Making a Family Tree
Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share some great tips and resources for creating family trees.
Making a family tree is a great way to help children understand how they are related to the individuals that are referred to as “family”.
With Summer being a time of year when families commonly visit, these opportunities allow your child to make in-person connections.
To help your child further understand how they are included in this community of family, you can compile a simple family tree in a variety of ways.
For non-readers start with a photo-only family tree; later you can add personal information such as names, dates of birth, birthplaces, marriages, etc.
Older children may wish to see how far back they can complete their family tree using Genealogy websites and local records.
While looking through old photos of family members, remember to take some time to tell your children the stories behind the photos. Include as much detail as you recall – who the people are in the photos, when and where the photo was taken. Children love to hear “true” stories especially when they know the characters personally!
I searched the internet and found lots of interesting ways to make simple “beginner” family trees, both handmade or using a computer. Here are few of my favorites…
- Printable black and white tree – fill in names
- Printable fingerprint family tree – fill in names
- Printable family tree with space for more info (birthdates, etc)
- Online family tree that you can add electronic photos to
- Online kids create your own family tree – several generations
- Printable wall size family tree – the Martha Stewart way (perfect for a child’s room!)
Story books to read with your little ones:
The Kids’ Family Tree Book – Caroline Leavitt
Me and My Family Tree – Joan Sweeney
What a family! – Rachel Isadora
