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Family Tree Worksheets

Customize family tree templates.

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

Why Family Tree Worksheets are a Useful Tool for the Classroom

Family trees can be a powerful tool for learning about familial history, relationships, and heritage, and our family tree creator can help bring them to life. Whether you're a teacher looking for a creative way to engage your students or a parent wanting to teach your children about their background, family tree example worksheets and templates can be an excellent resource. These activities offer a great opportunity to learn about histories and connections while also developing important skills such as research, organization, and critical thinking. With a variety of creative templates, worksheets, and online resources available, teachers and parents can easily incorporate this activity into their lesson plans to enrich the learning experience for children of all ages. With Storyboard That, it is easy to make a family tree template for any age group!

How to Structure Family Tree Classroom Activities

There are various ways to design custom templates. The design of the template may depend on factors such as the purpose of the activity, the age and skill level of the students, and the specific software or tools being used to create the template. Some templates may include a simple tree with spaces for names and dates, while others may have more elaborate designs with space for photos or illustrations of family members.

There are several creative ways to present family tree activities on templates and worksheets, such as:

• Use Different Shapes: Instead of the traditional tree shape, try using different shapes such as a house or a heart to represent the family tree.
• Use Colors: Try using different colors to represent different generations or branches. This can make the family tree charts visually appealing and a lot easier to understand.
• Add Pictures: Add pictures to the names and relations of family members to make it more engaging and personalized.
• Include Symbols: Use symbols such as hearts, stars, or arrows to represent relationships and connections between members.
• Use Timelines: Create a timeline-style family tree to show the progression of generations and key events in the family's history.
• Create a Collage: Have kids create a collage-style family tree by cutting out pictures and words from magazines and newspapers.
• Make it Interactive: Use online tools or software to create an interactive family tree that allows students to click on family members and learn more about them.

Overall, the key is to make the activity creative and engaging for students, while still conveying important information about history and relationships.

Family Tree Activity Ideas by Subject

• History and Genealogy: Family tree worksheets can be used to teach children about their history and genealogy, helping them understand their roots and their own background.
• Language Arts: These worksheets can also be used to teach vocabulary related to family members, relationships, and family history. Students can also write narratives about their relatives or use the family tree as a basis for creating characters in their writing.
• Social Studies: Family tree worksheets can be used to teach different structures and cultural traditions related to family.
• Science: The worksheets are used to teach students about genetics and inheritance, helping them understand how traits are passed down through generations.
• Visual Arts: Worksheets can be used as a basis for creating art projects, such as creating a collage of photos or drawing a portrait of a relative.

Family Tree Activity Ideas by Grade Level

Elementary school.

Create a Family Tree Collage: Provide your class with a blank family tree template and have them cut out and paste pictures of relatives onto the tree.

Family Interviews: Assign students to interview family members about their history and create a family tree worksheet based on the information they gather. This activity will not only teach them about relationships but also improve their interviewing skills.

Family Tree Game: Create a game where kids have to match relatives with their correct positions on a family tree. This activity will help them understand the different relationships within a group.

Middle School

Comparative Family Trees: Provide the class with a template and have them complete "make your own family trees" activities as well as the family tree of a historical figure or character from literature. They can compare and contrast the different structures and relationships.

Ancestry Research: Assign students to research their ancestry and create a family tree worksheet based on their findings. This activity will not only teach them about their own history but also improve their research skills.

Family Tree Art: Have children create an artistic representation of their family tree using symbols and imagery to represent relatives and relationships.

High School

Genogram Analysis: Introduce students to the concept of genograms and have them create a family tree worksheet using this method. They can analyze the different relationships and patterns of behavior.

Family History Project: Assign your class to research and create a detailed history project, including a family tree worksheet, historical context, and personal narratives. This activity will teach them about research skills, writing skills, and their personal history.

Cultural Family Trees: Have students research different cultures and create family tree worksheets based on the different family structures and relationships within those cultures. This activity will teach them about cultural diversity and the importance of family in different cultures.

Additional Family Tree Design Templates By Subject

Social Studies/History: Have students research their history and create a family tree. Encourage them to interview relatives and gather information about their ancestors. Discuss how family history can help us understand our own place in history. Use family tree activities as a way to teach about cultural traditions and how families pass them down through generations.

Science: Use family tree worksheets to teach about genetics and inheritance. Have kids fill in information about relative's traits and track how they are passed down through the generations.

Language Arts: Use family tree templates to teach about character development in literature. Have students create family trees for fictional characters and analyze how their relationships affect the plot.

Math: Use family tree worksheets to teach about data analysis and graphing. Have students collect data on the number of siblings, grandparents, or other relatives of their classmates and create a graph to display the data. Use family tree activities as a way to teach about probability and statistics, as students calculate the likelihood of certain genetic traits being passed down through generations.

Art: Use family tree templates to teach about visual storytelling. Have kids create a family tree that includes images of each family member and tells a story about their history.

Technology: Use a free family tree maker online or family tree generator tools to teach about digital tools and organization. Have students create digital family trees and use technology to organize and display the information.

Using Family Tree Templates in Foreign Language Lessons

By incorporating family tree worksheets into foreign language lessons, students can practice language skills while also learning about family structures and traditions in different cultures. Here are some suggestions on how to structure foreign language lessons using family tree worksheets:

• Conversation Practice: Have students use the family tree worksheet as a guide for practicing conversations in the foreign language. For example, have them ask and answer questions about their relatives using the appropriate vocabulary.
• Cultural Comparisons: Use the family tree worksheet as a way to compare and contrast family structures and traditions in different cultures. Have students research and fill in the worksheet with information about a family from another country, and then compare it to their own family tree.
• Writing Practice: Use the worksheet as a way to practice writing in the foreign language. Have students write a paragraph or essay about their family members, using the family tree as a guide.
• Creative Projects: Have students create a visual representation of their family tree, using pictures or symbols to represent each family member. This can be done using art supplies or computer software.

