Throw a Party to Get Your Family Involved



Are you the only one in your family that is interested in family history? Do you sometimes discover a story about an ancestor that you want to share with other family members? Do you wish you had someone in your extended family doing the “digging” with you? Then, I might just have an idea to help get others in your family involved and excited about family history.

Have a party.

Everyone loves a family get together right? Why not host a party where the theme is family history? Of course, you might need to get a little more creative and call it a something other than a family history party to get others excited. But, here are some ideas for what you could do at this kind of party.

A “Which Ancestor is This?” Party
This party could be all about discovering together who all the ancestors are in the old photos. You could have games and prizes for people that get it right. If you have tons of photos that need sorting, you could also have a photo sorting contest where everyone has to sort and organize the photos grouping them together by familiar faces in a certain amount of time. Then, you could have a grand prize for anyone that can name the most unknown ancestors in the photos.

A Scrapbook Party
Have other family members help you scrapbook your pages. Of course, you can’t be too critical of what they do. You have to be supportive. But, this is a good way to get those old photos into albums quickly. Maybe, you could even give them the “basics” for each page like the photos, mattes, and cardstock, and you could go back later and put in the artistic flair you love. Let them help you with the journaling though so that they get an idea of what that ancestor was all about. You can print the journaling in word ahead of time with a cute font so all they have to do is cut it out and fit it on the page!

A Birthday Party
Celebrate an ancestor’s birthday. Have cake, ice cream, etc. Give the guests gifts from the relative that has passed on that could include an old family photo, or some other gem from the relative’s past. Make sure and share facts with your family about that ancestor!

A story telling Party
This is a great way to involve grandparents and grandkids. Have a video camera ready, and lots of pre-printed questions for the kids to ask their grandparents about family history. Make sure and have treats, and maybe a slideshow after of old family photos for your “movie”. The kids and the older adults will love it.

You don’t have to be alone in your love for family history. Having a party and getting others involve will hep them feel your passion for genealogy, and will help your family understand that it can be fun too!

Meredith Ethington is the author of this blog. To learn more about Meredith, and her history with Scrapbooking and Genealogy, go here.

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