Teaching the causes of the American Revolutionary War doesn’t have to be a boring history lecture. Of course, it can be fun and super engaging! Interactive tools like videos, hands-on activities, and books bring the material to life for your kids. Game-based learning is a great way to help kids retain information while keeping them excited about their learning. Overall, an interactive workbook combined with videos, role-playing, and games can help students get it and have fun doing it! History can be meaningful, personal, and memorable when it is hands-on and engaging.
What are Some Ways to Teach the Causes of the American Revolutionary War?
To keep your kids actively engaged, thinking critically, and reinforcing knowledge, there are so many cool resources and strategies to teach about the causes of the American Revolutionary War.
Causes of the American Revolution Interactive Timeline
Next, PBS has an interactive timeline that walks through the events and causes of the American Revolution. From the 13 colonies to the Declaration of Independence, the timeline includes primary sources and videos to tackle these topics.
American Revolution Podcast Creation
Have your kids record mock radio shows or podcasts reporting on key events like the Intolerable Acts or the Boston Massacre. If you are a homeschool parent with just one child, join in on the phone! Safe resources to use are Adobe Podcast, Spotify for Podcasters (for older kids), or Garage Band.
History Videos
I love using videos to teach history, especially when it comes to the causes of the American Revolutionary War. The History Channel has so many age-appropriate videos for kids to learn about the American Revolution.
American Revolutionary War Novels
Of course, reading historical fiction is a great way to help your kids connect to the causes of the American Revolution through storytelling. Here are some favorites!
1. Johnny Tremain by Esther Hopkins Forbes
This Newberry Award winner is about a young boy during the American Revolution who is working as a silversmith apprentice while facing extreme hardship through injury and encountering some key players during the events and causes leading up to the war.
2. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
Another Newberry Award winner, this novel follows Tim and the conflicts he faces during the American Revolution while his brother goes to war and his father stays loyal to the British.
Hands-On Learning American Revolutionary War Activities
Hands-on activities are so important for teaching American History, especially when it comes to learning about the causes of the American Revolutionary War. Here are a few ideas to use in your classroom or homeschool.
1. Taxation Simulation
Have your kids participate in a classroom activity where a “King” or teacher imposes “taxes” on paper, pencils, or treats. Discuss their feelings and reactions, connecting them to the colonists’ experience.
2. Revolutionary War Debate
If you have a full classroom or multiple students at home, divide students into Loyalists and Patriots for a structured debate about independence, taxation, and representation. Parents can even join in the fun!
3. Boston Tea Party Reenactment
Act out the Boston Tea Party using props like tea bags and a makeshift harbor. Discuss the motivations and consequences of the event.
4. Interactive Map Making
Have students label and color maps showing colonial regions, trade routes, and British control. Overlay major events, like the Proclamation of 1763 or the Intolerable Acts.
5. American Revolutionary War Interactive Workbook
Finally, my favorite activity is the American Revolutionary War interactive workbook. This gets your kids excited about American history! Also, the workbook is jam-packed with game-based learning activities. Here’s what’s included:
1. Mystery Word Activities
First, each workbook features three mystery word challenges that keep kids thinking while they dive into the causes of the American Revolutionary War.
- Double Puzzle
After reading a passage, kids match the correct words to statements 1-10. They then spell these words in the boxes provided. Using numbers from specific letters, they uncover a secret word!
- Mystery Word
Next, kids decide if statements about the American Revolutionary War are true or false. For true statements, they shade in boxes. Once all true boxes are shaded, the bold letters reveal a mystery word.
- Mystery Match
After reading, kids match items in one column with items in another, drawing a line through specific letters. They then unscramble the crossed-out letters to solve the mystery word.
2. Secret Code Activities
These secret code puzzles add another layer of fun and critical thinking to learning about the causes of the American Revolution in this fun workbook!
- True or False Code
First, kids determine if statements are true or false and either color or cross out corresponding coins. Adding up the values of the “true” coins reveals a 4-digit code.
- Paragraph Code
Next, your kids number each paragraph after reading. They match statements to paragraph numbers, then eliminate answers from even-numbered paragraphs to discover the code.
- Multiple Choice Code
After reading the passage, students answer multiple-choice questions. They tally how many times each letter is used in their answers to uncover the secret code.
What are the Causes of the American Revolutionary War?
This interactive workbook is an awesome resource for teaching the causes of the American Revolution.
1. French and Indian War
First, the French and Indian War also set the stage for the American Revolution by creating tension between Britain and the colonies. After the war, Britain stopped colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflicts with Native Americans. This frustrated colonists, who felt they had earned the right to settle those lands after helping win the war. Many saw the restriction as unfair and a violation of their freedom. The American Revolutionary War interactive workbook includes fun activities like puzzles and secret codes that teach kids about the French and Indian War as a key cause of the American Revolution, making it easy and exciting to learn how these tensions began.
2. Boston Massacre
Even more causes of the American Revolution come to life in the American Revolutionary War interactive workbook! Take the Boston Massacre, for example. This was a huge moment that helped spark the revolution. After the French and Indian War, Britain stationed troops in the colonies, which frustrated colonists already angry about not being allowed to settle west of the Appalachians. By 1770, tempers were running high, and a clash between British soldiers and colonists in Boston turned deadly. Overall, this event outraged people across the colonies and was used as a rallying cry against British oppression. Activities in the interactive workbook, like mystery words and secret codes, can help students dive into this key event and connect it to the bigger picture of growing tensions between Britain and the colonies.
3. Boston Tea Party & Intolerable Acts
Finally, the Boston Tea Party was a turning point that pushed the colonies toward the Revolutionary War, and it’s such an important event to teach with an interactive workbook. In 1773, Britain passed the Tea Act, trying to sneak in a tax by lowering the price of tea. The colonists weren’t fooled. Of course, they saw it as another way for Britain to control them without giving them a say. To fight back, a group of colonists dumped loads of tea into Boston Harbor in a dramatic protest. This led to the British passing the Intolerable Acts, which punished Boston by shutting down the harbor and taking away their self-government. Activities like puzzles and secret codes in a workbook can help kids understand how this event united the colonies and pushed them closer to revolution while making it fun to learn!
Overall, teaching the causes of the American Revolution is extremely important in helping your kids understand America’s past, present, and future. Of course, using game-based learning through the American Revolutionary War interactive workbook, reading fiction books, group projects, and even fun videos help reinforce the causes of the war. Try some of these activities in your classroom or homeschool today!
