Fifty Fun Family History Activities

  1. Play one of the family history games found on BYU Family History Technology Lab’s website.
  2. Have a family photo swap. Share family photos by scanning then uploading them to FamilySearch or use the Memories app to copy the photo directly to FamilySearch.
  3. Invite a friend to learn about their family history.
  4. Learn to attach sources to FamilySearch records.
  5. Find a historic picture of an ancestor and recreate it with a picture of yourself or other family members.
  6. Collect stories and pictures from the area where your ancestors lived. Add them to their history in FamilySearch memories.
  7. Have a family heritage dinner; eat food, listen to music, share stories and traditions from a relative’s homeland.
  8. Log into The Family History Guide and watch a video or webinar, or check out the Explore the Activities page with specific activities for families and age groups.
  9. Create a family cookbook by gathering favorite recipes from family members.
  10. In FamilySearch, under Activities, select Compare-a-Face to see which of your ancestors you resemble most.
  11. Share temple ordinances with friends, family, or ward members.
  12. Index records on FamilySearch.
  13. Identify a decision an ancestor made that has impacted your life.
  14. Learn to use Ordinances Ready to share and obtain family names for temple work.
  15. Use the fan chart view of your family tree on FamilySearch to locate and read family stories of your ancestors.
  16. Create or join a Family Group on FamilySearch. The ward and stake both have them.
  17. Learn about family traditions. Create a new one.
  18. Photograph and upload headstone images to Billion Graves or Find a Grave.
  19. Capture the voices of living relatives as they tell their life story. Add it to FamilySearch.
  20. Use RelativeFinder to see which famous people you are related to and learn something new about them.
  21. Cook a favorite family recipe. Tell the story behind it and where it came from.
  22. To learn more about immigration, explore these sites: Saints By Sea; Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island; The Ships List.
  23. Teach friends and family members how to prepare names to take to the temple.
  24. Visit local historic sites or genealogical societies.
  25. Create a family history quilt. Have each family member contribute a quilt block that represents their interest.
  26. Help plan a family reunion.
  27. Find the name of your earliest ancestor who joined the Church. Where were they baptized and how did the Church change their lives?
  28. Document a family tradition in writing or by creating an audio file in FamilySearch Memories.
  29. Hold a Family Home Evening centered on family history.
  30. Share with young family members what historic events your ancestors would have seen and lived through.
  31. Register for a free Ancestry account using FamilySearch Partners.
  32. Create an online family history document and invite other family members to contribute to it.
  33. Write down or share your experience of doing temple work for deceased ancestors with your family.
  34. In FamilySearch, search genealogies, which are family trees added by other people, for your ancestors.
  35. Learn interesting information about the history, culture, food, language, or geography of a country where your ancestors lived.
  36. Find three quotes from Church leaders about the promised blessings of temple and family history work.
  37. Make a time capsule of things that are important to your family. Seal and plan to open it years from now.
  38. Record and share your experiences about doing family history work.
  39. Teach someone how to add photos and documents to their family records on FamilySearch.
  40. Create a word search puzzle using family names and places to share.
  41. Participate in RootsTech either virtually or in person. You can also watch 1,500 sessions on 185 topics from previous conferences with the On-Demand Library.
  42. Ask an older friend or family member to tell you what inventions they have seen come about.
  43. The BYU Family History Library does a live webinar most Sundays at 5:00 p.m. Use the link to see what is coming up and join the live class or watch previous webinars on the site.
  44. According to your own memory, write the story of an ancestor you knew well and add it to their record in FamilySearch.
  45. Visit cemeteries and meaningful family sites.
  46. With family or friends, make a trip to a temple, learn its history, find the cornerstone, and read the dedicatory prayer.
  47. See if you have any pioneer ancestors, soldiers in the Mormon Battalion or read about missionaries who served between 1830 to 1940 on the Church History Biographical Database.
  48. Set up an indexing challenge with family, friends, or other ward members.
  49. Make a digital family museum. Take pictures and gather stories about your family heirlooms.
  50. Watch one of the genealogy-related television shows: Finding Your Roots, Relative Race, Who Do you Think You Are?