I really wanted to come up with an activity that would help my kids enjoy learning the stories of their ancestors. My kids like hearing the stories, but I felt like for this activity they really poured their little hands and hearts into it. It was personal, it was fun, and it is something they have come back to and looked through many times since.

I was actually a little shocked at how quickly I started and completed this activity. It hardly took any of my time once I got started and yet I enjoyed every minute of it. To make it just as simple and easy for you, I have broken it down into 3 easy steps! 😊

Step One: Find Your Story

There are so many options for finding a story so don’t let this first step scare you! Try one of these 4 ideas for a great story:

1. Look through Family Search

Once you have your family tree open on familysearch.org, start clicking on relatives names. I would focus on the relatives from the last few generations as you tend to find the most information on them. When you get to their person page, there is a tab called memories. If they have a number listed next to it, there will be memories in there to look at.

Click on the tab and scroll through all the memories listed. And be careful, this can be dangerous as you may find time quickly go by as you get lost in these intriguing stories😊. Keep doing this until you find a story, OR if you can’t find a good one, try another option.

2. Family History Books

Do you have any old family history books a relative compiled and gave to you? Look through there for some stories.

3. Call Up a Relative

This step is pretty self-explanatory. Call up your mom, dad, grandparents, uncle, aunt, etc. and ask them if they would send you, or tell you over the phone, a fun story from their lives. People love sharing about their younger years, especially to their grandkids/nieces or nephews. If you can use their own written or spoken words that make it even more authentic.

4. Tell One of Your Own Stories

Write down your own fun memory of your life! Your kids will LOVE it! Look through some old journals or photographs and think of a memory your kids will enjoy hearing about you.

Step Two: Type Up and Print the Story

This step is so simple. Look through your story, decide about how many pages you want/need and then break it up into simple, natural paragraphs. Copy or type out their paragraphs so that each one is printed at the bottom of the page, like my example below. Print out the pages and don’t forget a fun cover page!

Step Three: Color, Color, Color, Bind

This part was my favorite. I sat the kids down, explained who this relative was and how they were related to them (this is their 4^th great-grandpa). I then told them I was going to read them a story from his life. While I was reading they needed to pay attention so they could pick which page they wanted to illustrate. When you are done reading, hand out the pages, some art supplies of your choice, and let their creativity free. I had them write their name on the page somewhere so we could always remember.

Bind the book up and read through it again with all the pages done. For binding I used a report slip cover I got from the dollar store, but a 3 -ring binder or staples would work perfect too.

This truly was such a fun activity from my 3-year-old to our teenage cousins who helped us. I am so excited to get more stories done so we can have a stack of family stories to read through on Sundays, do for Family Home Evening, and to share with other relatives who come to visit. I hope you will try it out and leave a comment on the blog or our Instagram account @seasonforfamily. Happy storytelling!

---

---