them about history (or pretty much any subject you like). Lots of kids like the routine of getting a weekly or monthly magazine through the door, and because the subscription is theirs they can take ownership of the subject. Be warned, it’s likely that if you do opt for a magazine subscription, you will be hearing lots of facts as your child reads them out to you, but at least they will be taking a real interest in history!
Take a Trip
Perhaps the most effective way of engaging children in history is to take them to view historical sites. Whether it’s the rugged remains of an Iron Age hill fort, a medieval castle, or a Victorian-era house, this can bring history alive for kids in a way that reading or watching videos simply can’t.