Easing Into History in your Homeschool

Some kids love history, and some kids well . . . don’t. So how can you ease into history at the start of a new school year so you don’t send the ones who “don’t” running for the hills? Here are some ideas of ways to have fun with history while you get your school year up and running. You can hit the textbooks in a few weeks once you get the rest of your homeschool year going.

Easing into History with Videos

Obviously YouTube has thousands of history-related videos, but sifting through them all when you are short on time can be a challenge. One helpful tip is to look for videos created by historic places such as the channels run by the National Park Service. For example, one of their channels features more than 170 videos about Gettysburg National Military Park and the site’s history. I still suggest previewing any video you plan to share with your children to make sure it is appropriate for their age.

If you’ve never enjoyed the Drive Thru History series, these are incredible DVDs that are hard to beat. Dave Stotts makes history fun, engaging, and entertaining without cutting any historical corners. I have learned so much watching these videos, and I love watching them again and again. There are currently four series available, and more in the works. Your family can explore American history, ancient history, the Holy Land, or the Gospels. Check out a full review of Drive Thru History: The Gospels and an interview with Dave Stotts.

Easing into History with Coloring Books

OK, I know what you’re thinking. Coloring books? You need real history, not busy work. Don’t write coloring books off so fast! There are a number of series of coloring books that share “real history” without being as intimidating as a textbook.

Dover Publications offers a large line of history-themed coloring books that combine history facts with coloring pages. Kids can learn about historic places, people, and stories as well as ships, airplanes, cars, trains, and more.

WriteBonnieRose offers more than 70 history-themed coloring books that combine historical facts with handwriting practice. Kids can explore Biblical stories, ancient civilizations, early America, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the War of 1812, World Wars 1 and 2, the Gold Rush, famous explorers, Native Americans, and more.