Creative Designs for Family Tree Activity Templates

• Create a family tree timeline. Instead of a traditional tree, create a timeline that shows the different generations of a family and their major life events, such as births, marriages, and deaths.
• Have kids create a "mini-biography" of a relative. In addition to the family tree, have students create a mini-biography of a family member, including their name, birthdate, occupation, and any interesting facts about them.
• Create a cookbook. Ask students to gather family recipes from their relatives and create a cookbook. Include photos and stories about the members who contributed each recipe.

How to Make a Family Tree Worksheet

Choose one of the premade family tree templates.

We have color, black and white, portrait, or landscape templates. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on "Copy Template"

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific questions and images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished with your worksheet, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Even More Storyboard That Resources and Free Printables

• Biography Poster Templates
• Timeline Poster Templates
• Biographies: Family Life
• History Project Ideas

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions about Family Tree Worksheets

What are some features to consider when creating a family tree worksheet template.

When you create family tree free worksheet templates, it's important to consider the size of the family, the number of generations, the types of relationships, and the design of the template. The template should be easy to read and follow, and it should have space for students to fill in their family information.

What should teachers avoid when assigning family tree activities in the classroom?

When assigning family tree activities in the classroom, teachers should avoid making assumptions about students' family structures or making the activity mandatory for all students. Teachers should be sensitive to the fact that some students may not have traditional family structures or may not feel comfortable discussing their family history. Additionally, teachers should avoid asking students to share personal or sensitive information about their families unless they have obtained parental consent.

What are some different ways to design family tree templates?

There are various ways to design family tree templates. The design of the template may depend on factors such as the purpose of the activity, the age and skill level of the students, and the specific software or tools being used to create the template. Some templates may include a simple tree with spaces for names and dates, while others may have more elaborate designs with space for photos or illustrations of family members. It is important for teachers to consider the needs of their students and the learning objectives of the activity when designing family tree templates.

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Modern and Inclusive Family Tree Project Ideas

The family tree project is something that’s been around for years. It has become a right of passage for most students in North America. For many, this is a chance to showcase their family, research their ancestors, and share where they come from. However, the family tree project can be triggering for students who do not have a traditional family. They may have a history of trauma, adoption, loss or death. Or they may have same sex parents or divorce with remarriage and new family members. As times and family units have changed, plus our understanding of childhood trauma, so must the family tree project change and become more inclusive. Let’s explore some inclusive alternatives to the family tree project .

Modern Family Tree Project Ideas

What you will discover in this article!

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First up, I want to say I totally understand the appeal a Family Tree Project can have. In fact, I LOVE the idea of genealogy, ancestry and tracing my family tree. Researching long lost relatives, exploring my family heritage, and learning my own history. I get that appeal. But I do have to strongly disagree that it should be a school project with rigid rules and constraints. IT should not be a project that excludes those that don’t fit in the traditional family “box” or have a family stories that are complex. The negative impacts on our children’s mental health are too great. And the educational goals of the Family Tree Project as a learning activity can be achieved through other means.

Lack of Trauma Informed Thinking

While doing research for this article I was incredibly frustrated by the lack of empathy, compassion and understanding presented by many resources on this topic. Perhaps because trauma informed education is such a strong focus for me, I wrongly assume all educators have at least a passing understanding of trauma and children’s mental health.

The idea that any teacher would force a student to do a project that could be incredibly damaging, trigger anxiety and PTSD, cause stress and fights in the home, and most of all force children to relive traumatic experiences in front of their peers and classmates, is sickening to me.

It is understandable that this project does provide an educational experience, but there is something that needs to be understood. Children that are struggling with mental health issues will struggle to learn. We need to put mental health first, school second . By avoiding projects that are particularly triggering for many vulnerable children, you will be setting children up for a stronger, more effective learning experience.

Which at the end of the day is what everyone wants. We simply want our children healthy and educated.

Trauma Through Generations

One aspect I think many miss in the discussion of the family tree project in classrooms is that research has shown that severe trauma alters the genetics of a person and they pass on that trauma to future generations.

It’s the study of epigenetics and you can read more about it here .

Understanding intergenerational trauma and how trauma can be passed down from grandparents to grand children, only highlights the importance of modernizing the traditional family tree project.

Understanding The Goal of the Family Tree Project

No child should ever be forced to do a traditional Family Tree Project for the classroom. Especially those that have nontraditional backgrounds or have experienced ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) . The goals of the assignment can be easily achieved using a number of different projects. All while supporting our most vulnerable students.

When deciding on a more suitable learning project to replace the family tree, the first thing a teacher needs to consider is the goal of the project. In most cases the goal is to teach kids a bit about history and research techniques.

It may also be a project intended to teach children more about themselves and their personal family history. Perhaps also how their own history ties into greater historical events and teachings. Personal connections can help children have a greater passion for a subject. For example, knowing Great-Grandfather fought in World War II, may make it much more interesting to learn about the war.

In some instances, the family tree is part of learning about immigration or family studies. It may also be used as a launching point for lessons in genetics and heredity.

Before you move forward with a family tree project in your classroom, examine the goals of your project, then see if you can come up with a more inclusive option for students. Something that will foster a sense of pride and self confidence and self love for the students themselves and their families. No matter how those family tree branches curve and twist.

Here are a few ideas for inclusive family tree projects.

Inclusive Family Tree Project Ideas

With all of this in mind, we used some creativity and came up with these unique family tree projects. All of these will still encourage children to break out the craft materials and create a great DIY project, while still respecting that for many kids, our chosen family is our true family.

