Technically, history is simply the events that happened in the past. Events that occurred yesterday and events that occurred hundreds of years ago both are history. Ideally, history is the same for everyone, with no experimental results, no modifications; it is exactly how the events happened. Although the recording of events has created some confusion and arguments over certain events, a major part of history is studied as it happened.
History for kids is the same as what the parents had read. The events unfold gradually as the syllabus proceeds. Parents have also read it the same way, but now they know it as a whole and expect the child also to learn it in one go. That is not the right way to learn history as it will rob the joy of learning. Let us look into how to make history interesting for kids.
History: An Interesting Subject for Kids
History can become the most interesting subject if taught properly. Parents can take the help of history stories for kids to develop an initial interest. Stories of the independence struggle, different movements, world wars can be moulded in bedtime story series.
Stories of dinosaurs, cavemen, and various discoveries can be used to intrigue the child’s mind and create a sense of wonder at things of the past.
Parents should make it enjoyable then only the child will understand the importance of history. It is not necessary that parents only tell them about the history of the world or any one country, they can tell the children about great people of their country or close-knit community.
The idea behind this is to develop an interest initially and not to make them read those heavy books with thousands of pages.
History- It is Different for Kids
What is history for kids and how to make it enjoyable? To answer this, think about how you were introduced to history. First, you have to get the child interested in the subject. Once a child is keen on knowing more about anything you taught him, you can go deeper into the subject.
For kids, history should begin with the history of human evolution as they will find it fascinating. They will be intrigued to know that Man evolved from apes and learned, improvised and adapted to his environment. Evolution is the most interesting part of human history to arouse initial interest in kids.
You can also narrate the life stories of different people and how new inventions led to the progress of human civilisation.
How to Study History?
Even if parents are given just the books and told to read and learn from them, they will get bored. A child’s mind is like a sponge that is ready to absorb as much as possible. The study of history should not be limited just to books; it is the parent/ caregiver’s job to help them connect with the subject.
Share the videos of different events like independence struggle, watch historical movies with them and discuss. Take them to museums, art galleries, city tours, etc., to learn more about human civilisations. Now it’s the time when you should begin with important dates for kids to remember. It is necessary because, with dates, the child can make a sequence of events in his mind.
A timeline will be created and it will be easier for them to remember. How did civilisations come into being, when did the world wars happen, when did the freedom struggle get a pace, and the story of freedom fighters — they can weave a narrative out of the momentous historical events with the timeline.
While they find answers to all such sequential events, parents can help them by making them learn through pictures, videos, animated movies, books, and visit different historical places and monuments.
Tell them about different kings and their rule. Make them aware of the stories behind different monuments. Give them the reasons behind different tragic events like war, forest fires and why they happened. Tell them more about the regional history, important people of their region, and the communities that live there.
Always provide concrete supporting data, the reasons, dates, and facts with written documents like the internet and books so that the child is confident about his knowledge.
How to Remember?
There are many things to remember in history like dates, names, periods, monuments, locations, etc. Parents often worry about how the kids will remember. The answer and the only way to do this is to draw a timeline. Whenever our mind reads a sequence of events, it automatically starts recording them and makes a storyline. Parents should understand that they also learned it this way. A complete, sequential story of the freedom struggle is easier to remember than simply mugging the names and the dates.
Another important thing is to keep revising; parents can repeat the stories on some days and check whether the child can recall the dates. Do not make history only an academic subject, rather make it interesting and informative. Then only it will be easier to remember the pointers. An older child can also go for making notes or tables to retain information. This helps in academic learning and clearing examinations.
One thing which you should avoid is forcing the child to learn things. Do not try to make history like other curriculum subjects; instead, make it a fact-based story about the past. The more the child will enjoy, the better they will remember things.
Conclusion
History is not a boring subject, rather it is the most interesting one, but people have made it boring by reading it the wrong way. Learning anything just for the sake of exams is a major reason behind that. At Real School Of Montessori, this problem of studying only for the exams is resolved.
Real School Of Montessori has a team of engineers from IITs and IIMs who have the experience of running education programs in more than three hundred schools. We have been integrating technology with education; we are working through smart classes, augmented learning, and educational toys for the last ten years. Here you will find the best mentors in every field offered. Out of so many options, you can select the best and the one your child has an interest in.
