DIY Homeschooler

One of those elements of engaging history studies is the creation of a timeline. If you are looking for an easy way to encourage your child to develop a history timeline take a look at this free interactive timeline maker at ReadWriteThink.org.

The interactive timeline maker is easy to use:

1. Decide how you will organize your timeline: by date, by time, or by event. You’ll find examples of each for inspiration.
2. Create a title for your timeline. The title will be included in the final printout.
3. Click the blank timeline in the location you wish to place an element. A popup will allow you to enter a label (usually the date, time, or event), along with a brief description. A full description can be added that will show up in the printout. A great feature is the ability to also add an image. Click the checkbox when you are finished with that element.
4. Drag the item to the location you desire on the timeline.
5. Continue to add boxes or elements until you have completed your timeline, then click Finish.
6. You will then find several options for sharing the final product: save a draft in a format that can be opened for later editing, save final in PDF format, email the final, or print.

Yes, as students get older, they will want to create a much larger timeline in a notebook. But the interactive timeline maker is an excellent tool to get middle-grade students started developing the habit of adding names, places, and people encountered to a timeline. And it’s free!