So you have a young historian on your hands—congratulations! While every day is a great day for continuing to feed your young historian’s growing passion, gift-giving season is a particularly sweet time to pick up a few historical treats for the kids in your life (both young and old)!
Here are a few of our favorite gift ideas for your history-loving kid.
History Magazines
History magazines are a surefire way to see your history-loving kid’s eyes light up this gift-giving season. Check out our Capsule Collection to catch up on our previous issues, or sign up for one of our subscription boxes to keep the learning flowing all year long.
Secret Decoder Wheel
During his time serving as George Washington’s secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson invented the wheel cipher, a brilliant way to send secret messages. At the time, postmasters would open and read every letter that passed through their care. Jefferson’s wheel cipher, which featured twenty-six alphabet-inscribed wooden cylinders stacked together on an iron spindle, converted secret messages into a string of letters that could only be deciphered by another wheel cipher.
Thanks to Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, your young historian can hop into Jefferson’s shoes and use this Secret Decoder Wheel to share their own secret messages with friends and family.
Maps
While your young historian probably isn’t backpacking through the mountains of Greece (yet), maps and their variants throughout history provide a deep insight into a society’s resources, alliances, and shifting boundaries. Check out our Risograph Map Prints Collection for unique prints of Australia, South America, Greece, France, South Africa, and the Korean Peninsula, or peek through National Geographic’s Map Archive for maps throughout history.
Buildables
For the young historian who wants to build their own story, sets like LEGO’s Tudor Corner and Titanic or PLAYMOBIL’s Knights, Pirates, and Dinosaurs are a fun, hands-on foundation for conversations about the past.
Have more ideas for this gift-giving season? Let us know! Post your gift ideas on Instagram and tag us @honesthistory for a chance to be featured on our Story.