History matters, but studying history doesn’t have to be boring. Your kids will love using a literature based approach to history.
One of my favorite memories from schooling my children was curling up on the couch, reading together. In fact, reading was the primary way we studied history from the time they were little until they made their way to college and to their own careers.
When I was going to school, history was learned through textbooks with lessons that seemed to have little connection to each other. I left college without truly understanding how movements, people, and ideas affected the course of global or local history. In fact, history seemed like a dark cloud of nebulous–and boring–information.
The truth is, history is anything but boring. It’s also incredibly important for our kids to understand how ideas affect the course of individuals, families, and nations.
Literature Based Approach to History
You can teach history to your children using a literature based approach. Your kids will love reading the stories of courageous people who took a stand for truth!
We used a variety of literature based resources to help our kids learn about history, such as:
- Biographies
- Narrative nonfiction
- Historical fiction
- Illustrated source documents, like journals and the Bill of Rights
- Literature written during the historical period being studied
Our kids loved learning about historical events and movements from several perspectives. For instance, your child can learn about Abolition by reading stories of the lives of Christian abolitionists who fought for the freedom of others, learning how the Underground Railroad functioned, and reading an overview of how slavery ended and what God’s Word says about how we must treat each other. Add in a few crafts and some lapbooks or notebooking, and your family has a wonderful unit study on Abolition!
Literature Based Homeschool
Literature based learning is such a wonderful tool. You can actually teach different aspects of most subjects through literature! It’s such a gift to our kids to educate them in a way that’s fun, engaging, and that excites their imaginations.
History and the Bible are subjects that benefit the most from a literature based homeschool approach. As you educate your kids, look for ways to help them examine a topic in several ways using different genres of literature. Not only will you help inspire a lifetime love of learning for your kids, you’ll be giving them a world-class education at the same time.
Danika Cooley’s Who What Why Christian history series is perfect for your 7-11 year olds. Your children will better understand the history of the Christian faith, the people who loved Jesus, and what the Bible says about really important issues! Danika is an award-winning children’s author and Bible curriculum developer. Her popular Bible Road Trip™ is used by tens of thousands of families.
Learn more about the Who What Why series and grab your free history lapbooks here.
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