Local history

 

Along with noted historians, grade schools have discovered that history is more than a chronicle of the "great." The emphasis now is on the local and the everyday—the perfect place to start when you introduce your own child to thinking about the past. You can help foster your child’s interest in history by exploring how everyday life has changed over time.

Talk with your child about things that tend to change over time, such as games, commercials, school, modes of transportation and so on. Compare them with your own childhood. Add another historical dimension by comparing these same things to life during the childhood of his grandparents or a senior neighbor. Once you start, your child will never think of history or the past as dusty relics and or dry dates.

A visit to a local history museum in your area will further enhance your child’s understanding of history.