Do you remember sitting in history class, trying to memorize all the dates and events so you could pass the upcoming test? This type of history class tends to be boring and unenjoyable.
History is supposed to teach us so we can learn from others, but so much of that is lost when kids are just fed information about people, places, and events in a concise textbook form. Plus, the authors of the textbooks weren’t there during the historical event, so they often rewrite history or leave out important parts.
No wonder kids don’t enjoy history class.
But did you know there’s a way to get your kids to love learning about history? Living books are the answer!
What are Living Books?
Living books teach children about history through story-telling. They make the study of history come alive for kids instead of just memorizing “In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
Living books are written by 1 author instead of several authors writing different parts, as is often done in textbooks. This author is either very knowledgeable about the topic, witnessed the event first-hand, or interviewed people who were involved. The author writes beautiful and engaging content to keep keeps interested.
Living books are literature-rich, as opposed to textbooks that are written succinctly and leave much to the imagination.
Living books:
- spark imagination
- gets kids excited about history
- inspire children
- clearly identifies the heroes and villains
- transports kids to different times, cultures, and places
- enforces character and heroism
- teaches facts in an engaging story
- emotionally invests children in the story
- lead to greater retention because kids remember stories
- makes children care about the topic
- allows children to discuss the topics instead of feeding them facts
- engages children by becoming emersed in the characters and story
- allows families to teach all their children at the same time via read-alouds
Example of History Textbook Versus Living Book
Textbook – The attack on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7, 1941 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese surprised Americans via aerial attack and were responsible for destroying 20 navy ships and over 300 American airplanes. Over 2400 Americans were killed in the attack and 1000 more were wounded. The day following the attack, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan.
Living Book – I woke up on the morning of December 7, 1941 and started my day as usual. Just before 8:00am, I noticed there were many planes flying above. I looked out my window to see them and noticed how low they were flying. They were so low that I was able to look directly into the eyes of a Japanese pilot right before he started bombing. I couldn’t believe my eyes! All of a sudden, chaos broke out. Everything around me was smoking or on fire, and people were running. We were all afraid for our lives! By the end of the morning, I had lost half my family in the attack.
See the difference? You feel like you were there when you read the living book version. You can feel the emotions of the girl who went through the attack. You aren’t just memorizing facts. It makes you feel transported back to that time. Kids are much more likely to remember a story rather than boring facts with no context.
Curriculum Options That Use Living Books
While the library is an excellent option for living books, some prefer to use curriculums. There are tons of curricula options that offer living book approaches to history, whether you prefer faith-based or secular history.
I HIGHLY recommend The Thinking Tree, which offers a journal to help kids take their learning into their own hands. Their history journal, Heroes & Villains of History – You be the Judge: Time Travel World History, allows children to research 30 different historical figures (Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler, Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Stalin, and Henry Ford to name a few) however they wish. There are question prompts for kids to answer regarding the figure’s goals, accomplishments, occupations, family, and how their actions affected the world.
Christian Curriculum Options for Living Books:
- Beautiful Feet Books
- The Good and the Beautiful
- My Father’s World
- Ambleside Online – Free!
- Sonlight
- Gather ‘Round
- Heritage History
- A Gentle Feast
- Simply Charlotte Mason
Secular Curriculum Options for Living Books:
Living Books Must-Reads
Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (Hands-On History) – This book is great for hands-on learners because it has several activities such as making butter, building a ship, making a wig, making a quill pen, and so much more. There are 75 activities to try with your kids! Hands-on learning is a surefire way to help kids retain information.
The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad tells about slavery and the Underground Railroad using fiction and non-fiction. This helps children understand those who helped and what some went through during this time. This book is one of the best history books for kids.
Little House on the Prairie is an excellent option for children learning about the pioneer days. It is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood adventures.
Native Americans in History: A History Book for Kids – This book follows 15 Native Americans and their achievements, talents, and beliefs.
Native American Stories for Kids: 12 Traditional Stories from Indigenous Tribes Across North America – This book discusses the life and traditions of Native Americans.
The Story of Black History Box Set: Biography Books for New Readers – This set follows Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, and Simone Biles and their contributions and accomplishments.
Remember World War II: Kids Who Survived Tell Their Stories – The author discusses her memories and feelings about her experience at Pearl Harbor and World War II. Instead of hearing stories from the soldier’s perspective, kids can read the stories of children who survived the attacks, food shortages, and the loss of their family members. This is a must-read!
The Wright Brothers: A Kid’s Book About Achieving the Impossible – This book is part of the Mini Movers and Shakers series and is written about the Wright Brothers in the hopes to inspire children to chase their dreams and work hard to accomplish them.
The Story of Harriet Tubman: A Biography Book for New Readers – This book follows Harriet Tubman from her slave days to her role in the Underground Railroad.
The Greenleaf Guide To Old Testament History is recommended by Cathy Duffy in her 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum and that’s good enough for me! It does a great job of telling the Old Testament stories in an easy-to-understand way. Each lesson gives you a passage of the Bible to read, questions to ask your child, and a tutorial to help the parent teach the lesson better. It’s a great way to get your kids excited about studying the Bible.
The Story of Abraham Lincoln: A Biography Book for New Readers – This book follows Abraham Lincoln from child to president. Abraham Lincoln has always been one of my favorite historical figures. I wish I’d had this book available as a child instead of boring textbooks.
