A solid knowledge of history is one of the most important stones a student can have in the foundation of his/her consciousness. Children are born to learn. A little participation from mum and dad goes further than anything else toward motivating a child to focus his/her learning

capacities. A solid knowledge of history is one of the most important stones a child can have in the foundation of her/her consciousness. Helping him/ her develop an interest can be easy. Here are some suggestions for showing your child the fun and excitement of historical study.

The family tree: Learn your family history and tell it to your children. Make sure your kids get plenty of exposure to grandparents and relatives and encourage conversation about the family tree.

Current events: Keep up to date with current events by reading the daily newspaper and also news magazines. Watch television news programmes to stay informed and formulate opinions about the world. Talk about the important news stories with your children, encouraging them to listen to other points of view.

Historical TV and movies: Watch TV programmes on important historical events with your family and lead conversations about the programme as you watch. Find books on the same topic and study it further. Watch for differing viewpoints in various sources of information. Encourage your child to seek out the differences between fact and fiction.

History makers: Study the people and events that have made a difference in the world. Encourage your child to join you and discuss the readings together. Look online for resources and information about where to find the best reading material. Your children need to know that the makers of history are real people too, who have ideas, work hard, and know the feeling of failure and success. Introduce your kids to local community leaders in person if you can and to national and world leaders via the media and through reading biographies.

Maps and globes: Make maps globes, atlases, and encyclopedias available and use frequent opportunities to refer to them. You can even make a map yourself to enhance the significance and reinforce the place names and topography. Watch for an opportunity to bring up a historical topic and return to the map or globe. A reference to Africa in a storybook or a red, white and green flag on a box of chocolates can present opportunities to explore. — Agencies