How to Make a Family Tree With Children

Creating a family tree is one of the funnest activities you can do with children. In this article, we'll tell you how you can do it step by step. Take note!
How to Make a Family Tree With Children

Last update: 04 January, 2019

In this article, we’ll show you how to make a family tree with children. Don’t miss out!

A family tree represents one of the most common ways of visually documenting one’s ancestry. For children, it’s an excellent and fun way to show them the ancestors who came before them.

It doesn’t matter how you decide to build it. It’s a beautiful memory that you can create with your children in order to remember each generation. Involving the little ones in creating a family tree not only entertains them, but also helps them understand their roots.

Learning to create one of these trees makes an excellent project. It allows children to learn that they’re part of something bigger than themselves: a family. Making a family tree will make it easier for them to understand their family history.

How to place each person on the tree

As you know, most family trees include a box for each individual. In turn, these individuals connect with others to indicate relationships.

In addition to the name of each individual, each box can include birth dates, places of birth and even more information, depending on the desired complexity.

The youngest generation of the family goes at the bottom of the page. Each person gets a space, with the eldest child on the left and siblings on the right.

A horizontal line indicates a marriage, and a vertical line indicates children. Circles can represent women while squares represent men. Children are drawn in the family tree with a vertical line coming from the mother or marriage.

How to Make a Family Tree With Children

How to make a family tree with children

Before we begin a detailed explanation on how to make a family tree with children, it may be time to review the materials you need to make it.

Among other things, you need sheets of paper, plus a sheet of brown paper and a sheet of green paper. It will also be necessary to have some pictures of your family members, plus scissors, a ruler, glue, a pencil, an eraser and colored sheets of paper.

“In addition to the name of each individual, each box can include birth dates, place of birth and even more information, depending on the desired complexity.”

Step by step

As for its preparation, it really is very simple and fun. With a few simple steps, you can make a family tree with your little one. You just have to follow these instructions:

  • First, use the brown sheet and a pencil. Draw an outline of a tree with several branches and sub-branches that will represent the different members of the family. If you don’t have brown paper, you can color it by hand.
  • Next, take your scissors and slowly cut around the family tree. Once you’ve cut it, it’s time to paste it on a blank sheet.
  • Draw the leaves on the green sheet and cut them out to put them on the tree.
  • Next, you’ll need colored sheets to cut some circles, which will represent the placeholders for each family member. If you wish, you can also cut some squares.
  • Once you have the circles cut out, it’s time to paste the family photos on them. Don’t forget that grandparents should be just above the parents, at the top of the tree, while children should be at the bottom, just below the parents. Brothers and sisters will always be placed from left to right, in order of birth.
How to Make a Family Tree With Children
  • Now it’s time to decorate and color the tree. This is a creative moment in which you can choose to draw birds, animals, etc.
  • Before finishing, it’s time to put a title on the family tree, drawn by the child.

Invite your child to have fun with this activity

The time has come to get down to work. We hope that these tips for making a family tree with children have made you want to sit down and enjoy this activity with your little ones.

In any case, this is an exercise that helps your children better understand the structure and history of their family. It’s a fun way to make your family history come alive!


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.