Activities to help you explore your past and document your family history

Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)

Anyone can record history, not just professionals.

One of the most popular ways people document the past is by preserving their family history. While a family tree is just a list of names and dates, sharing personal stories can bring your family background to life.

Because human memories naturally fade or change over time, unwritten stories are easily lost. Starting a collaborative family history project allows your relatives to work together to protect these precious memories.

And you do not have to do this alone. You can get your family members to help gather documents, photographs and personal stories.

Have you ever asked your parents what life was like when they were your age? Photo: Shutterstock

Family oral history

Materials

• a smartphone, tablet or digital voice recorder

• notebook

• pen or pencil

Instructions

1. Choose an older family member you want to interview.

2. Write down five open-ended questions to ask them. Here are some examples: “What is a sound or smell that always reminds you of your childhood home?” or “What did your bedroom look like when you were my age?”

3. Begin and record the interview. Start by saying the date of the interview, followed by the interviewee’s name, age and how they are related to you.

4. Listen to the recording and write two sentences summarising it. The sentences should include who you talked to and when, as well as the most surprising or interesting thing you learned.

5. Repeat with other older family members. If you like, you can gather your family to listen together.

You might be surprised with what you find if you document your own life. Photo: Shutterstock

“History of me” timeline

Materials

• a long roll of paper or two sheets of A4 paper taped together horizontally

• markers and crayons

• scissors

• tape

• five small sandwich bags

• ruler

Instructions

1. Look around your house for five things from your past. These should be items that bring back memories, like an old movie ticket or a picture you drew when you were a child.

2. Put each one of the five items into its own plastic sandwich bag.

3. Use a ruler and a marker to draw a straight line across the middle of the paper. Start at the very left edge and draw all the way to the very right edge. This is your timeline. The far left side is the day you were born. The far right side is today.

4. Place your items on the line in the order they happened. For example, if you have a baby mitten from when you were one year old, tape that bag near the left side of the paper. Write “1 year old” under it. If an item is too big or heavy to tape or glue to the paper, draw a picture of it.

5. Write captions explaining what each item is. Decorate the background and write “The history of me!” at the top.