Family History Month: 5 Fun Ways to Celebrate

It’s that time of year again! October is Family History Month – an entire month devoted to the celebration genealogy. Learning about your family history gives us a greater appreciation of our past and a better understanding of where we come from. Check out  these 5 fun activities to celebrate Family History Month!

1. Interview your relatives

Take this month to see which relatives you have yet to interview and record their stories. Nothing makes genealogy more rewarding than hearing stories about your ancestors straight from the mouths of those who were there. Be sure to have a recorder in hand or get it all on video. Not only will you have these handy for your notes as you untangle the puzzle of your genealogy, but you will also be able to preserve these stories in your relative’s own voice for future generations. You can even get the kids involved and have them interview your older relatives too!

2. Take a tour of a cemetery

Visiting family graves can be an amazing experience. It’s a great way to get you out of the house, away from your piles of historical documents, books and your computer and experience a truly personal connection between yourself and your ancestors. At a cemetery, you wont have that paper or screen separating you from your relative. It also gives you a great opportunity to take pictures of their gravestones for your own family records.

3. Preserve family photos

You can also take this month to get started on preserving those old family photos. For many of us, we have boxes and boxes of old family photos sitting in a closet or attic. This is the perfect time to dust them off and bring them out. Use a scanner to preserve a digital copy of each photo. They also make great conversation pieces. Share your photos with other family members and swap stories. You never know what new information you may learn.

4. Dive into your family cookbook

Have an old family cookbook in your home? Why not pull out some of those old recipes and have an old fashioned meal throughout Family History Month? It’ll can also give you some good practice to try some of these dishes out in case you want to share one of these old recipes at Thanksgiving!

5. Hit the road

Take your family out for a road trip to visit some of the places that your ancestors once walked about. Whether it be an old house, a park, a school or an office building, your family would enjoy this fun genealogy adventure. Along the way you can share stories about your ancestors and maybe even old photos. Be sure to take photos once you reach your destination and see how they compare with those from the past!

What are you doing to celebrate Family History Month? Share your activities in the comments below!