Three Interesting History-Based Activities For Kids

In the last article, we shared some tips on making history an interesting subject for kids. Here we share with you three activities that your kids can do to make the subject come alive. It is a good learning experience and a great substitute for screen time when kids are bored or on vacation.

Time Capsule 

Collecting things from their lifetimes and putting them in a time capsule is a history lesson that children will always remember.  This can be done with your child alone or can be a wonderful activity for cousins to do together while on their vacations. 

Items needed: Magazines/newspapers, box or container, camera and tape. 

When buildings like schools, temples, etc. were built, people often included a time capsule. A time capsule is a container in which important items from a certain time are placed so that future generations can know what it was like living at that time. 

Encourage your child to make a time capsule along with his/her cousins. Ask him what items he would like to include in the capsule which will give people in the distant future an idea of what he was like and the times he lived in. He may like to include a toy, music CD, dress, pair of shoes, food, picture of the family car, sporting events anything that he likes. 

Next, have him use a simple camera to take pictures of these objects. Finally, have him write a letter to someone in the future that describes life today. 

Gather all family members and arrange for your child to do a ‘show and tell’ of the items he has collected. He can talk about each and every item and how it will help people in the future understand what life is like now. 

Next, get your child to label the items with his name and any other information that will help those who find them understand how they are significant to the history of our time. Have him place the items in a container, seal the container and find a place to store it. Have him write in his history log a brief description of what he has done and record the date. Help him to draw a map that gives directions to find the time capsule. 

Tracing History

This is a great activity for younger children who will enjoy the tracing activity while you can steer them towards a discussion on history. 

Items needed: Tracing paper, crayons, lead pencil and color pencils, old coins.

Get your child to select some old coins (if you have currencies from various countries that will be great). Tape the coin to a surface to make it stable. Lay the paper on top of the coin. Demonstrate to your child how she can trace the coins using a tracing paper. Have your child rub across the paper with a pencil or crayon. Don’t trace too hard and keep tracing till the coin’s marks appear on the paper.  Discuss what’s printed on the coins to get your child curious about its history. Extend the activity by walking your child around the neighborhood looking for other objects that can be traced for e.g. interesting designs on bricks or other materials used on buildings. 

Discussing News

What’s new today began somewhere in the past. Discussing current affairs is a way to help children gain a historical perspective on the events. 

Items needed: Newspapers/ news magazine/ TV news program, atlas or globe, and highlighter. 

Look through the daily newspaper or a recent news magazine. Pick up a news item that has historical relevance. For example, a piece of news about the situation in J&K can help you discuss India’s freedom struggle and partition story. Or a picture of a temple or historical structure can veer the topic towards how it was built, what was the culture then, etc. Show pictures to make it visual for your child. Tell her how events taking place now will become history in the future. 

I hope you have fun doing the above activities with your kids. 

Read | Make Memories - Activities That Every Parent Must Do With Their Kids

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