How can a parent help a kid get excited about history?

When I think it's the most pointless subject taught in school? You can google anything you'd ever want to know. Why do they have to memorize it and how can I help her get excited about it?How can a parent help a kid get excited about history?
i think getting a kid excited over history is almost impossible..... history lovers r born.. not made..... thats like trying to get a kid to love math.... never going to happen.....How can a parent help a kid get excited about history?
First, you probably need to get excited about it yourself.


History is amazing!


There are so many wonderful books at the library or Teacher Supply stores. You can do activities and crafts with your child and help her to remember events, dates, and places because of the things the 2 of you have done together.


Good luck.
Try combining it with literature. Chances are your child is taking social studies, not just history. The goal is for students to learn about cultures and society and the parts of society that were and were not successful. This will help your child to become a more well-rounded individual and to understand how we got to where we are today.





There are some great novels either about different time periods or written during different time periods and they can easily be connected to today. Many issues are still relevant today-the important thing is learning from them so that what can be avoided is . You're going to have to pretend like you're excited about it, too. Chances are, your child has picked up on your own negative vibes toward learning history.





Yes, you could just Google the information, but if you don't hear about it in class, how will you know what to Google? You wouldn't know about anything, so you would have an empty search bar. Memorization has little to do with history and everything to do with teaching your child to work on memory skills and study skills which will help him/her in college and life. It's an exercise of sorts to keep your child's mind sharp.





For students who struggle with memorization, it's often a case of not studying--the more you read and reread information, the more likely it is to stick. It's the lessons behind the memorization that are key. Yes, knowing who the 13th president won't help you in the long run, but what you were learning about while you learned about him might be.





Find out what the next few units are (ask the teacher) and do some research on your own. You could think of a really cool project or museum exhibit that is relevant that you could take your child to. This also opens opportunities for musicals and other theatrical performances that might really benefit your child. You could rent videos set in the era and watch them together, maybe prepare some foods from the time period, etc. Turn the social studies/history units into a family ordeal. Even if your child is ';weirded'; out at first, he/she will get used to it and will enjoy him/herself and not even realize that he/she is learning about history.
well, giving them a ggod laugh while learning always helps me, one time I had a history teacher that dressed like george washington for a lesson(this was in 8th grade!) it was';crazy but memorible, I can remember tha whole lesson.
I think you need to learn some history before you try getting your kid into it. Whatever you do try to get your kid into history, your own disdain and ignorance will show through.
If your daughter likes a good story, look for historical biographies or interesting people or even historical fiction to whet her interest in learning about times past.





Another approach... Keep it real by looking at current events and then asking, 'Why is this happening?' For example, the only way to comprehend the conflicts in the middle east right now, is to know the history - the story - and how it unfolded into the mess we have today.
First, try learning about it yourself. Get interested and know what to are talking to her about. I strongly recommend- if she is learning about World War II- to have her see the movie or take her to the play the Diary of Anne Frank. It is a wonderful story and really helps you appreciate it. Have her read the book, too. Make it fun for her and she may learn something.
Hmmm...I though algebra was the most useless, non-memorable subject...





History can be fascinating--you could start by getting the information about the town where you live (100+ years back) like, this mall used to be a farm...type of thing. Then get into your state, then your country, then the world.





Rent interesting historical movies--Al Capone and other mobsters were real people--and the stories are interesting, and true. Your child doesn't need to know that you're trying to educate him/her--just that this is one heck of a movie.
When studying, try to turn it into a game show (like Jeopardy). I did that with a fifth grader that I was tutoring it helped out a lot. It also helped when I had her quiz me to see how much I knew. Then we would talk about movies and books that involved history and we tried to watch the ones that related to what she was learning. History can be hard because it is a lot of memorizing dates and names, but it is necessary in school, so make it FUN!
Are they orginized? If not --- get them note cards to study, books, whatever that will get her happy and then, she should work hard, get a good grade, and hopefully then like history. (If it gets her an A+).





I hope this works.
One needs a strong knowledge of history to be able to comprehend the world in which they live.





The best way for your child to develope an interest in history is for you to develope one also -- then tell her interesting little facts.





An interesting, easy to read history book to get you started is Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. A must read is A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. The best book I ever read, and one of the most revealing, is The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. It is about 1300 pages long and I already knew the ending; never the less, I found it to be a page turner.





Good luck!
Take a history lesson and make it an adventure for them. that might get them excited.
I used to find history lessons more interesting when its told as a story, instead of a list of names, places and dates to try and memorise.


Also try and find out about the history around where you live and use that as something to learn about. I grew up in an area that was steeped in US history and we learnt all about the nations history that occured practically on our doorstep. Being so close to the areas we were learning about just seemed to make it more real and not just another chapter in a textbook.
You need to find a way to teach this kid history in a way that's interesting to her. Most people think of history as names and dates, when those names and dates aren't really that important. Try to show that these people, these events...they're real. They happened. To regular people like the both of you. Find the human element in whatever it is you're trying to get her interested in. I don't know. Some people will always rail against learning history, and it's a shame.
How old is this child? If he's in highschool...there is no way you'll fool him/her into thinking any subject is fun. If he is young try making a game out of it or an adventure like a hike or something. Hide a treasure in the couch and make a map, make him follow it and see what happens. That should get him going!
Depends on the child's type of learning. If she likes to learn by doing something, take to the museum. If she likes to learn by listening to something, get a book on tape or read to her out loud from a book about a famous person or event in history. I also recommend giving ';fun facts';, or facts that are interesting like George Washington had fake teeth made of wood. (I don't know if that is true, but you get the point.)