The holidays are upon us! Happy holidays, friends! Hopefully, it will be a joyous and restful time for you, your family and your friends. There is so much to do and see during the holidays. It can be easy to forget what this time of year is all about—traditions!
One of our traditions at Our Ancestories is teaching our children about black history and culture. It's one way we ensure they know where they come from, their culture, and heritage and give them a sense of identity.
In one of our previous posts last month, we shared simple ways to teach your kids about black history. Today, we are diving a little bit deeper into ways you can celebrate black history with your kids during this holiday season and beyond. Let's get started!
Movie Night
To start us off on our list is a movie night. Who doesn't love a good old movie night with the family? It can be the perfect opportunity to watch a movie that teaches about black history. You can choose empowering films to teach kids about black history. There is a wide range of movies on various streaming platforms to teach about black history. They range from focusing on legends, important dates and events to documentaries. It is a great, fun, and inexpensive option for your kids to learn more about themselves and their heritage!
Cook Soul FoodÂ
Cooking soul food is an opportunity to teach your kid(s) about black history. You can start by finding out what soul food is. Learn about the history of certain foods, why they are prepared the way they are, and how they have evolved. It is also a great way to research and explore different foods in case they are not staple foods in your home. 
Soul food is not just about eating; it's about learning!
Make a Collage
Making a collage is an engaging, fun, hands-on activity for children to create something of their own. You don't have to do much: take some old magazines, cut out pictures of famous people of colour, and glue them on a piece of paper. Then, talk with your kids about who those people are and what they did. The best part of a collage is that you can use it as an educational tool by hanging it somewhere in your house where everyone will see it. That way, even if you're not talking about black history with your kids all the time, they'll still get exposed to some of its most important elements every day.
Read Books
Reading books is perhaps one of the easiest and simplest resources for consuming and teaching kids about Black history. There are a wide array of books which celebrate and champion various elements of black history. You and your kids can enjoy audiobooks, hard copies, or e-books. You can do family read-aloud, have family read times, or gift your kids books.Â
A mother and her daughter enjoying our children's book that celebrates the legendary queen Idia.
Focus on Heroes and HeroinesÂ
You can start with heroes and heroines from ancient African history and how they achieved incredible feats. Then, talk about more recent heroes—such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Harriet Tubman—and how they fought for justice and equality for all people regardless of race or gender (or sexual orientation). You can also talk about modern-day activists working towards ending racism today. There is something powerful about focusing on one person's story. Children can identify themselves in the story and be inspired to change the world.
Create Posters
Did you have posters in your room when you were younger? Well, why not create a history for black history with your kids this holiday season?Â
Create a wall of posters of black history legends and kingdoms for your kids to enjoy. If you want to go beyond just one wall, try creating an entire room dedicated to the history of African kingdoms and legends. You can also create a timeline with photos corresponding to each year's theme such as "Ancient African Kingdoms" or "Black History Legends." Another option is creating a TV stand where each shelf represents different periods in Black History like the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s.
Visit a Museum
Visiting a museum is a great outdoor activity to do with your kids. Museums are great places to teach your kids about black history and culture. They are also educational, but they are fun too! Some museums have special activities for kids and even give them things to do while waiting in line. Museums are often free or very cheap, so they won't break the bank.
Read Poems
Poems are a creative and unique approach to teaching your kids about black history. You can research and find a selection of poems to study. You can even take it a step further to create your poems. Reading poetry is an excellent way for children to learn about history because it allows them to connect with their feelings and emotions in a way that other types of writing do not.
Find Black History-Themed Worksheets
There are thousands of free printable worksheets for kids to learn from, which makes it a fun, educational, and inexpensive way to teach your kids about black history. If you're looking for free printable activities for Black History Month, we wanted to share our collection of free worksheets to get started.
Worksheets are a fun and educational.
Attend Local Events
Last on our list is a fun outdoor activity; attending a local event in your community. An example of such is going to an African/Caribbean/African-American-themed festival. These festivals are fun for all ages and include music, food vendors, arts & crafts booths, and much more! You will be able to learn more about African culture and heritage, which are part of black history. These events are great opportunities for parents and children to bond over something they enjoy. Keep an eye out for events happening in your area!
Try these out with your kids, and let us know how it goes. The good thing about these activities is that they are not limited to just the festive season or Black History Month. You can do them all around the year. So try them out and teach your young ones about black history!
Have you tried activities like these before? Is there an activity you think we missed? If so, tell us about it in the comments below.Â
