How To Teach Your Kids About Their Roots

There’s a wealth of knowledge from the past, but it’s hard for kids to access it. Open up doors to their familial past through sharing stories and images.

When children are young, they have little context for anything. Their world is small, usually not too much bigger than their home, and they’re slowly figuring out what they think of the world and what their place is within it. This is a momentous task that takes years.

Your family has centuries of shared experiences and values. By offering these to your child, you give them a lens to process things and show them they belong somewhere. If you’re wondering how to teach your kids about their roots, this brief guide should get you on the right track.

Retell Important Family Stories

First, give life to the family stories passed down for decades. Tell them how Grandma and Grandpa got married and bought a house and a car all in the same week. Weave together your family kiddynamics so they get a better sense of what family looks like. Don’t forget the funny stories, the jaw-dropping coincidences, and the forks in the road people experienced—these all form your shared mythos, your mutual knowledge of one another’s journeys.

While you’re at it, though, don’t steer away from all the bad stories. When your kids are old enough, be honest about your ancestors’ missteps or challenges. Acknowledge how people did wrong or how others did them wrong, and how those things affected the families who came before yours. Though these are tougher pills to swallow, they are part of the fabric of your family. Through learning these stories, your kids get a closer picture of who they came from.

Show Them Pictures, Videos, Family Relics

Where stories fail, pictures and videos make things clearer. One way to preserve these precious memories is by digitizing old cassette tapes, film, and photos that you either created yourself or inherited from parents and grandparents. The photos and home movies previous generations took give kids a window into what their relatives looked like and what they did. They may even see little bits of themselves in the pictures and videos they see.

Another tool for teaching your kids their roots is by passing down any keepsakes you’ve received from relatives. Old teapots and china sets carry the weight of the family with them, and they may even accompany a story you tell your children. These serve as visual reminders of where they came from and the solidity of the legacy they participate in.