In many parts of the world, trees of all kinds are turning various shades of gold and red — a beautiful reminder to turn our hearts to our family trees no matter where we live or what our experience with family history has been to this point. In 2001, Congress first passed a resolution introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah to make October “Family History Month” in the United States. Senator Hatch felt that in searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family. I think we would all agree, and we might add that we also come closer together in our individual families. See how The Family History Guide can help you and your family fill October with activities to help make this happen. You will find ideas for any aspect of family history from research to making your own history – and everything in between. You will find hundreds of activities for families, individuals, youth, and children in The Family History Guide Activities Section! Here are a few ideas to get started discovering, gathering, and celebrating your heritage:

Tell Your Stories

Activities For Individuals 14-01 Check out these tips for telling stories and this info this information from the Activities For Individuals Page I1-07) of The Family History Guide. See FamilySearch Project 2: Goal 8 to see how to preserve stories on FamilySearch. For fun, sponsor a family history storytelling event, or create a collection of family stories. Check out Crista Cowan’s tips for telling your family stories in this video from Ancestry and find the stories on your family tree to share with others. All of us can help in the quest to preserve the past. Dennis B. Neuenschwander states, “A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory. What a tragedy this can be in the history of a family. Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives.”

 Capturing Memories From The Older Generation

Activities For Families F4-01:  8 ways to document the past before it is too late. See this blog post for more ways to preserve memories of your loved ones, and find step-by-step instructions in FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. Now is the time to capture memories from the past, for the benefit of current and future generations. Modern technology makes this easier and a lot of fun! Check out the  #52 Stories Project. Learn how to Record and Save Audio Interviews: FamilySearch’s Mobile App and check out post on The Family History Guide Blog.

Anytime Activities For Everyone

Keep Your Personal Journal— Of the hundreds of reasons to write about your life, perhaps one of the most important is to Document your life, both for yourself and for generations to come.  Alan Henry, the author of the blog Lifehacker, researched how keeping a journal has additional great benefits you can enjoy immediately. He suggests the following reasons why you might want to sit down regularly to jot down your thoughts (read more about them here) Henry explains that regular writing has mental health benefits such as providing a safe, cathartic release valve for the stresses of your daily life. Keeping a journal helps harness creativity, and helps you deal with traumatic, stressful, or otherwise emotional events. It’s been specifically effective for people with severe illnesses, like cancer. In addition, Henry explains that regular writing has practical benefits – “serving as a reminder of mistakes you’ve made, accomplishments you’re proud of, and great moments you want to remember…appreciate looking back over the things you did well, and the things you need to work on. Seeing your own mistakes before they’re pointed out to you is a great thing, and documenting your achievements makes sure they’re never overlooked.” Simply put, journal writing can improve your life in remarkable ways! Find more inspiration and ideas here.

Find Your Relatives in the Room—
See how your friends and acquaintances at a get-together may actually be related to you. Get instructions for this FamilySearch App Feature and learn the details of how to use it in this FamilySearch blog post in which Matt Wright suggests the following “best scenarios” to give this new feature a try:

Church group—Find out who in your congregation is also part of your family tree. Fun at a weekday party or activity, and useful in a Sunday class.

Out with friends? Check to see if you are related. You may have more in common with your friends than just hiking, reading, or a love of adorable cat videos.

Neighbors—Easy to do as you talk with neighbors across the fence. Interesting to see if you have flocked to the same area as your distant relatives.

Coworkers—A fun work party activity, or a unique way to build unity and connection among those that work in the same office.

Family history recipe bake-off—
With your family or with a group, plan an event where family recipes will be used to create delectable dishes. Taste-testing and awards will make for a fun evening, with a lot of family history stories shared. Perhaps some family heirloom cookbooks will get their start from this fun activity! Check out these ideas for recipe sharing activities and this blog post.

Have a wonderful family history celebration!