Home > Just for Kids > Oral History > What is Oral History?

Oral history, or the gathering of a personís spoken memories of his or her life, is one of the best ways to see the personal side of history. You can find out what life was like during a period of time you werenít alive, and it can be like peeking into a trunk full of hidden treasures.

One way to learn about what life was like in the past is to find things that have survived from that time such as:

• Documents, such as letters that people wrote to each other
• Diaries
• Photographs
• Even a report card from a school

These items can be like a door into the past, and can make the past come alive for you. Another wonderful kind of document is a personís memory of the time in which he or she lived. By talking with someone about what he or she remembers about his/her childhood, you are keeping it safe for the future, so it wonít be forgotten.