100+ American History Lessons and Activities for Homeschoolers
You won’t run out of ideas for teaching history with this list of 100+ American history lessons and activities.
Exploring the history of the United States can easily be much more than just reading dry text books and memorizing a bunch of dates from the past. It doesn’t have to be boring! Many of our fellow homeschoolers would agree that it can easily be filled with fun American history activities, living books, field trips, and more.
There are so many interesting people and notable events to learn about when studying American history in middle school.
That’s where this ultimate list comes in. I want to help you make your history lesson plans as engaging as possible. Use these ideas, which include unit studies, note booking pages, crafts, recipes, and DIY projects to make history come to life for your middle schooler.
See what exciting things you can do in history this week.
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American History Lessons and Activities Make History Fun
Colonial America
- 5 Easy Colonial America Map Activities for Kids
- 6 Resources for Studying Famous Women in History
- 10 Living Books to Teach Early American History
- 13 Colonies Travel Brochure
- Colonial Games for Children
- Colonial Hands-on History Projects
- Discover the 13 Colonies Notebooking and Activity Unit
- Exploring the 13 Colonies – Books, Videos, and Movies
- Hands on History: American Revolution Activities
- Hands on History Ideas for Colonial Times
- Historical Cooking: Native American Corn Recipes
- Jamestown Resources
- Jamestown Unit Study with Food and Building Projects
- Native American Unit Study
- Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life
- Resources for Studying Jamestown
- Studying Early American History at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
- The First Thanksgiving: Myth or Facts
- DIY Wattle & Daub House
American Revolution
- American Revolution Steps to War Lesson Ideas
- American Revolution Timeline Resources
- Ben Franklin: Inventions and Hands-on History
- Benjamin Franklin Lesson Ideas
- Ben Franklin Notebooking Pages
- Homeschooler’s Guide to Benjamin Franklin
- Betsy Ross Notebooking Pages
- Declaration of Independence Unit Study
- Freedom at Last Unit Study
- Historic Philadelphia Learning Guide
- Liberty Bell Notebooking Pages
- The Liberty Bell Timeline & Trivia
- The Shot Heard Round the World Lesson Ideas
- Study the American Revolution by Combining Art and History
- War is Brewing Unit Study
Westward Expansion
- 6 Easy Pioneer Recipes to Make with Your Teen
- 6 Pioneer Crafts for Teens to Make
- American Pioneer Books and Resources for Middle School
- American Pioneer Hands-on Activities
- American Pioneer Notebooking and Activity Unit for Middle School
- Books for Westward Expansion and Early Industrial Revolution
- California Gold Rush Notebooking Unit for Middle School
- Celebrating Lewis and Clark
- Covered Wagon Learning Activities
- Gold Rush and Wild West Reading List for Teens
- Hands on History: Early American Quilting
- Homeschool History Helps: The Alamo
- Learning About Annie Oakley, a Wonderful Women of the Wild West
- Lewis and Clark Animal Discovery Journal
- Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea Unit Study
- Lewis & Clark Learning Resources
- Oregon Trail Unit Study
- Pioneer Life – 8 Learning Activities for Kids
- Pony Express, Gold Rush, and the Transcontinental Railroad Unit Study
- War of 1812
- Westward Expansion Unit Study
The Civil War
- Civil War Hands-on Activities for Kids
- Civil War Notebooking Pages
- Georgia Civil War Field Trips and Resources
- History Quest – Habeas Corpus & the Civil War
- Slavery and the Civil War Unit Study
- Underground Railroad Simulation
Late 1800s to Present
- 5 Notable Black Inventors
- 10 Living Books to Teach Modern American History
- Balto and The Iditarod Trail Unit Study
- Experience the Great Depression Through Movies
- High School Modern American History Course Ideas
- Historical Fiction Series – The Titanic
- Lessons from Thomas Edison
- The Life of George Eastman – Founder of Eastman Kodak Company
- Martin Luther King Jr. Unit Study
- Resources for Studying World War II
- Statue of Liberty Notebooking Pages
- The Story of Tin Lizzy Unit Study
- What Caused World War I?
- World War I – How Did the US End Up There?
- World War I Writing Assignment
- World War II Movies to Watch with Your Kids
American Presidents
- Homeschool History Helps: The American Presidents
- Learning About Abraham Lincoln
- Learning History with Disney Education American Presidents DVDs
- Lincoln and Washington President Cookies
- Presidents of the United States Unit Study
- Presidents Notebooking Pages
- United States Presidents Fun Fact Cards
- Using a Presidential Election to Teach Civics
General American History Resources
- 10 American History Books Kids Will Love
- 10 American History Read Alouds
- 10 Hands-On History and Geography Activities for Kids
- 4 Shortcuts to Teach Hands-on History
- 5 American History Resources for Middle School
- American Girl Meets Minecraft
- American History Timeline Resource
- Board Games Make History Fun
- Hands-on Ideas for Studying Democratic Rule
- How to Get Your Kids to HATE History
- How to Use American Girl to Study History
- FREE State Notebooking Pages
- Social Studies Actual Size
- Sure Fire Secrets to Bring American History to Life
- Teach Early American History Using Videos
- Teaching Life Skills: Flag Etiquette
- Virtual Field Trips to Washington DC
- Women’s History Unit Study Resources
American History Curriculum
- America Themed Literacy Packs, Fun Facts Cards, Notebooking Pages and more!
- Exploring Government Curriculum Review
- History and Geography Curriculum Resources & Reviews
- Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers History Studies
- Homeschool Moms Share – Favorite History Curriculum
- What I’ve Learned Homeschooling with Tapestry of Grace
What are your family’s favorite American history lessons and activities?
Looking for 100 more ideas? The bloggers of iHN are sharing 100 posts, each with 100 ideas!
Fabulous round-up! Thanks!
We enjoy History and Geography in our home school. In fact my oldest was in an American Girl Doll play at our co-op and super surprised us with her performance. My husband and I also created a new version of the 50 States and Capitals song in which we started in the NE and moved our way west very methodically. We thought it would be easier to learn that way and be more mentally appealing for kids and grown-ups. Hop you get a chance to listen! Thanks for the resources!
Stephanie
Stephanie – I love the song!! I will be sure to share it, I know other homeschool families will find it fun and helpful too. Great job!!!
Thank you for your feedback Susan! It means a lot, and thank you for sharing. We hope home schools everywhere will really find it effective.
Stephanie