8 Ways to Study History Without Textbooks

Textbooks definitely have their place, but if we're being honest, they can be a bit boring. Since kids tend to learn best when they're interested and engaged, I try to keep textbook style learning to a minimum and incorporate a lot of hands-on and "outside the box" type learning.

In this post I share some of my favorite ways to study history without textbooks or worksheets.

Visit Historical Sites

Visiting historical sites in your area or while you're on road trips is an excellent way to make history come alive. A quick Google search for "historical sites near me" should give you lots of ideas.

Go Antiquing

Visit antique shops, thrift stores, and yard sales. Let your kids choose historical items to purchase and then research about them!

Watch Documentaries

Historical documentaries are an easy way to sneak in a little extra learning. Check any streaming services you subscribe to for interesting ones to check out!

Visit History Museums

Most cities have museums dedicated to local history. Check out all the ones in your area. Also look for historical homes that are open for tours.

Collect Old Coins or Stamps

Collecting historical items like stamps or coins can be a great way to learn about history. Each time your child receives or buys a new one, do a little research and see what you can learn about it!

Make a Timeline

It's important to have a decent chronological understanding of history and a good way to do that is with timelines. Make a large timeline and hang it up somewhere in your house or fold it up and keep it somewhere easily accessible. Each time you learn about a historical event or period, add it to your timeline. Discuss what preceeding events may have contributed to the event you are learning about. What effect did this event have on the future?

Read Biographies

Reading biographies is a wonderful way to learn about historical figures and events. The "Who Was" series from Random House has a lot of kid friendly biographies. Check them out here.

Read or Watch Historical Fiction

While the plot in historical fiction shows and books may be fictional, they are typically set in real historical time periods, making them an excellent way to learn about the culture of different periods.

Here are a few kid friendly historical fiction series to check out:

-The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

-The American Girl books

-The Magic Treehouse Series

-The Tangled in Time series by Katheryn Lasky

-The Sarah, Plain and Tall series

If you enjoyed this post, check out:

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