Allow your students to create their own very important people tree. Have your students write the names of the important individuals in their lives on the branches and positive characteristics about them on the attached leaves. Sometimes students who have traumatic childhood experiences may struggle to think of positive adults in their lives. Encourage them to include anyone that matters to them, including friends, teachers, coaches, and people they admire.

Celebrity Family

In some foreign language classes, the family tree assignment has been a way to learn the names of family members in the studied language. This can also be used for English as a Second Language Learners. However, when coupled with a family tree, which requires students to share the names of their own family members, this assignment can be difficult and often heartbreaking for children dealing with trauma. Vocabulary and language can still be taught by using celebrities or a television show family. I have seen some adorable family trees with Mickey and Minnie Mouse (and other Disney characters as siblings and children) as well as other celebrity families.

Celebrity families can be a fantastic alternative to the traditional family tree project. It may not have the personal connection, but many students become very passionate about popular figures.

Autobiography Poem

Instead of focusing on the extended family, have your students share their own autobiographical poems. Each line should start with “I” and they may include where they are from, their family members (if they would like), adjectives to describe themselves, things they love to do, things they fear, and things they hope for. These poems are incredible ways for your students to express themselves. Often, older children who are dealing with trauma can find an outlet in writing, particularly about themselves.

Inspired by History Fictional Story

Ask students to write a short story about someone important to them. It could be an ancestor that lived through a major historical event, or it may be a modern family member that has a particular impact on the student. It doesn’t even need to be a biological family member. The story does not need to be 100% fact. Encourage students to do their research so their stories are based in fact, but allow them the flexibility to be creative in their story telling so they can create a compelling story. Even if it glosses over any problematic or stressful situations.

Classroom Community Garden

Your class may be the closest thing to a true family that some of your students have. School may be the place they feel the safest. Celebrate that with a community garden. Allow each student to create a flower or element of the garden that represents themselves. Have them write a brief message describing what they contribute to make your classroom garden grow and flourish. Post your community garden on a classroom bulletin board or wall. Your classroom family garden can be nurtured all year long.

A family tree project may seem like a rite of passage in school, but for many students it causes anxiety and pain. For students with adverse childhood experiences or nontraditional families, a family tree is more than just listing members of your family. We need to modernize the family tree project and make it a positive, affirming rite of passage for all children.

The goal is to create a project that allows children to explore themselves and their lives, in a safe way that doesn’t isolate them, but instead allows them to celebrate their unique life circumstances and those that are special to them. The family tree project can also be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate diversity, inclusion and the family unit.

These inclusive alternatives to the family tree project are important ways to keep all students in mind, whether they come from families dealing with divorce, death, adoption, foster care, or other situations. Try some of these alternate projects in your classroom.

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How to Make a Family Tree Diagram (+ Examples)

By Daleska Pedriquez , May 26, 2023

Family trees are created to show the ancestry and family history of an individual.

Making a family tree diagram can help you discover things about your past and feel more connected to your heritage.

Learn how to make a family tree diagram in this post and get examples from Venngage as well as a step-by-step guide on how to use our  Family Tree Maker .

Want to create a family tree diagram but not sure where to start? Check out our customizable family tree diagram templates to start off on the right path.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a family tree?

4 steps to make a family tree diagram.

• 5 family tree examples

FAQs about family tree diagrams

A family tree is a diagram that traces a person’s lineage by showing their ancestors and the generations of families that were built throughout the years.

Here is an example:

Based on its name, a family tree is structured like a tree, with the individual as the ‘root’ and their parents, grandparents, and ancestors making up the ‘leaves’ one level at a time.

In a family tree chart, lines are used to connect family members and portray their relationships. Each family member is represented by a shape like a box or a circle with usually their photo inside.

What is the history of making family tree diagrams?

Genealogy or the study of families was the earliest form and application of family trees.

Historically, in Western civilizations, family trees, also known as genealogy charts, were used to depict the ancestry of kings and nobles and verify their claims to royalty and power.

Family trees were maintained for years on end. The family tree of Confucius, for example, is already 2,500 years old and is recorded as the world’s largest family tree with 2 million known descendants.

Today, a genealogy chart is no longer just for aristocrats and important people, but for everyone to record their family history and maintain their family tree.

Should you create a family tree?

If you would like to know more about your family or you want to start recording your family history, then you should definitely make your own family tree.

It is also a great way to find out how your family story relates to important historical events.

More importantly, a family tree can help you identify genetic traits and conditions that run in your family. These are often referred to as genograms .

Related: 10+ Genogram Examples (and How to Create Them)

To start creating your family tree diagram, simply follow these steps:

Step 1: Research and prepare information

The first thing you need to do before you start drawing your family tree is to gather information about your family. You can check official birth records and DNA test results or simply talk to a relative or any member of your family who has knowledge about your ancestry.

The first thing you need to do before you start drawing your family tree is to gather information about your family. In addition to checking official birth records and conversing with relatives knowledgeable about your ancestry, considering DNA testing can provide profound insights. For those of Asian descent, you can discover your Asian heritage with these DNA tests , offering a detailed exploration of your ancestral roots.

Depending on how much information you will be able to acquire, it should help you determine how big and how detailed you want your family tree to be. Decide on how many generations you want to include and what information you will display for each family member, such as maiden name, year of birth, and role in the family.

Step 2: Draft your family tree drawing

To draw your family tree, start with a box representing yourself or the ancestor you want to begin with. Family trees can be diagrammed either from the top, bottom or horizontally as long as the root will always be yourself.

Here is an example of a family tree that’s drawn horizontally:

Add more boxes until all your family members have been included. Instead of drawing by hand, save time by using an intuitive design tool like Venngage’s  Family Tree Maker  to create your family tree. It is specifically made for both designers and non-designers alike so it is extremely easy to use.

