Arts & Literature

Many times, if you mention history, children will moan and groan. When I went to school, I found history incredibly boring. As an adult, I cant believe how fascinated I am by history, but its because Im coming at it from the idea of people doing things instead of memorizing dates for events that seemed meaningless to me that happened long ago.

Children can remember a wealth of information. Even children with learning problems can remember and enjoy a variety of subjects if they have the proper scaffolding. As an example, you might want to watch your kids play a computer or video game. See how they can tell you intricate facts about the characters and setups and remember where the booby traps are and how many points they need to get to the next level. Most kids can name most of the 150 plus Pokemon characters but probably cant give you the name of ten presidents. Because the games have a story attached to the facts, characters, and details, children are able to build on that scaffolding and remember details.

For children to love history, we need to make history just as fun. By writing books with fictional characters in historical settings, authors can bring alive a certain time period. Think about how many people learned about the Civil War because they read Gone with the Wind. Its the same for children. A more recent example is Massacre Island by Anne Chancey Dalton, a book that is gaining a fan base among young adult readers and parents.

Books Bring History Alive
There have been many series of books written over the years by authors attempting to bring fictional characters into historical settings. Some books you may want to look at include Torch in the Darkness: A Tale of a Boy Artist in the Renaissance by Alan K. Garinger or The End of Forever by Denise Page Caraher. Your child may also enjoy Tagger: Alone Along the Mystic River by J. A. Louthain. Each of these books takes a complex period and allows the details to come to life with a well-drawn character that children can empathize with.