Most kids love to be creative and make up stories. Use that creativity to research Earth’s past. Depending on the age of the child, you might want to first introduce them to the Geologic Time Scale. Here’s a good website with some basic information from Britannica Kids. For younger children, you might just help them pick a topic from Earth’s past, such as “dinosaurs.”
Next, help your student narrow down a specific time period (or topic) that sounds interesting to them. Help them research what the Earth was like during that time. Consider including the plants and animals that lived during that time, the climate, and what the land and oceans were like.
After your child has collected information appropriate for their age, challenge them to write a story about the time. Here are a few ideas to help get you started:
1. Write a first person story involving a time machine that takes them back to that time period for a week.
2. Write a story from the point of view of an animal that lived during that time.
3. Write a story about an alien who visits Earth during that time period.
If you give your child the freedom to make up their own creative story about their time period or topic, they are sure to have fun while learning quite a bit about Earth’s history!