Hero Tales tells the stories of 15 Christian heroes such as Corrie Ten Boom, Jim Elliot, and Florence Nightengale. Kids need to see that heroes don’t all wear capes – and this book is perfect to illustrate that point.
The History of the Titanic: A History Book for New Readers – Make the sinking of the Titanic come alive by discussing the construction, voyage, and legacy.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is a must-read for anyone studying World War II (although most appropriate for high school-age students). While 13 and 14 years old, Anne Frank wrote her thoughts down during the war so she could make the difficult times more bearable. She was taken shortly after she turned 15 and passed away shortly after. Thank goodness she wrote down her thoughts and feelings so we can all learn about her, what she and her family went through, and have an excellent living book to teach our children.
Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows is part of the Dear America series and tells the story of Pearl Harbor from a child’s perspective who wrote a journal during this time. The author is able to explain the chaos, terror, and surprise that those enduring the Attack on Pearl Harbor must have felt.
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom is another must-read for those studying World War II. I have always been fascinated by Corrie Ten Boom and what she was able to endure and accomplish. She put herself in harms’ way to help others hide and escape the Nazis. What a great example of a true heroine.
Elisabeth Elliot: Joyful Surrender details the life of Elisabeth Elliot as a missionary. Since Elisabeth Elliot kept a detailed journal, the book is accurate, inspiring, and convincing.
The Landing of the Pilgrims – This is a great opportunity for children to learn about how the first Thanksgiving happened. The author uses information from the pilgrims’ journals in order to tell their story of perseverance.
Rush Revere and the First Patriots: Time-Travel Adventures With Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh is a great way to teach our kids to love their country and freedom by using a hybrid version of fiction and non-fiction. There are great lessons from history that kids can learn just by hearing the story as opposed to studying for a test.
What Is the Constitution? is a behind-the-scenes story about the Constitution and those who worked hard to design it such as George Washington and James Madison.
The Story of Amelia Earhart is a truly fascinating mystery. I love that the Think Tank questions at the end of the book ask questions to get kids engaged. For example, one of the questions was “what would you do if Amelia Earhart landed in your backyard?” Kids stay engaged and entertained.
Neil Armstrong: Young Flyer is part of the Childhood of Famous Americans series. It details the childhood of Neil Armstrong and his love for flying.
Building a Living Book Library
If you’re like me, you want to build up a great library of entertaining, educational books for kids to learn all about history. Here are some great living book series that I highly recommend.
Landmark Books is an 11 book series on topics such as the American Revolution, the Pilgrims, Martin Luther King Jr., Witchcraft in Salem, some presidents, and Christopher Columbus.
Rush Revere Series is a 5 book series about pilgrims, patriots, the Star-Spangled Banner, presidents, and the American Revolution. It couples fiction with non-fiction and is so enjoyable for kids to read.
Dear America is a 21 book series on topics such as Shakers, the Mayflower, slavery, the Civil War, the Titanic, Pearl Harbor, the Revolutionary War, Indians, Black History, Salem Village, California Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, the Great Depression, the Great Fire of Chicago, the Labor Union Movement, and more.
Light Keepers – Ten Girls is a 5 book series that tells the stories of 50 women that grew up to do amazing things. Each book focuses on a lesson such as changing the world, not giving up, using your talents, making a difference, and making history.
Light Keepers – Ten Boys is also a 5 book series that tells the stories of 50 men who accomplished great things. They also focus on the same lessons that the Girls Series does.
The Story Of: A Biography Series for New Readers is a 35 book series about many historical figures such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Frida Kahlo, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Jane Goodall, Barack Obama, Marie Curie, Simone Biles, Fred Rogers, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Anne Frank, Jackie Robinson, Nelson Mandela, and many more.
Magic Tree House is a 28 book series that uses fictional stories to transport children to historical times by way of adventure. Even though the books are fictional, they have quite a bit of factual information and are a great introduction to historical living books.
Mini Movers and Shakers is a 22 book series that helps children learn to work hard and accomplish great things by telling the stories of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Amelia Earhart, Mae Jemison, Bruce Lee, Anne Frank, Serena Williams, Albert Einstein, Ray Kroc, Michael Jordan, and many more.
Non-Book Options:
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve enjoyed reading historical stories rather than textbooks. But once I came upon Christy-Faith on Tiktok and listened to all of her great examples of how stories stick with children, evoke feelings, and make them feel as if they’ve been transported back in time, I changed how we homeschool – especially history. Now we do lots of living books for history.
I am a HUGE proponent of reading aloud and the importance of books, but there are other ways to enjoy history and help it come alive for our kids.
Consider taking your children to historical reenactments or museums with interactive displays.
You can also find festivals during certain parts of the year that are set in a historical time period. Usually, the workers stay completely in character which makes it seem so much real to children.
Lastly, don’t forget about documentaries and movies based on historical times. I’m sure you’re bored of watching Paw Patrol and Gabby’s Dollhouse with your kids anyway.
Conclusion
History is such a wonderful subject that should be enjoyed, not endured. Living books give kids a love for history by telling stories, instead of asking children to memorize dates.
While history textbooks can be helpful, I don’t use them as our only resource. Living books are the way to go!