Venngage’s  Family Tree Maker  can help you better visualize your family tree through its user-friendly editor with drag-and-drop features. It allows you to change and connect shapes, add labels, and edit colors and other design elements in a matter of seconds.

Venngage also has dozens of free diagrams and templates that you can customize to make the process even faster and easier.

Step 3: Label the leaves of the tree

Most family trees usually outline up to four generations only to make them easier to understand. That said, make sure that family members and their relationships with each other are clearly illustrated by labeling each box or ‘leaf’ correctly.

Indicate names and roles and any additional information you think may be relevant. Use lines to display relationships between spouses and connect parents with direct descendants like children and grandchildren.

Step 4: Design your family tree diagram

Now, this is the part where you enhance and finalize your family tree. Use family photos to add faces to the people you are trying to introduce with your tree. Color-coordinate shapes, lines, or labels to group generations, differentiate deceased from living relatives, and create a distinction between different relationships.

To make your family tree more attractive and engaging, you can design it with icons, graphics, illustrations, or backgrounds – all of which are provided for free in Venngage’s library. You can also make use of a family tree softwar e to streamline research and access to valuable resources.

Venngage also has a business feature called  My Brand Kit  that enables you to add your company’s logo, color palette, and fonts to all your designs with a single click.

For example, you can make a family tree diagram template reflect your brand design by uploading your brand logo, fonts, and color palette using Venngage’s branding feature.

Not only are Venngage templates free to use and professionally designed, but they are also tailored for various use cases and industries to fit your exact needs and requirements.

A business account also includes the  real-time collaboration feature , so you can invite members of your team to work simultaneously on a project.

Venngage allows you to share your family tree online as well as download it as a PNG or PDF file. That way, your design will always be presentation-ready.

5 Family Tree examples

Here are some family tree examples for inspiration that you can use to create a family tree:

1. Simple family tree

This simple family tree template has a distinguishable tree-like shape and features such as branches and colors. It is editable in Microsoft Excel and Word.

2. Ancestry family tree

If you want a unique and more effectively illustrated family tree, this is the template you’re looking for. It has a horizontal layout with the starting point placed in the middle and extending to the left and right to better display ancestors from both sides of the family:

3. Blank family tree

For a more organized and unified family tree, this template is what you should use. It focuses on the structure of the tree and the arrangement of its parts through clearly defined connections and allotting only small spaces for each family member:

4. Graphic family tree

Here’s a template that you can use if you want to represent family members with icons or graphic illustrations instead of photos. It also uses roles as labels instead of names, which is more effective at portraying relationships.

5. Four generation family tree

Last but not least, here’s a perfect example of a family tree that depicts four generations of family members. If you want your family tree diagram to focus on distant relatives instead of immediate family members, then this template will come in handy:

How can you make a family tree diagram with Venngage?

Venngage’s  Family Tree Maker  lets you create a family tree diagram in 4 simple steps:

• Sign up to create an account and use the Family Tree Maker for free
• Choose a free template from Venngage’s Templates library
• Edit the template to create new shapes, reconnect the lines, add labels, and upload your own images or choose free stock photos and graphics from our library
• Download your family tree as a PDF or PNG file or share it online with your family and friends

Is there a template for a family tree?

There are many family tree templates available online. However, using Venngage’s templates means you can also use the smart editor for free and not have to download or purchase a graphic design software just to edit a template. Venngage also offers a Genogram Maker .

How do you start a family tree online?

You can use a variety of online design platforms and software to create a family tree but they may require you to purchase plans and templates. Fortunately, Venngage is a free tool and has free templates to help you create a family tree without any restrictions.

What program do you use to make a family tree?

When it comes to creating a family tree, you have plenty of options including traditional tools like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. Check out this blog for the top family tree software picks.

However, if you’re looking for a user-friendly and visually appealing experience, consider Venngage! Venngage provides customizable family tree templates , allowing you to personalize and showcase your family connections with ease. The easy-to-use interface simplifies the process, making it easy for anyone to create a unique and engaging family tree.

Create a family tree using Venngage’s Family Tree Maker to better visualize family relationships

Making a family tree diagram can help you learn about your family history and understand the connections between family members. Use Venngage’s  Family Tree Maker  to create a well-defined family tree.

The Best Free Family Tree Templates for Microsoft Word and Excel

Researching your family tree can be an interesting project. Start with these family tree templates for Microsoft Word and Excel.

Most of us are familiar with a couple of generations within our families. But we all know that everyone's family history goes back much further than that.

There are websites available that can help you research your ancestors. So if you'd like to create your own family tree, with the details you already have, that you can build on with your research, these templates are ideal.

Here are several terrific family tree templates for Microsoft Word and Excel for both adults and kids.

1. Family Tree Templates for Adults

Depending on how many generations you plan or are able to include in your family tree, one of these templates is sure to be a great fit.

Five-Generation Family Tree Chart

Since the templates we're providing are for Word and Excel, there's no better place to begin than with one from Microsoft Office.

This five-generation family tree template is available for download or for use in Excel Online. It's a very basic chart with boxes, lines, and nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

Start by adding yourself, and then work your way through the generations. There's plenty of space to include first and last names, titles, birthdates, or years. So you have the flexibility to include only those details you want.

Download: Microsoft Office Online (Free, available as an Excel file)

Three-Generation Family Tree Generator

Another template from Microsoft Office for Excel, this one builds a family tree for you. You'll begin on the Family Members tab by entering three generations with spouses, parents, and children.

When you finish typing in your details, click the Create Family Tree button. Then hop over to the Family Tree tab to see your creation.

This is a nice Excel spreadsheet template and family tree generator because you can easily change your tree with the click of a button as your family grows.

