History

Every generation inherits a story.

For American families, that story includes courage and sacrifice, faith and freedom, conflict and conviction, great accomplishments and hard lessons. But children do not automatically inherit an understanding of that history simply because they live in this country. They have to be taught.

Parents and grandparents have a unique opportunity to help younger generations understand not only what happened in America’s past, but why people made the choices they did, what they believed, and what those decisions can teach us today.

That doesn’t require turning the dinner table into a history classroom. Often, it begins with a good story and a few thoughtful questions.

Start With the People

Children tend to connect with people before they connect with timelines. Instead of beginning with a list of dates, introduce them to the people behind the events.

Tell them about the Pilgrims crossing the Atlantic in search of a place where they could live out their faith. Talk about George Washington facing overwhelming challenges during the American Revolution. Introduce them to Samuel and John Adams, Abigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and the pastors and revivalists who helped shape the ideas spreading through the colonies.

Then ask questions that bring those stories closer to home:

• What do you think it would have been like to leave everything familiar and cross the ocean?
• Why do you think freedom was worth sacrificing for?
• What does courage look like when the outcome is uncertain?
• Why is it important to know what people actually believed instead of only remembering their names?
• What freedoms are we grateful for today?
• How can we use those freedoms responsibly?

There is no need to rush toward the “right” answer. Sometimes the best family conversations begin when children are given room to think out loud.

Let Them See Where History Happened

History also becomes easier to understand when it feels real. That is one of the strengths of The American Story, the first Real Life Network Original documentary featuring Pastor Jack Hibbs and historian Tim Barton.

Tim travels to many of the actual places where America’s story unfolded, including Plymouth, Boston, Lexington, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Valley Forge. Instead of encountering these events only as words on a page, families can see the places connected to the people and decisions they are learning about.

Pastor Jack then helps connect those stories to questions of faith, courage, liberty, responsibility, and what it means to live faithfully in the present.

Watching together gives parents and grandparents an easy opportunity to pause, talk, ask questions, and keep the conversation going after the film ends.

Give Younger Children a Way into the Story

For younger family members, the Give Thanks: A Holiday Kids Guide offers another way to explore America’s history.

Created for children, the guide introduces the history and meaning behind Thanksgiving through stories and activities designed to keep kids engaged. Mercy, a Pilgrim child, and Wamsu, a Wampanoag child, help lead readers through the story while interactive elements give them something to do, not just something to read.

That makes it a natural companion to The American Story.

Older children and adults can explore the broader history in the film, while younger children have a resource created specifically for them. Then everyone can come back together and talk about what they learned.

Make History Part of Family Life

Passing on history doesn’t require knowing every fact. It requires being willing to remember, learn, and talk together.

Read an old document aloud. Visit a historic site when you travel. Look up the story behind a monument. Ask grandparents what they remember learning about American history when they were children. Let kids ask difficult questions. Encourage them to look at original sources when they are old enough.

Most of all, help them see that history is not simply about people who lived a long time ago. It is about choices, beliefs, consequences, and the inheritance one generation leaves to the next.

This Thanksgiving season, The American Story and the Give Thanks: A Holiday Kids Guide can help your family begin those conversations together.

Pre-order The American Story bundle today.