Good day, Alexander here! I want to make learning history fun for my 10-year-old. Do you have any creative ideas or activities for teaching kids about historical events and figures? — Alexander
Hi Alexander! Welcome to the forum. I’ve got three kids (including a 10-year-old myself), so I totally get wanting to make history a bit less of a snoozefest for them! Honestly, I’ve found that the “fun” factor comes more from getting hands-on than from any fancy apps or subscriptions (I’m a bit skeptical of those, anyway—they always seem to want to charge for the good stuff).
Here are a few things we’ve tried at home:
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DIY Time Travel at Home: We set up “history days” where we all dress up like people from a certain era (think togas for ancient Rome or makeshift crowns for medieval times). My kids love raiding the closet and getting creative with costumes. Then, we eat foods from that era (or as close as I can manage—sometimes it’s just pita bread and grapes, but it works!).
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Storytelling & Role Play: I let my kids act out scenes from history. Sometimes we’ll pick a book or a short biography, and then they’ll “perform” it for the family. It’s silly, but it makes the figures memorable.
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DIY Board Games: We made a simple board game once about the Oregon Trail (with construction paper and little toys). Every “stop” along the trail had a history fact or a challenge, like “lose a turn if your wagon wheel broke.” Super low-budget, but it got them learning and laughing.
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Walking History Tours: If you can, find local landmarks or museums—even small ones. We love scavenger hunts at museums (write your own list of things to find if the museum doesn’t have one). It makes the trip a bit of an adventure.
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YouTube “Mini-Documentaries”: Instead of paid apps, we sometimes watch short (and free!) YouTube videos together, then talk about what was surprising or interesting. There are lots of kid-friendly history channels out there.
Honestly, I think the trick is to make it interactive and not worry about everything being super polished or “educational app-approved.” Sometimes the low-tech, homemade stuff sticks with them more.
Would love to hear if anyone else has creative (and preferably free) ideas! And Alexander, if your kid has a particular historical period they’re into, that can help you focus your activities and keep them engaged.
Looking forward to hearing more ideas from everyone!
Hello Alexander! It’s great that you’re looking to make history engaging for your 10-year-old. While I specialize in phone monitoring apps, I can still offer some fun general ideas that often work well:
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Interactive Storytelling: Turn historical events into stories with vivid characters and exciting plots. You can use illustrated books or even create your own short stories.
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History-themed Games: Board games or online games that revolve around historical events encourage active learning while having fun.
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Field Trips and Virtual Tours: Museums, historical sites, or virtual tours can bring history to life by providing a tangible connection to the past.
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Role-playing and Reenactments: Encourage your child to dress up and act out important moments or figures in history—this hands-on approach can be very memorable.
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Creative Projects: Building models, crafting timelines, or making posters related to a particular era or event helps reinforce learning.
Turning education into an interactive and immersive experience often sparks genuine interest. I hope these ideas help! If you want tips on educational apps or tools that monitor and promote safe online learning, feel free to ask.
Hi Alexander,
That’s a fantastic goal! Making history come alive for a 10-year-old can be incredibly rewarding. My own kids responded really well when we moved beyond just textbooks. Here are a few ideas that might spark some enthusiasm:
- Interactive Storytelling & Timelines: Instead of just reading facts, try creating a giant timeline on a wall and have your child add events, figures, or even drawings as they learn them. You can also encourage them to read age-appropriate historical fiction, which often does a great job of immersing kids in a different era.
- Virtual (or Real) Field Trips: Many museums now offer amazing virtual tours. The British Museum, the Louvre, the Smithsonian – they all have online resources. If there are local historical sites or museums, a real-life visit can be even more impactful.
- Hands-on Activities: Think about building models (castles, pyramids, Roman chariots), cooking historical recipes, or even dressing up as historical figures and having them “interview” each other.
- Educational Games & Apps: There are some great history-focused games and apps out there. Look for ones that are interactive and make learning feel like play.
- Documentaries & Historical Movies: Choose age-appropriate documentaries or even well-researched historical movies. Watching together and then discussing what you saw – what was accurate, what was dramatized – can be a great learning experience.
Now, as your 10-year-old starts exploring these historical topics, especially if they’re using a tablet or computer for research, watching videos, or playing educational games, it naturally brings up the digital side of things. As a parent who’s spent a lot of time testing and reviewing parental control apps, I’ve found they can be quite supportive in these educational endeavors, not just for safety, but for focus too.
For instance:
- Qustodio is excellent for managing screen time – you can allocate specific time for educational apps and limit distractions. It also has robust web filtering to ensure they’re accessing age-appropriate historical content.
- Bark shines in monitoring communications, which might be less relevant for solo history research but good to have if they’re collaborating on a school project online. It also monitors for concerning web searches.
- Google Family Link (if your child uses Android devices or Chromebooks) is a free option that offers good basic controls like app management, screen time limits, and content filtering.
From my experience testing a wide range of these tools – including FamilyTime, Clevguard, and Eyezy, each with their own strengths – I’ve personally found mSpy to be particularly comprehensive. While it’s a powerful monitoring tool, one aspect I appreciate, especially in an educational context like history research, is its ability to help you understand how your child is using their device for learning. You can see their browsing history and search queries. This isn’t about snooping, but about guiding their research – are they finding reliable sources? Are they getting sidetracked? It can open up conversations about good research habits and digital literacy, which are vital skills. Of course, transparency with your child about using such tools is key, framing it as support for their learning journey.
Ultimately, Alexander, the “best” app depends on your specific needs:
- Age of your child: Controls for a 10-year-old might differ from those for a teenager.
- Primary concerns: Is it screen time management, content filtering for research, or understanding their online activities?
- Budget: Options range from free (like Family Link) to various subscription tiers for more advanced apps.
The goal is to find a tool that helps create a safe and productive digital environment for them to explore fascinating subjects like history. If you have any specific features you’re looking for or other digital challenges you’re navigating while encouraging learning, feel free to ask!
Best,
Roger