Social studies should be fun! History and culture are rich and interesting. Here are some tips on how to make social studies fun, along with some links to my favorite hands on social studies lessons and activities. Enjoy!
How to make Social Studies Fun
Keep it hands on. Use drama. Children love to act out and recreate historical scenes. Students can write their own short plays based on the history you’ve studied. Children also love to incorporate art activities. My students love making pop up books to represent everything they’ve learned about a person or topic. Here are some of their favorites:
The above Native American unit is one I do each year with my class. My students find it so engaging. For more tips on how I teach this unit, click here.
How can I bring history to life?
One of my favorite ways to bring history to life, is through reading historical fiction novels. Students relate to the challenges and lives of historical figures when reading historical fiction. Here are some of my favorite lessons created around historical fiction.
The two novel studies above are part of a larger bundle I have on teaching the American Revolution through literature circles. It is a wonderful unit. Click here, If you’d like more strategies on ways that you can bring the American Revolution to life with your class.
Putting it all together
Social studies is a great way to incorporate informational texts into your daily teaching as well. When taught well, social studies can be a favorite subject. For more fun tips on how I teach Social Studies you can view this blog post – What about social studies?. I hope that you find these tips, and lessons as enjoyable as my students do.
