GAME IDEAS

“PLAY IS OUR BRAIN’S FAVORITE WAY OF LEARNING.” Diane Ackerman

TRY A ‘GAME IDEA’ AND USE PLAY TO INSPIRE CHILDREN TO LOVE FAMILY HISTORY!

PHOTO TO PUZZLE

Turn a photo into a puzzle! Print a photo on a piece of paper and either glue it on a piece of cardboard or use contact paper to protect it and make it more solid. Then cut it into pieces. Depending on the age of your child, you can make more or less pieces. There are also websites such as Shutterfly or other photo book websites where you can buy a professionally made puzzle of a photo and choose how many pieces you want in the puzzle. 

 

HOMELAND GAMES

Learn about the games that were played in the homelands of your ancestors when they lived there. Some games are associated with holidays and some were played anytime.

 
steamer-trunk-3414018_1280.jpg

FAMILY HEIRLOOM SCAVENGER HUNT

Idea from American Ancestors

Discover the importance of family heirlooms and preserve their stories through a fun scavenger hunt. For the details of this activity…

 
IMG_3553.jpg

CARD GAMES

Instructions to make the cards:

What you will need:

- Two copies of a picture of each ancestor 

- Clear contact paper 

- Scissors

- A permanent marker

  • Labels or masking tape

Instructions

  1. Cut each picture to about 2 1/2 x 3 inches (the measurement does not need to be exact but make sure all cards are the same size).

  2. Place all of the pictures in the clear contact paper. (Laminating is another alternative.)

  3. Cut them out leaving a small border around the edge of each photo. Curve the corners with the scissors so they are not sharp.

  4. Use the permanent marker to write the name of the ancestor on a label or small strip of masking tape and place on the front of each picture (this can later be removed to make the game more challenging once children have learned names).

Once the cards are made, there are many ways to use them for games.  The following games will help children to learn the faces and names of each ancestor:   

Ancestor Matching: This version helps children to recognize their ancestors by name and face. Make two identical decks of cards with one card for each ancestor in separate piles. Take the first deck and lay the cards so ancestors’ faces are up and visible. With the second deck show your child the top picture in the deck. Tell him or her the name of the ancestor. Ask your child to find the matching picture of that person. Repeat with each card until they find all of the matches.

Ancestor Memory: Mix all cards (two of each ancestor). Put all of the cards facedown in rows. Players take turns picking two cards and reading the names of the ancestors. If both cards are not the same, put them facedown in the same places where they were picked up. If it is a match, the person who finds the match will keep the cards. The player with the most matches at the end of the game wins. 

Go Fish (idea from Trudy Johnson)

Mix all cards (two of each ancestor). Deal five to seven cards to each player and set the remaining cards in a deck in the middle of the players. Hold cards in hand so they are not visible to other players. Each player will take turns asking one of the other players for a specific ancestor card. If the person the player asked has it, he or she will take it, and if not the player will draw a card from the pile in the middle. When there are no more cards in the middle, all players count how many matches they have. The person with the most matches wins.

 
child-3317681_1280.jpg

SCAVENGER HUNT

Idea from Lynette Cummings

Before you begin, assign points to each of the items on your scavenger hunt list (more points for longer activities). Decide how long it will last and where you will meet at the end. Divide into groups and give each group a list of tasks to earn points. Decide on requiring photos, videos or signatures to prove the task was accomplished. At the end of the allotted time, teams should be at the meeting place. The team who has earned the most points wins, but really you all win because you have learned about your family along the way. 

Here are some ideas of things you can do on your hunt:

  • Find a grave in a cemetery and make a rubbing or read a story about that person

  • Put together a puzzle with a family photo or ancestor face on it (you can order specialized puzzles online or make your own)

  • Do something that your ancestors would have done (lasso a sawhorse, change a cloth diaper, haul buckets of water or wash clothes and hang them on a clothesline)

  • Tell someone you don’t know a story about one of your ancestors

  • Find a house that an ancestor lived in (using only a photo and maybe a hint about where to look if it’s a large area) then read a story or listen to a CD that tells a story of the people who lived there

  • Do something your family did when you were kids

  • Dress up in old fashioned clothes and take a photo

  • Sing a song or read a poem that was important to an ancestor

  • If you are doing this at an extended family reunion add the following:

    • Find someone who knew a certain ancestor

    • Find someone who has lived in that town for at least 30 years 

    • Meet 5 people you don’t know

 
IMG_4625.jpg

BINGO

Easy Version: Make bingo cards with a name of an ancestor in each square. Hold up a picture and have the children put a token on the name of the ancestor who is in the picture. (This can be done in reverse with pictures of ancestors on the bingo cards and names being read.) While children are learning names and faces, help them recognize the ancestor and as time goes on they won’t need help anymore.  

Difficult Version: Put a phrase on each square of the bingo card of somebody who did something first (see Finding Pioneers). Put the names of people who did these things first on little pieces of paper. Choose pieces of paper and call out the name. Players put a token on the square listing the deed that matches the person called. 

 
IMG_4291.jpg

ITEM BOX

Collect items that represent a specific ancestor and put them in a box. These items can be mentioned in stories or journals of an ancestor. After your children learn a story about an ancestor, create questions and ask them to identify the item in the box that answers the question.

 
IMG_4242.jpg

TRIVIA GAMES

As you are learning about your ancestors, write down facts about them. These facts can be turned into a trivia game. Questions such as “Who first immigrated to the United States from Denmark?” or “What mode of transportation did ____ use for getting to church in Norway?" Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit are great trivia games. Making your own version of these games with information about your ancestors will challenge you and help you remember what you are learning. The level of difficulty of the questions should depend on the age of the children involved.

 
IMG_5040.jpg

GLOBE TOSS

Idea shared by Rhonna Farrer

Encourage children to find where various ancestors lived on a globe. This can be turned into a game with a blow-up globe. Toss the globe-ball to someone in the group and name an ancestor. When the person catches the ball, they can try to find the country where that ancestor was from and point to it. That person will then think of another ancestor and pass it to someone else. You can choose a time limit for answering if it seems appropriate.

 

LEGO STORY

Use legos to tell the story of an ancestor. You can play the story with the lego pieces and even choose to record it.

 

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE BELOW!