Homeschool History:
Making the Past Interesting

You mean that I need to homeschool history when I have children who have special needs? Yes, because history can be a fun hand-on subject that most children will enjoy.

The Importance of Homeschool History

The teaching of history is important for all children. Ancient history can help us understand the context of the Bible. The study of ancient Greece and Rome is important for the understanding of the New Testament and the early church.

Studying biographies of Christians can help build your child's faith. History can teach morals and values.

Family history can help your child understand his place in time. Also when your children learn about their grandparents and great grandparents it can make history real for them.

It is also important to teach the role of religion in shaping history. Many wars were started because of someone's belief in their god. It is also good to understand about other cultures.

History can be taught to children who have special needs. Try to keep their interest high. Some children who have special needs like using a hand-on approach, so let them build something or draw something.

Teaching History

It is important to find the right history curriculum. The right curriculum is especially important if your children struggle with reading or remembering facts. You will want curriculum that is not boring. I think that it is also important to find curriculum that teaches about how God is involved in history.

Using literature is another way to teach history. There are fictional books written for almost any time period. Some are written for children.

Reading biographies is another way to teach history. The Sower Series has biographies about Christians in history. The stories are written for elementary children.

Make History Fun

Hands-on activities can make history fun. The activities can be simple such as drawing a picture. Other activities can be complex such as learning a handicraft that is related to the time you are studying.

Make history fun by studying whatever interest your child. If your child plays and instrument, study about the history of music or the instrument.

Some children like to reenact an event in history. You can have your child write the play. They can also make costumes.

Children who like to write might like to create a short story or poem about a historical event.

Read about why we celebrateIndependence Day in the United States. The story is written from the eyes of two children and a dog.

Geography

Reading and making maps is important for the study of history. Maps can also be a fun hands-on activity. Maps can help children learn where people came from. Also look at the travel routes of people in history.

Social Studies

Social studies are usually taught along with history. Social studies combine subjects to study human behavior and interactions. Besides history and geography, social studies also include government and economics. I think of social studies as a time to learn about your community.

For the young child social studies would include studying of community workers. Also look at other jobs in your community.

Young children can also understand the importance of rules. Teach about the rules of your family. Then teach about the different rules in the community.

Older children should study the different roles of people in government. They can also study different types of government.

Homeschool history should be fun and interactive.

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