A family tree is a useful resource for tracing the history of a particular family, and it can also serve as a kind of timeline for aggregating birth/age data about your family members. Here's how you can calculate the exact age using Excel formulae and other methods.

Six-Generation Family Tree Template

If you want to go back six generations on your family tree, then check out this template from Vertex42. Similar to the first basic template from Microsoft Office, this one is structured the same way and has room to add names, dates, and more. The Example tab includes a neat sample, and you'll see that it also includes the states of residence for each person.

As a bonus, you can add a small photo next to each family member. Although the pictures will appear tiny in the Excel sheet, this is a cool option if you plan to print your family tree.

Download: Vertex42 (Free, available as an Excel file)

Four-Generation Family Tree Template

For a neatly structured, landscape view template for Word, this template can accommodate four generations of your family members.

You need to simply write down the names of your family members in the oval-shaped text box. And if you need to add more people, you can use the simple editing features in Word to copy and paste the fields and connecting lines.

Download: Template Archive (Free, available as a Word file)

Four-Generation Family Tree Generator

To take this list of templates for adults up a notch, have a look at this next one from Template Archive as well. The template is free and has tons of extras in addition to the Excel family tree generator.

Go through each of the labeled tabs and enter the names of both your maternal and paternal family members. Those names will automatically populate to create your family tree in the same-named tab.

What makes this family tree template stand out, aside from filling in the names for you, is that each tab contains nicely displayed details. You can add photos, notes, and information about each child.

In addition, you can click the Details buttons on the family tree to head right to that person's tab. And reversely, you can click the Back to Tree button on a tab to go right back to that person's spot on the tree.

If you're interested in an attractive family tree template and generator with bonus features, this is it.

Download: Template Archive (Free, available as an Excel file)

2. Family Tree Templates for Kids

Maybe your child has a school project, or you simply want to do a project together at home. These nifty family tree templates are excellent options for kids. They don't go back several generations like those for adults, but they offer visually fun ways for your child to view the family tree.

12-Member & 20-Member Family Trees

TemplateLab has an enormous collection of family tree templates for both adults and children. For little kids specifically, these are two really cute choices for Word. The apple design gives you 12 spots for family members. With a neat apple for each person, you can type in everyone's name or use the spaces for photos instead.

The other tree has spots for 20 family members if your clan is a bit bigger. This family tree template is designed more for written names rather than photos.

Download: Template Lab (Free, available as a Word file)

15-Member Family Tree Template

One more template from Template Archive that's great for kids is this 15-member family tree for Microsoft Word.

It has a nice, casual but colorful look that an older child might really like. You can easily enter everyone's name and include extra details like birthdates and locations if you want.

For additional family members, you can add more boxes using Word's SmartArt Text feature. Just click on the chart and when the window pops open, use the plus sign to add another name box. You can also use the arrows to rearrange the boxes and move family members to the right spots.

3. More Templates for Extended Family Trees

Template.net offers almost 20 family tree templates for kids, including these two fun options for children designed for Word. However, you might need to pay on a one-off or sign up for an annual subscription. Let's take a look at some of them below:

13-Member Family Tree Template

One template has hand-drawn, cartoon-style images of all family members, from grandparents to children. You can simply swap out the names for those of your own family.

The other template is ideal for photos. Pop in a picture for each person from your computer or print it out first and then glue them on. You can type or write each family member's name right beneath their photograph.

If you enjoy finding out about your family tree, then researching your origins online is a good way to get started. Take a look at some of these free genealogy websites, which offer quick and easy ways to begin uncovering your ancestry.

Blended Family Tree Template

Blended families are families that include children from other relationships, and this template is for those who have created new families with people who may have children from previous marriages. It’s designed to show you how to combine the two families into one tree.

However, blended family trees can also be used for adoption situations.

Plant Your Family Tree With a Template

From small families to large ones, there's a family tree template on this list that should be exactly what you need. And since learning more about your heritage can be informative and fun at the same time, this type of project is relaxing for you and your child to do together.

We're sure that the templates on this list will help you create a wonderful keepsake that you can use now or pass down for generations to come.

10 Ways to Rethink the Family Tree Project – And Be More Inclusive to All Students!

by Laura Hudgens

The family tree project that many of us remember doing as kids can be a fun way for students to learn research skills. It can also spark a child’s interest in their personal history or provide a creative way for students to share information and stories about their family with classmates. Unfortunately, for students who are adopted, in foster care, or who come from non-traditional homes, the family tree assignment can be uncomfortable. 

If you are looking for ways for your students to learn and share about the people they love, check out these alternatives to family tree projects.

Focus on traditions, not genetics.

By looking at family traditions, students can share what is unique or interesting about their household—no matter what their family situation is like. Students can also look outside their own experience and learn about other people’s family traditions.

1. Write about or give a presentation on one of your family traditions or pastimes.

It can be something as elaborate as a Bar Mitzvah or a confirmation or as simple as Sunday morning pancakes or Friday night movie night. Whatever it is, it will give students a chance to reflect on what their family holds dear and why.

2. Research family traditions from around the world .

Ask students to write about a tradition they would like to start in their own family and why.

Interview someone (anyone!) about family life.

By giving them the option of interviewing family members or non-relatives about family life, students can gain insight into other people’s experiences.

3. Interview someone about their family history.

This person doesn’t have to be related to the student. After all, learning things about other people’s families is fun too.

4. Interview several different types of family members from any family.

Students can talk to mothers, fathers, older siblings, younger siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Encourage students to ask questions about each family member’s role, their responsibilities, or their favorite and least favorite things about that role.

Look at history.

Giving a family-themed lesson a historical spin is an excellent way to bring history to life.

5. Choose significant events in history and research connections to family members or family friends who were alive then.

