Visit Museums
If you live in a city or a tourist town, it’s likely that there are some museums there that will help your child learn more about your community. Don’t just go to art museums though – check out history and science museums, as well as museums that shine the spotlight on your town’s main industry. For example, if fishing is one of the main industries in your area, it’s possible that there’s a fishery or oceanographic museum nearby. You can also go to museums that are focused on a particular historical personality that used to live in your neighbourhood. Here, your child will learn how people lived in the past, and what were the common beliefs, practices, and traditions from the olden days.
One of the best ways that your child can learn about your local community is by talking to the residents, especially if they’ve been living there for decades.
Talk to the Residents
One of the best ways that your child can learn about your local community is by talking to the residents, especially if they’ve been living there for decades. You and your little one can meet residents through community events, so attend concerts, performances at the park, food fests, or sporting events. If your child is in their tweens or older, perhaps both of you can volunteer at a nearby retirement community. Local older adults are a fantastic resource of knowledge about your town, so by volunteering, you and your child get to know more about the history of your neighbourhood while helping seniors to be more social. To get the conversation rolling, let your child ask questions about what the town was like when they were little, or what they used to do for fun after school. They may also ask about the places they went to, or if anything out of the ordinary took place during their younger years.
Learning about your town’s history can help your child develop an appreciation for your community’s present and future. Consider these tips to enable your child to get engaged with local history in a fun and productive way.
Kylee Harris is an educator who has taught in elementary schools in Singapore and Hong Kong for 5 years. She lives in Florida and continues to teach life skills to young adults in her community.
