Q : At what age do you think children should get involved in genealogy?
A: My first response is MAKE IT FUN FOR THEM!
Like many things we teach children, we should take into consideration the stage of their development and innate intelligence and abilities. I've read that children do not actually understand that grandma is mother's mother for some time, until perhaps about the age of ten. They are not especially interested in reproduction until they themselves have the ability to. Until then the child may understand that the grandma is special to the family but not quite get the relationship... that grandma actually gave birth to or raised mom...
I feel a concern that children may think of genealogy as yet another subject they have to spend time on when they would rather be out playing or that it's more homework. It really isn't for everyone anyway and can be a rather serious subject.
I suspect the best thing to do as an adult is allow them to see what you're working on and talk to them about their heritage and tell family stories.
You might get them involved in making artistic projects such as creating charts, putting together binders of their drawings, or scrapbooks full of greeting cards that have been sent to them. Give them books to read about their ethnicity or religion, or perhaps the history ancestors have lived through.
You might ask them to help you in the kitchen and talk about these things while cooking a recipe that's been handed down.
I also think it can be interesting for children to interview relatives - including their parents and siblings.
Think of fun projects that can be completed in a couple hours or over the course of the school break or vacation!
Every once in a while a very young person will find genealogy fascinating on their own.
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