My mother’s Great Aunt Zelda was alive during the Great Depression. Our next-door neighbor’s great great grandmother was a suffragette. This is a great way to give major historical events some context.

6. Research the family history of someone famous.

Knowing the background of historical figures can sometimes make them seem more real and more relatable. Additionally, finding out a famous person came from humble or troubled circumstances inspires students to rise above their own challenges.

Record family data, rather than family history.

Combine data analysis and family research in a way that is less personal and exclusive than a family tree assignment but still allows students to learn things about the people they live with.

7. Gather random facts about the members of your household and record the data.

Have students survey family or household members about things like whether or not they like pineapple on pizza, if they prefer cats or dogs, or if they eat the cake first or the frosting. They can then record these statistics– 75 percent of my family members prefer dogs over cats or 5 out of 6 people in my household do not like pineapple on pizza.

8. Create a test for skills that are not necessarily genetic and record the results.

Have students ask members of their family or household to do things like answer riddles , shoot baskets, or recite tongue twisters and keep track of which family members possess which skills. They can even document which family members can roll their tongue since that actually has nothing to do with genetics . But if students are really interested in genetics (or superpowers), have them explore these fascinating gene mutations.

Get creative!

Allow students to come up with fun and interesting ways to look at families and family life.

9. Make up a family tree.

Begin with a single fictitious person or couple and let students give them a family history full of fascinating, funny, or sinister relatives.

10. Create alien family traditions.

Allow students to imagine life in a family from a planet and galaxy of their own creation. What holidays do they celebrate and how? How do they celebrate births and commemorate deaths? What rituals do they observe as a part of family life?

Just as there is no one-size-fits-all family. There is no one-size-fits-all assignment when it comes to learning and sharing about family life. The family tree assignment can be fun and fascinating for many students, but providing alternatives respects the feelings and circumstances of all learners.

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Family Tree Templates

Printable family tree templates - pdf, doc.

Our selection of printable family tree templates can be downloaded for free in PDF and Microsoft Word file formats. You can use any of the blank family tree templates to make your own version for your family members.

A common way of visually showing the relationship between generations is to use a family tree. If you've ever wondered why it's called a family tree, the answer has to do with the way a normal tree is structured. While the roots are considered the ancestors, the branches are the children. One thing you have to keep in mind when making a family tree chart is to also allow the future members of your family to add their own names to the family tree.

6 Blank Family Tree Templates

A family tree can provide a simple way of visualizing a person's family history and ancestors. The following blank family tree templates can help you with easily showcasing the members of your family in pleasant and original manner.

• Blank Family Tree Template

• 5 Generation Family Tree Template

• 4 Generation Family Tree Template

• 3 Generation Family Tree Many Siblings Template

• Family Tree for Children

• 5 Generation Family Tree Siblings Template

Which Type of Family Tree Template Should I Choose?

There are multiple types of family tree charts with the most popular one being the ancestor chart or ancestor tree. It's in ascending order, which means it usually starts from the bottom with the name of the person making it(you) and it goes upwards listing the parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so forth, depending on the number of generations are required. Other types of family trees include hourglass charts, the starting person is in the middle with the parents and grandparents above and the children and grandchildren below. Another known one is a family unit history or family group record which details a couple's information including names, dates and places of birth, dates and places of death, marriage and their children.

So if you're unsure or your school assignment doesn't specify it's best to go and pick one of the ancestor chart templates.

8 Family Tree Chart Examples

Depending on how many generations have to be listed in your family tree we have chosen the most popular ones: 4 generation family trees, 5 generation family trees, 6 generation family trees and for those that need to go back further, 7 generation family trees.

• 6 Generation Ancestor Chart Details

• 7 Generation Ancestor Chart

• 5 Generation Ancestor Chart

• 7 Generation Ancestor Info Chart

• 4 Generation Ancestor Chart

• Family Unit Chart

• 6 Generation Ancestor Chart Template

• Blended Family Tree Template

4 Generation Pedigree Chart

How to make a family tree template.

In the case of an ancestor tree your name(the name of the person making the family tree) should be at the bottom(or left) and the name of the parents, grandparents and maybe great-grandparents should expand upwards or towards the right. If you choose one our free family tree templates you don't have to worry about this because most of them are labeled.

For a basic family tree the information you have to gather includes the names of your parents and grandparents. If you need to add your siblings then the names of your brothers and/or sisters are also necessary. For a multiple generations family tree the great-grandparents and maybe even the great-great-grandparents will be needed. If you're planning to make an extended family tree then the names of your uncles, aunts and cousins are required.

9 Sample Family Tree Templates

Apple Family Tree Template

• 3 Generation Family Tree Template

• Family Tree With 4 Siblings Template

• Family Tree With Aunts, Uncles and Cousins Template

• Family History Tree Template

• Family Tree With Cousins Template

• Adoptive Family Tree Template

• 4 Generation Family Tree Many Siblings Template

• Simple Family Tree Template
• Family Tree Template for Kids
• Ancestor Sheet Template
• Adoptive Family Tree With Siblings Template
• Picture Frame Family Tree Template
• Apple Family Tree
• Family Tree Chart
• Family Tree Worksheet

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Family Tree Lesson Plans

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Family tree lesson plans help teachers and students bring history to life, through the important steps and principles of family history research. These genealogy lesson plans help teachers and students trace their family tree, understand immigrant origins , explore history in the cemetery, discover world geography and investigate genetics.

Find and create interactive learning activities for your students with primary source documents that promote historical thinking skills. The website provides ready-to-use tools for teaching with documents in the classroom, as well as thousands of primary source documents selected from the National Archives to help you tailor the lesson to your students.

