Top 13 Fun and Interesting Ways to Teach History Class to Your Students!

There are many ways to make learning history FUN for your students!

Whether you teach American History, World History, or both, in this article you'll learn about 13 fun, easy, and interesting ways to teach history to your students. From using games and creating projects, to making a visit to historical sites, or you can even integrate technology into your classroom! If you make learning history fun, your students will be more engaged and retain their learnings even better.

The main goal in teaching history is to learn about what occurred in previous generations so that we may better inform our own actions in the present and future (to learn from the past!).

Perhaps that’s why so many students dread history classes? They feel that history class is just a series of dates and facts that they don't really care about - instead - it should be presented to them as an incredibly interesting, engaging, and immersive story about human progress and development (with dates and facts being sprinkled in throughout the story). But don’t worry; your students will love history when they're provided the content in fun and engaging ways! Here are some great ideas that will make the subject relevant, exciting, and memorable for YOUR students!

In no particular order, here are my top 13 fun and easy ways for teaching history to students:

#1: Make a Game Out of It!

One of my favorite ways to teach history (both as a teacher and w-a-y when, when I was a student) is to get those competitive juices flowing by making a game out of an important historical subject! What I especially like about using games to teach a topic is the high level of engagement you’ll see from your students (and it’ll help them retain their learnings!). In addition, there’s a whole slew of ways to make a game out of any particular subject. From interactive and easy-to-use Jeopardy games (which I include in my curriculum bundles) and escape rooms, to “detective/investigation/CSI”-like games. You can also simply make use of an educational website like Brain Pop that has a variety of interactive games. Your students will be having fun while learning, and you will be able to gauge their levels of understanding better at the same time. Or, inspire and encourage your students creativity by having them create their own board game that’s centered around a particular major historical event, for example, the Battle of Gettysburg! As you can see, there’s numerous ways you can engage your students by making a game out of historical topics, important events, and figures!

#2: Go on a Historical Food Tour!

An often overlooked and undervalued way to teach history in a fun way (at least in my humble opinion), is by having your students go on a historical food tour! All too often we forget just how integral food is to many cultures, traditions, and societies, and how it has played an important role throughout history (numerous wars have been fought over food!). With a "historical food tour", you can bring in (or have your students bake!) time period appropriate foods. You can research the types of food eaten by people in the different eras. You can also take students on a tour of the food eaten today in different cultures. You can do this by visiting a local restaurant that serves food relevant to your topic or by hosting a cooking class where students prepare or bake their own food related to the field they are studying. Doing so will help students to better understand their topic and themselves at the same time.

I'll never forget the time my 8th grade history teacher brought in hard tack when we we're learning about the Age of Exploration. Hard tack is what sailors would commonly eat as they sailed months at a time across the Atlantic and is basically a biscuit made from flour, some salt, and water, and I can remember the taste to this day! Needless to say, I haven't had any hard tack since, and it helped me appreciate the quality and quantity of food we have available to us today, as well as being an effective way to help comprehend how difficult life as sailor could be.

#3: Watch a YouTube Video!

One of the EASIEST ways to help your students enjoy history is to break up the monotony of classroom instruction by sharing with your students a well-curated and entertaining video posted on YouTube. There's a TON of great content on YouTube when it comes to the subject of history! YouTube videos are an engaging way you can help improve your students love of history. One YouTube channel that I like in particular is CrashCourse. They've produced hundreds of videos based on important history topics that can be used across many grade levels, everything from Black History Month to ancient Egypt, they've got it covered. Their videos are typically 12 to 15 minutes in length, filled with filled with interesting facts, and a great way to supplement teaching history. In addition to CrashCourse, the History Channel also has hundreds of videos on YouTube that are great for teaching students all about history!

#4: Go on a Field Trip!

A tried and true way to make history fun is by going on a field trip! Field Trips are a great way for students to engage with history and apply what they’ve learned to real-world situations. If your school allows it, find out if there are any local museums or cultural centers related to your curriculum. If not, there are plenty of online resources to help you create a virtual field trip. These are especially great if your classroom is located in an area without many historical sites. You could even create a field trip to a place that has nothing to do with history in order to get your students thinking creatively! Furthermore, a field trip is useful to help students overcome their fear of public speaking and make them more confident. It also helps them to be more cooperative in teams. And lastly, it provides them with an opportunity to be a part of a group and learn to appreciate different points of view.

#5: Go on a VIRTUAL Field Trip!

One of the many ways the internet has transformed the way we teach is by making things like virtual field trips possible! Field trips (whether virtual, or in-person) are an excellent way to spark student interest and give them a hands-on experience with their subject. With just a quick Google search of "name of historical topic virtual field trip" (for ex., "U.S. Capitol virtual field trip"), you'll get several good results of online resources and websites that'll help make the virtual field trip possible. You can also take students to explore different historical artifacts and archives or libraries relevant to your lesson. Doing so allows your students to explore the primary sources that historians use to do their research and provide much information students may not have otherwise had access to.

