Fun Family History Activities

 During this time of the coronavirus quarantine, we thought it might be helpful to provide some ideas of games and family history activities for you and/or your family.  This is a wonderful time to learn about our ancestors and gain strength from their stories of overcoming and enduring great trials.

 Ideas and Links for Family History Activities

• Organize your photos and prepare them to be scanned. If you live in Utah, you can scan them on a high-speed scanner for free at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or at the Family History Center at the BYU Harold B Lee Library when they open again.
• Cook a dinner based on the cuisine of the country where one of your ancestors originated.
• Re-enact a story from the life of one of your ancestors. Make it a production complete with costumes and props.
• Re-create a journey from the country or state where your ancestor originated to where you live now. Each room could be a different state or country that they passed through, or an ocean crossed. In each country or state (room) you could have a treat that is unique to that country.
• Try the activities at familysearch.org/discovery/
• Start your own life story. Use the categories and questions at FamilySearch.org / Activities / Record My Story.
• See the Family History guide at thefhguide.com/act-family.html for many family activities.
• Find an entire page with links to family history activities for children 3 – 11. The following are just two of them:
  • Kiddie Page – a downloadable children’s activity booklet.
  • A children’s Life story packet which is downloadable.
• Make History with family history activities.
• Growing Little Leaves: Genealogy for Children is a fun website with activities for the young ones.
• The Genealogy Kids is another great website with activities.

 

FamilySearch.org Olympic Scavenger Hunt

With the Olympics coming within the next year or two, let’s get in the spirit of the game and win a GOLD medal in Family History. All of the following activities will be in FamilySearch.org  Merely do the activities and count your points. At the end determine which medal you should receive.

• For every person in your family who has a FamilySearch account you receive 5 points.
• Go to FamilySearch.org and click on “Activities” and, at the drop-down menu, click on “All Activities”. For every activity tried, you receive 5 points.     
• While in FamilySearch.org, click on “Family Tree” and on the left-hand side near the top you will find the word “Landscape” (or it may show Portrait, Fan Chart or Descendancy). Click on “Fan Chart.”
  • For every story read, you may have 2 points.
  • For every photo looked at, you may have 1 point.
  • Count all the countries you are from and receive 5 points for counting them.
  • For every five people who have ten plus sources, receive 5 points.
  • Click on “Research Helps” and for every record you add, receive 2 points. For every data problem resolved receive 10 points (at least try one).
• Find an immigrant ancestor in Family Tree at FamilySearch.org and receive 20 points.
• Write a memory of a grandparent and post it in Memories on their person page and receive 20 points.
• Find a photo of a relative or ancestor and add it to Memories on their person page and receive 20 points.
• Click on “Search” among the headings at the top of the page and, at the drop-down menu, click on “Records”. Type in the name of an ancestor or relative and find a record for them and you will receive 10 points.  If you attach the record to the person, receive 20 additional points.
• Go to org and sign in with FamilySearch.org. After your FamilySearch tree has been automatically downloaded, look for the following:
  • Find a famous relative and receive 5 points
  • For every category you look at, you receive 2 points.
• 250 Plus points – GOLD Medal
• 200 - 250 points – SILVER Medal
• 100 – 200 points – BRONZE Medal   
• 1– 100 points – COPPER Medal (you tried)

To print any of the medals shown, right click on the medal and copy and then paste into a Word document and print. See the printable version of the Scavenger Hunt below the medals.

   

 

 

 

The following is a printable version of the Scavenger Hunt. Right click on the image to copy and then paste into a Word document and print.