Three Ways to Incorporate History into Your Homeschool
This post is sponsored by Notgrass Company. All thoughts are my own. Some links are affiliate links.
History hasn't always been easy for me to include in our homeschool. I felt intimidated by the subject because I had a weak foundation, and this caused me to steer clear of it for a long while. I've shared before about teaching my weakest subject, history.
Do you struggle with keeping history on your homeschooling schedule? If so, here are three simple ways to help you incorporate history into your homeschool sooner rather than later.
3 Simple Ways to Add History to Your Homeschool
Books are always the first line of defense. You can easily incorporate history into your day, by using historical fiction and nonfiction titles to expose your child to local, state, and world historical events. Literature is one way to open the door to history especially when you aren't sure if you want to use a curriculum or not. Before ever using a history curriculum, I would read aloud or listen to audiobooks with my daughters. The exposure to different eras through literature allowed us to engage in conversations that we wouldn't have been able to if it was not for the story opening a door for these new conversations. Also, the exposure through books set a foundation for my daughters' understanding of some historical events so when we incorporated a history curriculum, they had a knowledge base.
Allow a history curriculum to guide you. There are plenty of history programs available. If you are ready to jump into using one, consider Notgrass history curriculum. We've used Notgrass for a few years now, and it has provided my daughters and myself with a deeper understanding of history and government. We've used America the Beautiful and Uncle Sam and You. Using a curriculum eliminates the guess work as it relates to which topic to tackle next since most history curriculum teaches in chronological order.
Documentaries are also another option that can be used as a tool for teaching history. No matter if we are using literature or a history curriculum, I've found that including documentaries in our studies help increase understanding. Documentaries provide the visuals that are sometimes needed to bring the historical event to life. I've found documentaries on PBS and Netflix about a variety of subjects.
Teaching our children history is necessary in their academic career. For some of us we'll strive to teach full courses in world and American history while some of us will choose to weave in some aspects of history in the midst of the other courses we are teaching our children. No matter your approach, keep making it a point to incorporate history in your homeschool.