Fun Family History Activities: Memory Greeting Cards
I love family history and am always looking for ways to help my kids feel connected with their ancestors. Studies show that kids who know a lot about their family history have higher self-esteems, are more resilient, feel better about their families, are happier, and are emotionally healthier. But it can be hard to find fun family history activities for kids that will really capture their attention.
So for Christmas this year, I decided to marry the thrill of getting mail with the discovery of stories from our past. My in-laws are always so sweet about sending cards in the mail for everything from birthdays, to holidays, to just saying thank you. They have grandchildren all over the country, so cards have been one wonderful way that they have reached out to help everybody feel loved. So for my father-in-law, I decided to make him a very special set of greeting cards.
I used Shutterfly to have some custom greeting cards made with photos from his youth. I picked a photo from his mission in the Philippines, one of him with his dad, and a couple cute ones from when he was little. Then during the year, he can send them to his grandkids with memories from his childhood written inside. How cool is that!?! His grandkids will love to see photos of their grandpa when he was young and to hear some of his favorite memories.
And my kids LOVE getting mail. My husband’s sweet grandma also always sends them cards for different holidays and my kids love getting something addressed to themselves. Even though she lives over 15 hours away and they don’t see her much, she has found a way to imprint herself on the hearts of my children. We are so lucky to have such an amazing family.
I am so excited to give my father-in-law these cards! They are one of my favorite gift ideas this year. I think they are an incredible way to help the grandkids feel loved and to spark an interest in their history.
And the cards were super easy to have made. I had a coupon code that made it super cheap to have them printed, but you can also buy blank cards and tape a photo on the front.
I love old photos so much. Look at that impossibly cute little smile on my father-in-law! And that hat! Absolutely priceless!