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#6: Famous Speeches!

A great way to enhance any history class is to examine some of the most important and famous speeches in history. It's no coincidence that some of the most important people in history were orators! By studying the speeches of these individuals, you can show students how effective communication can change the world. Your students can study the speeches of historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, or Winston Churchill. They can also study the speeches of people from other cultures and time periods. This includes people like the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, who was known for his speeches. By studying the methods and techniques used by orators throughout history, your students can learn about more than just what was said. They can also learn about how the speakers’ body language and tone affected their message.

#7: Have Students Create Their Own Historical Society!

Students love activities that allow them to explore their own creativity, and this project is no exception. Your students can learn about different periods of history by creating their own mock history society. Your students should research various topics relating to their field of study and create a mock society based on their findings. This can be done through the use of online articles and sources. The students can also do interviews with people in the field related to their topic. Once the students have created their mock society, they should create an artifact that represents their research. Your students can present their mock societies to the class as a culminating project or event. This project allows students to use creative thinking, critical thinking, and communication skills, making it an excellent choice for history classes.

#8: Bring Art and Music into the Classroom!

Art and music have been a part of human culture for thousands of years. In fact, art and music are ways in which people express their feelings, communicate with others, and learn about their world. You can bring art and music into your history classroom by learning about how it has developed throughout the past. You can also have your students create their own art or music related to the field they are studying. By doing so, you are helping your students to learn more about history and themselves at the same time. You can learn about the history of art and music by studying artists and composers from different time periods. You can also study modern artists and musicians and how their work reflects the culture and history of the time. You can also have your students create their own art and music related to the field they are studying. Doing so allows students to better understand their topic and themselves at the same time.

#9: Give Your Students a Hands-On Learning Experience!

There is no better way to learn than by doing. This is why hands-on projects and activities are so important in the classroom. This can be particularly true when studying history. You can give your students the chance to experience history by either creating a mock setting or recreating an event. You can do this with a variety of materials and props. You can create a mock setting by using costumes, props, and materials from different time periods to represent different places. You can also collect old pictures from different eras and have your students create their own captions for each one. Or you can recreate famous events related to your topic. By giving your students the chance to experience history, you are giving them the ability to understand it in a more thorough and authentic way.

#10: Pair Up Students With Experts!

Rather than focusing on the experts of the past, let students connect with experts in the present day. This can be done through interviews or Skype calls with people from a variety of disciplines who study history. For instance, if you’re focusing on the Vietnam War, have your students interview Vietnam War veterans, historians, and civilians who lived through the event. Talking to people who are actively studying history will help your students see that the subject is still relevant and important today. It will also give them insight into the process of studying history, making the subject feel a lot more relevant.

#11: Celebrate Cultural Heritage & Diversity!

Students have always been fascinated by different cultures and history, and the best way to engage them is to make them aware of the significance of cultural heritage. You can do this by incorporating multicultural celebrations such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, National Indigenous Peoples Day, St. Patrick's Day, or even the International Friendship Day. Alternatively, you can also celebrate cultural diversity by incorporating traditional costumes, food, and dances from different cultures. In the process, you’re not only letting students know that their own cultures are valued but also helping them learn to appreciate and respect other cultures!

#12: Foster a Classroom Culture of Collaboration!

There's no denying it: when students collaborate with each other, they're more engaged. There's a number of reason's for this, but you can be rest assured that the more collaboration you utilize in your classroom, the higher the interest in the subject matter. Collaborative activities, such as games and projects, can really help students make connections between the past and the present, thereby making history feel more relevant to the students’ lives. When collaborating, students must examine their sources, take note of their biases, and consider what they’re missing. These activities help students think critically and recognize their own subjective nature. This will, in turn, make them more thoughtful and well-rounded citizens!

#13: Immersive Learning by Reliving the Past with Virtual Reality!

A still emerging technology, virtual reality, or "VR", allows someone to experience something as if there were there! ...well, almost! Virtual Reality lets your students experience historical events of the past in a more immersive way by recreating different places, moments, and events throughout history. With VR, students receive an engaging learning experience which will help them gain a better comprehension and understanding of history!

I hope this article has helped spark some ideas on how you can incorporate into your lesson plans one or more of these fun and creative ways to teach history to your students!

It doesn't matter if you're teaching U.S. history or world history, or if you're teaching high school students, or elementary or middle school students, many of the easiest ways to spark your student's interest with any social studies unit is by using the innovative ways mentioned in this article!

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