What do you do when your dc are simply NOT History lovers?...

[Sue G in PA]

We have to teach the subject. I use MOH and most people love that curriculum. I hear stories of the dc begging for more! They take the text to bed for bedtime stories! WHAT? My kids whine, complain, grumble, run, faint, etc. at the mere mention of History! I doubt it's the curriculum b/c they did the same last year with K12 (and SWB wrote some of that curriculum for them so it is MUCH like SOTW!). So, what do you do? Just press on and surrender to the fact that they just don't like History but oh well...we must do it anyway? Would a more specialized study be helpful? You know, study Egypt for a few weeks, then move to Anc. Greece, then Anc. Rome, etc? Suggestions? I so wanted this to be fun!

[OnTheBrink]

Have you tried some activities to go along with the study? Like History Pockets, or maybe the Activity Guide from SOTW?

My daughter HATED history. We did SOTW, Biblioplan, AO, and finally landed on MOH and, amazingly, she loves history now. She's into activities and so far, the ones in MOH have satisfied her, but maybe your dc need something more hand's on than mine does.

[Cadam]

If they really don't like history then you don't make it the center of your curriculum. Make something else the center. You still have to do history but everything doesn't have to revolve around it.

[Jean in Wisc]

For elementary school, I used a book that would give me the background of history (Hillyer's A Child's History of the World was one). I read through the section of the book we were going to cover that year just as quickly as I could (curl up on the couch and read to them as long as my voice held out). Then I went to the library and found books that looked interesting about that era--biographies and such. Then I read these library books out loud to them while they ate their lunch (a captive audience). My kids loved it. They knew more history in grade school than I knew in college. Sigh.

FWIW.

[Robin Hood]

Both of my dd are 9 now and as opposite as could be. One loves history and the other detests anything resembling it. I do it anyway. The same for both, but I go easy on the one who hates. I don't force her to memorize anything and I let her get things wrong and backwards. If I ask to narrate a reading, she fidgits, rocks herself, tears well up, her eyes glaze over, etc. I figured that if she hates it that much, I won't push her too hard, but she still has to try a little. To my surprise, she is coming around. She gathers facts and tells them back accurately now. Sometimes her focus is a little off, but she is girl. When we studied Attila the Hun, she focused on Honoria and her complete narration was on her, not Attila. But she learned and she is growing in her like of history now. I am finding if I don't push her but at the same time present her with the material, she comes around.

My other dd has always eaten history up. No problem with her except in math.

[Plaid Dad]

If they really don't like history then you don't make it the center of your curriculum.

What she said! History doesn't need to be the organizing principle of your studies. We do history one day a week by "just reading" a chapter or two of CHOW. It gets the job done.

[Tracey in TX]

I loathed history growing up. A great teacher explained how it was applicable to me. Make the past relate to the present. ie: if DD likes Hannah Montana, find a sweet musician to make parallels. Sports interesting? Gladiatorial fights are similar to wrestling, etc. I liked vapid soap operas in high school. He said that history was simply people like you and me in tacky clothing struggling to make their lives better, while living in a period of political/social changes. This changed the way I looked at history. I studied history in college...and am passing the love onto my children.

There are silly shows which might interest children: Time Warp Trio, Discovery Kids shows (sometimes), or History Channel documentaries.