Research the History of Your Community
With an adult, interview local residents, visit a library or online archives, collect photos and stories, then make a simple timeline or poster.
Step-by-step guide to research the history of your community
Types of Communities | Learn about communities for kids and help them learn how to identify them
Step 1
Pick one neighborhood place in your community to research.
Step 2
With an adult, write 4 to 6 simple interview questions in your notebook.
Step 3
With an adult, choose 3 to 5 local people you would like to interview.
Step 4
Ask your adult to contact those people and set times to meet them.
Step 5
With an adult, visit the library or open local online archives and find at least two facts or old photos about your place.
Step 6
Meet each person with your adult and ask your interview questions while writing their answers in your notebook.
Step 7
Ask each person for permission to use their stories or photos and put any photos they give you into your folder.
Step 8
Sort the facts photos and stories in your folder from oldest to newest.
Step 9
Use a ruler to draw a straight timeline line across your poster paper.
Step 10
Attach the oldest photo or story to the timeline with glue or tape.
Step 11
Write a short date and one-sentence caption under each item on the timeline.
Step 12
Add a title to your poster and decorate it with colouring materials.
Step 13
Ask your adult to read your timeline and help fix any missing dates or spelling mistakes.
Step 14
Ask your adult to help you take a clear photo of your finished poster.
Step 15
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
I can't find poster paper or a ruler — what can I use instead?
Use a large piece of cardboard or the back of a used poster as your poster paper and use the straight edge of a hardcover book or a piece of cardboard as your ruler to draw the timeline line.
What should I do if the people I want to interview don't reply or the library has no photos?
If people don't reply, ask your adult to contact school staff, a neighborhood association, or a local historical society for leads, and if the library lacks photos use online local archives or newspaper archives to find at least two facts or old photos to add to your folder.
How can I adapt this activity for younger or older children?
For younger kids, do 1–2 short interviews with an adult writing answers and help placing photos on the timeline, while older kids can interview 4–5 people, cite archive sources, add exact dates and one-sentence captions, and take a clear photo to share on DIY.org.
How can we make the poster more special or more informative?
Enhance your timeline by adding a small map of the neighborhood, color-coding items by theme, attaching QR codes that link to audio clips of interviews, and having your adult help laminate or photograph the finished poster before you share it on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to research the history of your community
Communities for Kids - Types of Communities | Social Studies for Kids | Kids Academy
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Facts about local history research
🏛️ Historical societies often hold artifacts and records specific to a town or neighborhood, like old tools, signs, or school records.
🗓️ Making a timeline helps you spot how events connect — sometimes a small local change ties into a bigger historical trend.
📚 Many public libraries keep old newspapers, maps, and photo collections that are perfect for community research.
🗣️ Oral history saves personal stories that might never be written down — memories from everyday people bring history to life.
🖼️ You can often date old photos by clues like clothing styles, cars, or storefront signs to estimate when they were taken.
How do I research the history of our community with my child?
What materials do I need to research local history with kids?
What ages is this community history project suitable for?
What are the benefits, safety tips, and variations for a community history project?
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