Little House in the Census & Other Lesson Plans from the National Archives

The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration offers dozens of lesson plans from all eras of U.S. history, complete with documents. One popular example is the Little House in the Census lesson plan, with pages from the 1880 and 1900 census schedules, teaching activities, and links related to the family of author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Ancestors Teachers Guide

This free guide was developed in conjunction with the

Ancestors television series from PBS to help teachers and students in grades 7-12 actively discover their ancestors. It introduces important steps and principles of genealogy research and provides family history assignments. television series from PBS to help teachers and students in grades 7-12 actively discover their ancestors. It introduces important steps and principles of genealogy research and provides family history assignments.

History Hunters Cemetery Tour

This elementary lesson plan makes an interesting field trip to the local cemetery or is easily adaptable to a regular classroom setting when exploring topics in state and local history. From the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Design Your Own Coat of Arms Lesson Plan

This lesson plan, most easily adapted to an Art or Social Studies curriculum, introduces students to the history of a Coat of Arms and some traditional heraldic designs, by encouraging them to design their own Coat of Arms and then interpret each other's designs.

All in the Family: Discover Relatives & Genetic Connections

In this lesson from the New York Times , students develop family genealogy charts in search of noticeable genetic relationships between relatives. , students develop family genealogy charts in search of noticeable genetic relationships between relatives.

Climbing the Family Tree: A Jewish Genealogy Lesson Plan

This lesson plan/lecture outline by Yigal Rechtman introduces Jewish genealogy myths and methods for reconstructing an ancestor's life, with accompanying teachers' notes. The scope includes both genealogy in the United States, as well as Jewish genealogy in Eastern Europe.

Cemeteries are Historical, Not Solely Grave

The New York Times shares a Social Studies or Language Arts lesson examining graveyards as historical sites for students in grades 6-12. shares a Social Studies or Language Arts lesson examining graveyards as historical sites for students in grades 6-12.

Listening to History

This lesson plan from Edsitement is designed to help students explore oral history by conducting interviews with family members. Recommended for students in grades 6-8.

Coming to America - Immigration Builds a Nation

Discover the United States all over again as you introduce your students to the two major waves of immigration that brought 34 million people to our nation's shores and spurred the greatest period of national change and growth. Part of a series of lesson plans from EducationWorld.

Planning a School or Community Archives

Practical suggestions from The Montana Heritage Project on establishing and maintaining a school or community archives or historical collection. An excellent school or district-wide project.

History in the Heartland: Lesson Plans

Classroom activities from History in the Heartland, a project of Ohio State University and the Ohio Historical Society, offers dozens of lesson plans and primary source document activities based on Ohio Social Studies Academic Content Standards. Several are related to genealogy and immigration.

Genealogy: Coming to America

This free lesson plan, just one of many created by FirstLadies.org, focuses on Ida McKinley's great grandparents who emigrated from England, Scotland and Germany prior to the opening of Ellis Island. In this lesson, students will learn about the history of their family as it relates to the history of the United States and the world.

The Third Grader's 1850 Census

This suggested project by Michael John Neill uses a family group chart to explore the census and to interpret old handwriting. The exercise leads to map reading and ends with more genealogy exercises for children.

This is Your Life

In this set of three activities, students in grades 7-12 create family trees, interview a family member, and share childhood treasures.

The Valley of the Shadow

The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War by historian Edward L. Ayers of the University of Virginia allows students to compare and contrast a Northern town with a Southern one before, during, and after the Civil War.

What is History? Timelines & Oral History

To understand that history is made up of many people’s stories of the past, students interview family members about the same event and compare the different versions, construct a personal history timeline and connect it to larger historical events, and synthesize eyewitness testimony from different sources to create their own “official” account. Grades K-2.

Where I Come From

Students take research into their heritage a step beyond the construction of a family tree in this Edsitement lesson, traveling through cyberspace to find out what's happening in their ancestral homelands today. Grades 3-5.

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services – Lesson Plans & Activities

USCIS offers lesson plans with instructions and teaching strategies for the novice and seasoned ESL instructors preparing students for U.S. citizenship, including interactive games and activities.

Tracing Immigrant Ancestors

This assignment is designed to teach students the concept of immigration and how to connect events in history with the movement of their ancestors, as well as develop a better understanding of the United States as a melting pot. Appropriate for grades 5-11.

UK National Archives - Resources for Teachers

Designed for teachers, this online resource is designed to tie in with the History National Curriculum from Key Stages 2 to 5 and contains a varied range of sources, lessons, and tutorials from the holdings of the Public Records Office in the UK.

My Piece of History

Students examine pictures of household objects from the late 20th century, gather historical information about them from older family members, and then create an in-class exhibit of historical objects from their own homes. Grades K-2.

Library and Archives Canada - For Teachers

Lesson plans, teacher resources and more from Library & Archives Canada to help students appreciate their own personal past by identifying significant people, places and events.

• Daily Planning Questions: Tools for the Secondary Classroom
• Free Family Tree Charts
• How to Begin Tracing Your Family Tree
• Getting Your Lesson Plans Done More Quickly
• 10 Steps for Finding Your Family Tree Online
• 10 Educational Opportunities for Genealogists
• Writing Lesson Plans in the Self-Contained Classroom
• 19 Places to Research Your Family Tree for Free
• Topics for a Lesson Plan Template
• 10 Free High-Interest Lessons - Architecture for All Ages
• 10 Top Genealogy Questions and Answers
• The Whys and How-tos for Group Writing in All Content Areas
• Researching Famous (or Infamous) Ancestors
• Content Area Nights that Create Opportunities for Parent Engagement
• What Is GIS and How to Use It in Education
• Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestor

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Rethinking the family tree and other tough assignments, school projects that focus on family or personal history can be challenging or painful for our children. learn why, and what you can do to create a more inclusive environment for your child and all of his classmates..

