People research their genealogy or ancestry for a lot of reasons. Some just want to know more about their heritage, accumulating documents and records that prove their lineage. Others collect information on their ancestry with the goal of making a family history project to share with your other family members.

If your goals are similar to the latter, then it’s best if you carefully consider the format you want for your family history project. The project can take on a variety of forms, but the quality of the end product depends on your creativity. Here are some ideas for creative family history projects.

Cookbook

If your family members love to cook and eat, then maybe they’ll appreciate a cookbook that includes family recipes that have been passed down through the generations.  Ask your parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents for any recipes that they might have inherited from older family members. Compile these recipes into a collection, complete with some stories on how these recipes came to be and who they came from. You can also make the cookbook more interesting by adding photos of the completed recipes.

Scrapbook

This format works best if you have a collection of photos or postcards that document your family history. You can make a physical scrapbook if you have copies of the original photos. You can also include photos of living family members. You can also opt to make online scrapbooks from these pictures. There are many websites and online tools that can help you make family scrapbooks to publish on the Web. Online scrapbooks are easier to share with family members who live in other areas.

Memoir

If there are some great stories in your family history, you can opt to make a memoir, too. Your family memoir can focus on a certain period or event in your ancestors’ lives. Look for themes or plots that you can explore in your family history. ‘Rags to riches’ and survival stories usually make for interesting memoirs.