Activities for National Family Stories Month

November 9, 2023 byKristina Cappetta

3 min to read

Activities for National Family Stories Month

November is National Family Stories Month, which only seems fitting as many of us sit down with our families this month to celebrate Thanksgiving. Take advantage of this time by having children take part in activities with their loved ones to learn more about their family history.

In this article, we will share some activities about family for elementary school children, as well as activities about family for high school-age kids, to help you celebrate National Families Stories Month.

Activities about Family for Elementary School Children for National Family Stories Month

Tell a Family Bedtime Story

Instead of reading a familiar bedtime story, tell your elementary school child a family story instead. Be sure to tell it exactly how you remember, not forgetting any details. If you can, tell your children stories about when you or their aunts and uncles and grandparents were their age. Chances are that children will love hearing these kinds of stories, and they can help them see their family members in a new way.

Share Fun Facts

Since children can’t always remember the things they did when they were very little, some activities about family for elementary school-aged children could be to share fun facts with them about things that happened when they were very young or show them old family videos from when they were younger or before they were born. Tell them about things that happened, funny things they did, or about the day you first brought them home. Conversely, share your favorite story about them and ask them to do the same. Children will love to hear little fun facts about themselves and sharing their favorite memories about others can help build gratitude.

Activities about Family for Middle School Children for National Family Stories Month

Make a Special Recipe

Cooking together can help middle school-aged children learn more about their heritage and that they will enjoy doing with loved ones. Find a recipe that’s been in the family for generations or that holds special meaning to your family. Involve different-aged family members in the activity if you can, to make it a real family affair. While you cook, you can explain the significance of the dish and share stories about what it means to your family and why it is special.

Story Gift Exchange

Start a story gift exchange for the holiday season. Gift your child a special object that holds a lot of memories and share the story of it with them. Rather than exchanging just material gifts, pass down the memories and encourage them to keep it safe, which can help teach them responsibility as well as about their family history. You can share this tradition with the whole family and ask each person to write a story about their favorite holiday memory and give those to one another as gifts.

Activities about Family for High School Children for National Family Stories Month

Build a Family Tree

A family tree activity is also another good activity for National Family Stories Month. This allows children to learn about their ancestors, their culture, as well as any cultural differences. Start with your immediate family as the “trunk” and work your way up by adding “branches” of your extended family. Add as many branches as you can, and help your child add stories as “leaves” so they can see where they’ve come from.

Photo Stories

Dust off the family photo album or home movies and take turns sharing the story behind the photo or video. Everyone is bound to learn a little something they never knew about each other and their family history.

Talk Traditions & Start New Ones

Ask each family member to share one of their favorite family traditions. As each memory is shared, it is bound to spark more memories and stories. You can also try to revitalize an old family tradition with your children. Learn an old game or take a virtual field trip through time to bring old memories back to life. Choose any type of activity that will help to create new memories out of the old.

Sharing family history and culture doesn’t have to be saved just for Family Stories Month. Make a special time to share your family stories year-round.