5 Ways To Get Kids, Youth Into Family History

The aim of every family historian or genealogist should be to get kids, youth, and young people into family history. You may not think you have a story to tell, but I bet you do! The history of our country and people need to be preserved and the only way to do that is to tell those stories and get the next generation involved, no easy task you may be thinking.

Hey, I didn’t always like history as a kid but the paradox of family history is that you only seem to want it when you’re older and the previous generation is either getting to old to remember or has passed on. Here’s 5 ways I’ve come up with to get kids, youth, or young people into family history within your own home.

1. Make It Inclusive

The one thing that made family stories less interesting was the word “my.” Try changing this simple pronoun to “our” or “your,” as in “let me tell you about our ancestor” or “you know what your great grandfather did?” This makes the stories more inclusive and brings the listener (your kids or younger relatives) into the story and makes them feel a part of it which will eventually have them take future ownership of it.

It’s much easier to retell a story that is personalized or that you feel a part of. “Those are MY ancestors, and I’m proud of them” should be the outcome. The easiest way to make it inclusive is to show old pictures. I loved it when I was told “you look exactly like your great grandfather!” as I was looking at old photos, what a wonderful way to make a connection in the mind of a child.

2. Tell The Fun Ones First

A great speech always has a great opening line! Likewise, when you are trying to figure out which story to tell first to enchant your kids with their own family history, don’t start with the one about how grandpa had an ingrown toenail; start with the one about grandpa stealing a horse to ride 50 miles everyday to chop wood in the adjoining town just so he could be near his future wife, “your” great-grandma.

The fun stories are always the most interesting and if you can make a child laugh they will always remember that story best simply because there will always be a fun and positive emotion attached to that moment. Make history fun, even better, funny!

3. Connect Them To Place

Being a part of something greater is such a strong human emotional motivator. It’s why people go so crazy for sports! Think about it. The same is true for places that we can claim a connection to whether we currently live there or not. I have a strong emotional connection to Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia because of my family history and the stories I know.

What makes place so powerful to motivating the youth is that it so inherently connected to identity and identity basically drives our entire worldview as human beings. As far as family history goes, you can start big and then work smaller – like concentric circles. For example, my kids are “American” and then “Southern” and then “sons and daughters of the American Revolution via Virginia,” and so on down to the county and town we are from. You don’t have to pick just one place either, the more connections the better; let them feel free to chose the ones they like the best.

You can even kick off a conversation by watching a TV show and relate your family history to a particular place in this way. For example, since I love the show Moonshiners I could watch Tim & Tickle and tell my kids how they are connected to the county adjoining Climax, Virginia or how we are connected to the areas where Mark & Digger make shine in east Tennessee, or even where Josh and Cutie Pie do their thing. Connect it to a place and keep it positive, inclusive, and fun.

4. Record Your Elders

By this I mean DOCUMENT. Start recording family stories with video or audio or both. Have your kids record you telling stories, get permission to record your family elders tell stories about them growing up and then work with them to understand the process and importance of documentation. The young people nowadays are ‘tech natives’ and will be more than happy to aid in this process which will also give them ownership of their own history.

Make it a positive experience. Ask specific questions about place or fun stories that any of the older generation will want to share and always remember that while some of the elders in your family will be a bit more reluctant to talk than others, start small and easy and make it a positive experience for them as well so that they will eventually open up and talk more.

As I learned in the little linguistic fieldwork I did, you have to make the interviewee feel comfortable and always play on their terms. People will eventually open up under the right conditions – some people like to talk while they are working, some people like to talk after a glass of their favorite sipper, others will open right up once you show them a family album.

5. Create A Sacred Space

The best way to foster an appreciation for family history among your kids is to create a space within your house that is dedicated to its enshrinement. Not literally a shrine, of course, but a visible area in your home that all of the family photos, recordings, etc are kept. This area should not be in some closet or guest room out of site (and out of mind) but in a common area, well-kept and utilitarian so that it is accessible and ready for the next family history adventure.

These 5 ways I’ve come up with to get kids, youth, or young people into family history within your own home is a matter of planting a seed that will eventually sprout into a continual tree, a living genealogical tree that the future generations will thank you for.