12 Ways to Make Family History Fun

By Kerry Griffin Smith

When we hear the words family history, how many of us think b-o-r-i-n-g? Admit it; at some point, you’ve thought it’s work for the elderly or those who have the time and nothing else to do.

Perhaps a small tweak in your perspective will help you realize that doing family history can actually be fun, even an exciting hobby.

Here are a few simple ideas to help you brainstorm what family history work might involve, from a creative aspect:

1. Celebrate an ancestor’s birthday. Make a cake but don’t tell the rest of the family who it’s for. Then after dinner, surprise everyone by spotlighting that particular ancestor. Simply show their picture and share a few stories about them. Then enjoy cake and ice cream together. This is such a fun way to make an ancestor’s memory feel very real.

2. Visit a gravesite. Clean the area if needed, take flowers or leave a simple decoration, perhaps a painted rock or something that represents the person. Young children may enjoy doing a headstone rubbing, a particularly useful activity if the headstone is worn and difficult to read. Simply place a sheet of paper on the headstone surface and rub with a peeled crayon. 

3. Record the location of an ancestor’s grave. Through Find a Grave and Billion Graves, both apps, you can easily record the exact GPS location of a loved one’s grave. Easily check to see if a gravesite has already been listed. Just follow instructions on the apps.

4. Take pictures of heirlooms. Love that china set Grandma has? Ask her to tell you about it. Take a picture and write down the information. Add both to a simple album where you store other keepsake information. Someday, when Grandma is no longer around, the album will be an invaluable resource.

5. Make a storybook. Highlight a meaningful family story and turn it into an illustrated children’s book. You can make this by hand and have your own children draw pictures for it. Or you can achieve a professional look through commercial scrapbook options online.

6. Go on a field trip. Visit your hometown and show your family where you grew up. If this isn’t possible, use Google Earth to show the locale or research where an ancestor lived. This is a great experience to share with tech-savvy youth.

7. Learn a new skill. Did Aunt Betty like to crochet? Maybe Uncle Bill liked to whittle? Perhaps you could learn to do both. Experiment with loved one’s hobbies and see if they become your favorites too.

8. Model their clothing. Have you inherited a wedding dress from someone special? You or one of your daughters might put it on and show the family what it looked like. Be sure to take pictures and show a picture, if possible, of the original wearer on their wedding day. This would be fun to do with old hats, jackets, and other clothing items as well.

9. Cook favorite dishes. Do dutch-oven potatoes bring fond memories to mind? Find out if Uncle Smiley’s recipe is available and make them. So many meals bring so many favorite memories to mind. Be sure not to skip dessert! Those favorite pies and cookies must be enjoyed again.

10. Record a memory. Visit familysearch.com. There’s so much you can do with this invaluable resource that is available completely free to you. You will find more suggestions for activities as well as an option to write down your memories of a loved one. It only takes a few minutes to leave a forever memory that others may also read.

11. Use those photos! Antique and vintage decor is all the rage right now. Peruse old albums to see if there might be some good shots you can display. Then create a fun collage display in your home.

12. Explore community history. Knowing about the people who lived in your town before you will enrich your life, even if you’re not related. Understanding a bit of their toil and sacrifices will help you to greater appreciate where you now live and hopefully inspire you to add to the greater good.

Kerry Griffin Smith, an editor for the former Ensign Magazine, enjoys living in Utah and exploring all the great state has to offer with her family. She also loves to share clean, quality books with friends on Facebook and Instagram.