Third graders are motivated to learn about history when you make it real for them. Most U.S. third-grade curricula for history have lessons about early American history. A field trip to a local historical society or a historical site in the community would make lessons more real to young students. They would see for themselves artifacts and buildings from history. Also, watching history documentaries for children helps bring realism to third graders studying history. Documentaries relating to class lessons work best.
Third graders study early American history and our relationships with Native Americans, who helped early settlers adjust to the New World. A Thanksgiving activity in the classroom would make the history lesson more relevant to the children's lives, by understanding the history to the holiday. Half the class would research and play Native Americans, while the other half would be the early settlers. Students would recreate a historical Thanksgiving, with food and crafts. The project focuses on the historical background to a popular holiday, which makes the history lesson relevant to students. Students are motivated to learn about the history of early American settlers and Native American culture when it is relevant to their lives.
Games and activities make third grade history fun. Colorful maps help motivate third graders to learn about map reading, while age-appropriate books in the classroom motivate students to read about history. Combining crafts and other activities make lessons fun. A project making a real compass with a needle, cork and magnet should coincide with studying early explorers in America. The history lesson teaches how early explorers used simple methods to navigate and discover the New World. Early explorers relied on instruments such as compasses to travel across the Atlantic Ocean.
Hands-on activities work best for younger elementary age students. A hands-on lesson about states and their capitals would be to assign students to draw and cut out state maps on colored construction paper. Once all of the states are completed, the entire class would place the states together to construct a large map of the complete United States. More hands-on activities involve cooking applesauce or simple foods to teach students about colonial America. Students can also grow corn, build Native American instruments and cook Native American foods as fun activities which will motivate third graders to enjoy learning history.