Tell me ‘bout the good old days

After writing about how I worry that I won’t be able to fully share about my lost loved ones with Wood Sprite, I realized that I didn’t write the post I had set out to write: the actual activities we can do to help our children get to know people who are important to us. Here are some ideas; feel free to add your own in the comment section below.

Videos. If you have them, they are invaluable in helping your child get to know lost friends and family members. Play the video and explain its context, especially if you remember the video from your own experience or family stories. Speaking of those…

Stories. Tell lots and lots of stories! Kids love to hear them, especially if they are funny (my grandmother used to let me draw on everything, from the bottom of her table to her old Scrabble game box) or especially meaningful for children (how my grandmother used to draw pictures of people camping with me, helping me create my first stories).

Photographs. Share all of the photos you have, answering any questions that come up as well as pointing out the dated features that show the time period, the clothing, and anyone else in the photographs.

Interviews. Ask other family members and friends to share their favorite memories with your child. See if it’s okay if your child asks them questions about the person. They are likely to know or remember things that you don’t, providing a much bigger picture.

Journals. If your family member kept journals, scrapbooks or any other memorabilia, explore it together. My grandmother kept important newspapers, like the one featuring the assassination of John F. Kennedy, among her mementos.

You can also start a family genealogy project with children.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia