Has your child ever had to make a
family tree as a homework assignment? Was it a painstaking process for both of
you? Ashley Kerkovich joins us today with some tips on how to approach such
assignments. Even if your child doesn’t have to construct a family tree for
school, this is a family project you might want to undertake on your own. Of
course, you’ll want to make yours a good deal simpler than the one shown of
Ludwig Herzog and his descendants.
Ashley Kerkovich writes about
family, history, parenting and teaching. Her best work can be found at www.topeducationdegrees.org.--
AP
How to
Inspire Children to Trace Their Family Ancestry
Do you
know where your family comes from? Perhaps you don't because you've never
traced your family tree. If you do know your history from a family tree, you
might wonder why it's important to have your children do their own. Well, they
might find information that you didn't know about, and doing so will really
give them a connection to their past. How exactly can you make children want to
indulge in this hobby? Read on to find out!
Make It
Fun
If you make
tracing the family history sound like a homework assignment, you're not going
to inspire anyone to partake in the task. Ask them exciting and engaging
questions such as, "Do you know where your great-great grandmother was
born?" If the answer is no, introduce a family tree as a way to find out
the answers.
Start with
Basics
While
tracing the family history back hundreds of years is possible, doing so is
quite overwhelming for children. Start with the basic building blocks. Show
them what a family tree looks like and then ask them to put together one with
the people who they do know. This family tree would include parents, siblings,
aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and perhaps another generation back if the
child knows of the relatives. Once the foundations have been laid down, parents
and children can work together to learn more about their families.
Do It
Together
As
mentioned earlier, tracing a family history is not necessarily an easy task.
Work with your child to help him or her construct the family tree. Tell your
child that you will use tools in which he or she is interested. For example,
take book worms to the library or to a local historical site to conduct
research on individuals who have lived in the area. If your child loves to play
on the computer, utilize the famous Ancestry.com to find out where your
relatives came from. Help children understand the process, and show them how to
navigate the website. You could also search old newspapers and magazines,
either online or in person, to see if a relative's name ever appeared in any of
these publications.
Inspire
with Trips
Tell your
child that there will be some trips in store if he or she can find the family
history. Visit places that had meaning to your ancestors. If your ancestors
came over from Russia or Mexico, you don't necessarily need to plan a trip
across the world if funds and time do not allow for it. However, you could plan
a trip to the town in which your ancestors lived when they first arrived in the
country, or if you have German blood in you, you could head to Amish country.
Another exciting tourist attraction for people interested in history is Ellis
Island, the place where so many European immigrants arrived. Children can tour
the facility and then look out to the Statue of Liberty.
Getting a
child, especially a child who is largely uninterested in history and the past,
to trace the family tree is tough. However, you just need to think like your
child to make this a less stressful undertaking. Know your child's interests
and use those interests as tools for discovery. Offer rewards and trips for
discovering more information once your child has completed some initial steps.
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