How much do your kids know about your family history? Do they know the name about their grandparents or great grandparents? Creating a family tree can help your children find their roots and identity. It represents an unbreakable bond that connects us to our ancestors. Everyone deserves to know who their ancestors were, how did they live, where did they live. This will help them learn more about people they may not have realized existed.
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The Advantages of Family Trees for Kids
A family tree is a genealogy chart that shows a person’s ancestors. The diagram depicts generations of family members and their interrelationships. Making a family tree has several advantages for children, including the ability to help them develop a core identity, develop an interest in history, and bond with relatives. To draw the family tree is not only a fun activity in rainy days, but it has several benefits.
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- Discover kids’ roots. With globalization, we mix with each other in different ways. For example, my kids have just discovered that their great-grandmother came from Japan. This information helps them figure out why they look like Asian, create connection and curiosity, and also giving them a sense of belonging.
- Share interesting family story with them. Chat with kids about your parents, funny stories about your own childhood. You can compare your childhood experience with theirs and see what are the differences and what are the similarities.
- Engage history with kids. When kids learn about their roots and ancestors, they can make a personal connection to history, making the subject more interesting and relevant. For example, if any of your family members served in World War II, the stories of the Battle of Normandy take on new life. Family trees can bring history to life in this way.
- Connect with relatives. Making a family tree allows children to discover that they have similar personalities and characteristics to their aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on. Knowing where they fit in the chart will help them relate to their relatives and create connections between them.
- Opportunity to talk about death. When kids ask where are their great grandparents, then it is a good timing to talk about what does death means and why people died. A variety of conditions and diseases, including cancers, birth defects, heart and respiratory issues, and mental illnesses, can be passed down genetically. Making a family tree can provide valuable information about health issues that run in your family.
Draw Family Tree Step by Step
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1. Gather information for the people you want to draw on family tree, at least their names.
2. Draw a picture of the tree on the paper. It would be best if the tree trunk was in the middle, and the branches were coming out of it.
3. Decide who you want to start first with, the kids or ancestors? Then draw the branches connected with them. Siblings can sit at the same level. In this phase, you can add in other family members – spouses, their brothers or sisters.
4. When kids finished the parent branches, we make a gap to the next level of the illustration – grandparents.
4. If desired, the lineage can be additionally displayed by introducing the great-grandmother, great-grandfather, as well as other relatives.
5. When all the family members are arranged to their respectful places on the family tree, you can start the final stage – inserting names.
Finally, tidy it all up we’re removing unnecessary lines on the drawing and forming an appropriate layout. You can erase everything with an eraser, and colored pencils or felt-tip pens will help make the picture more colorful. You can decorate the tree as you wish.
Creative Family Tree Examples
1) Family tree by napkin roll (< 4 years old)
For this creative tree, you will need one roll of napkins on which you will cut small openings. It represents a tree, which you can paint in brown. To make the branches, use popsicle sticks, which you can also paint. At the end of the stick, make slips of green collage paper on which you will write the names of the family members. Place the sticks in the holes on the roll.
2) 3D Family tree (< 4 years old)
Find a plant that can be use for family tree. Stick branches from a tree into the sand. On the multi-colored papers, which you will cut in the shape of a leaf, make a hole through which you will thread a thread in order to attach the leaf to the branch. On each slip, write the name of each family member.
3) Handprint Family tree (<4 year old)
This can also be very useful for a school project about family. If you wish to add some original creative touch, you can use a picture of a family member instead of a colorful paper. Take the picture, draw a hand of the member who’s on the picture, and then stick it on directly on the tree trunk or on the branches. Don’t forget to put the name of each family member, and the last name should be written on the tree itself.
4) Family tree wall decoration
With proper decoration and space arrangement, we can design a family tree on the wall. There are plenty of examples online in case you need more inspiration.
5) Written Family tree
Family tree is something that really binds family together, it shows us our roots and it creatively depicts our relations. What if we make that tree from our signatures, wouldn’t that be really creative and unique. And the best part is that we have everything that we need at home, no need to go to the market because the supplies needed are a piece of (blank) paper and different color pencils.
Here’s an idea of how it could be made: It would be best if the tree is made from a family last name written with a brown pencil. This could be done by small letters in the middle or by writing the family last name in the both sides of the tree trunk. Now, the more names you write down, the bigger tree you’ll get. It is very important for the names to be written by the family members, that way it’ll be a truly original, unique and the most of all a creative gift for your beloved one.
Final Thoughts from Pragmatic Lifestyle
Introducing family tree to your kids is a good idea to help them understand and carry on their lineage. Family tree ideas are simple and engaging ways to establish this connection. Make a family tree at home with creative ideas, include your children in the process, and represent your family with a family tree sticker, wooden frame, handprints, and other items. Choose images that complement the chosen design and use your creativity to make the art more beautiful and informative. Hope you had fun in making a family tree with your kids together！
About me
Hi, there. I am Lin. Together with my husband and two kids, we live in the beautiful Netherlands in Europe. I am dedicated to self-development, creating quality time for the whole family, and fully supporting kids with their potentials and possibilities with all I have learned from engineering, MBA, and 10+ years of working experience in the energy sector.
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