How to Make a Family Tree

Would you like your child's interests to branch out? Consider learning how to make a family tree as a family activity. This project allows children several opportunities to build basic skills, including conducting interviews, developing creativity and discovering and sharing oral histories. For parents, spending time with your child will help instill a deeper respect for your family's past, present and future.

Dig in
Before planting the roots, you'll need to search for information. Staying organized is essential. Why not try using index cards or small pieces of paper to keep information coordinated? Begin with your child's data and have him or her complete an information card. It's good practice for upcoming interviews and develops writing skills. Include full name, birth date and city of birth, date of death (where applicable), and any information or trivia that you consider important. A sample card might look like this:

Paul Allen Larson

Born: March 3, 1896, in Stockholm, Sweden

Died: September 3, 1974, in Wausa, Nebraska

Last name changed from Chilgrens to Larson when family arrived at Ellis Island in 1898.

Plant the Roots
Once you have cards completed for your immediate family, assist your child by writing several interview questions and have him or her practice with you. Now let the fun begin by interviewing extended family members. Ask them for help filling in missing dates or biographical information. These relatives are an excellent source for stories that bind the tree together. Looking at old family photos or scrapbooks can provide details concerning family customs or a particular family member's interests and talents.

If you aren't able to question family members, quality online resources do exist. Several church and government Web sites allow information searches. Another possibility is to type your family's last name and family, "Larson family", into your favorite search engine. You might discover several branches of your family tree are already online.

Branch Out
Since you've gathered facts and, possibly, some artifacts significant to your family, it's time to decide what type of tree you want to nurture. By searching online, you will be able to find a variety of predesigned genealogy charts. While these documents help organize information, they don't allow for creativity.

Do you remember the note cards you made? Lay them out, starting with your child as the tree trunk, and expand to include parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Now, you can draw a tree based on the shape of the cards. Paper or fabrics make a bold background; paints, crayons or fabric markers brighten the work of art. Put a face to a name by scanning family photos and placing them next to a name.

Dedicating a wall in the playroom for the tree is a great way to involve the children. Paint the trunk, use a sponge for leaves and add a little sunshine with family pictures. Or, if you like to sew, why not have your child help lay out the design as a quilt top and create a snuggly reminder of loved ones?

Since we live in the digital age, making a digital family tree, complete with videos of interviews, pictures and historical timelines would make a keepsake that lasts a lifetime. Slide-show- and movie-making programs will assist in making a simple sapling or a mighty red oak.