The first day of school arrives, and you’re already apprehensive about your son’s transition to kindergarten less than a year after he joined your family—when the teacher emails instructions to bring in a baby picture as a getting-to-know-you activity. Or, you’ve made it through the first weeks and are settling back into the school-year routine when your third-grader opens her homework folder one night to find a “My Family Tree” template.

In school, children are taught to work hard and gain recognition for their abilities and achievements, yet these kinds of assignments put the spotlight on them for personal, perhaps sensitive, reasons. What’s more, it is probably not a spotlight they sought.

Every child, of course, has a different story, with different concerns and triggers. Some students decide how they want to complete a sticky project , and do so, with few concerns. Others may attempt the project, but feel confused, embarrassed, divided in their loyalties to their birth or adoptive families, or worry that it’s inaccurate or incomplete. Still others may find such assignments painful, or nearly impossible. As an adoption therapist, I’ve worked with several adult adoptees who describe being forced to complete assignments that weren’t adoption-sensitive as traumatic.

The teacher may have assigned projects like these for years, thinking nothing of them. What do you do? First, talk with your child. Ask how the assignment makes him feel, what he would like the teacher and his classmates to know or not know, and, together, what you will do. Then, be an advocate for your child and talk with the teacher. In most cases, when the teacher learns of the distress the assignment is causing your child, he or she will share your concern. Ask the teacher if she would be open to removing the assignment from the curriculum altogether, or revising it for the entire class so that it’s inclusive and respectful for all family types . Don’t let the teacher make your child the exception, saying that he can complete the assignment in a different way from the rest of the class, as this will only make your child feel singled out.

Here are the most common school assignments that can be problematic for children who were adopted , why this is the case, and alternatives you can suggest.

The Family Tree

This assignment may compel a child to focus on his adoptive family, and then feel like the information is not quite true, or choose his birth family, and worry about missing information or hurting his parents. A child who was adopted from foster care may know some birth family members’ names, but may not be able to ask them questions to fill in most of the assignment. These can be just as complicated for many other types of families these days, including families with divorced parents, blended, and single-parent families. If you get stuck with the family tree , there are many ways you can modify the assignment.

• For a Family Forest , the child creates multiple trees, rather than just one with numerous branches. This works well for children in many non-traditional family structures. For my child, it would be one tree for me, one for his Samoan mom, and one for his Samoan dad.
• Another alternative that’s well-suited to adoptive families is a single family tree with Roots and Branches . The child is the trunk of the tree, and both families are represented. However this might be more difficult if there is divorce or separation in either family.
• A more simplified, less artistic option I have seen is a Family Wheel . The child places himself in the middle, then can divide the wheel into as many “pie slices” as he needs, and can include foster families as well as adoptive and birth families.
• One of the adult adoptees I spoke with suggested that, if there is a need for a genealogy assignment, an actual Genogram might be in order. The benefit of the genogram is that it is designed with specific symbols for adoption, foster care, emotional relationships, and more, allowing the child to clearly connect his or her two families. While a genogram can get quite in depth, highlighting relational and psychological patterns in a family, it does not have to include that level of detail.

Family and Baby Photos

Sharing photos is an assignment that is usually meant to be fun, but can be distressing for children who were adopted. Many of these children do not have access to baby photos; their youngest photo of themselves may be of them as a toddler…a preschooler…a 14-year-old. Some children’s only baby photo is a referral photo, which looks quite different from the hospital blanket-wrapped photos of their classmates.

Family photos can be just as distressing as they can highlight that the child does not look like other members of her family. Or, children who have a relationship with birth family may want to bring in photos of both families, which may invite curious questions.

Instead of asking children to bring in baby photos, all of the students can draw themselves as babies. Keep in mind that this can be a trigger for some children, as well, though an infant self-portrait can also provide insight for a therapist or attuned parent.

Personal Timeline or Autobiography

Asking a child to create a personal timeline could stir up many distressing memories and feelings. Some children may not know their own history for periods of several years—where they were, who they were with, or what they were doing. Other children may have all of the information, but the truth is painful and not something they wish to share with peers. A timeline can make a child’s adoptive status or multiple foster placements very public, forcing the child to be faced with difficult questions. Even if the child is comfortable with adoption, he may not want peers to know that he has only been with his family for a short period, or that he has been with his family for years but the adoption was only recently finalized.

Instead of a personal timeline, have the students chart one current event from each year of their lives , create a timeline for a historical or fictional character , or have each of the students contribute one event to a class timeline .

Culture Presentation

Most children who are new to their families and the United States are desperately working to integrate and fit in. They may not appreciate being identified as different. For other children, who left their birth countries as infants, or even as older children, it is inappropriate to call on them as “experts” on that country’s culture. My child left his birth country when he was six, and no six-year-old is going to be an expert on a culture. Such assignments can highlight what they do not know about their country of origin, causing feelings of disconnection and questions about identity or “authenticity.”

In general, I suggest teachers allow children to volunteer or choose any country they would like to present on.

Immigration

History lessons on immigration may cause distress surrounding missing information, feelings of isolation, a crisis surrounding identity, and more. Immigration is also a hot-button topic in the news these days, and personal feelings, or the way other students hear their parents talk about it at home, can come out in social studies class. While children who were born in other countries and joined their families through international adoption are immigrants, they may not understand that or think of themselves in that way, and may not want that highlighted.

Children who were adopted domestically or through foster care may not know from what country their birth ancestors emigrated, leaving them feeling helpless, different from their peers, and reminded of personal information and cultural connections they do not have. It is also helpful for teachers to remember that children that were adopted have more than one family.

Rather than report on their own family’s immigration story, students could write about a historical or current-day public figure .

Genetics lessons, such as charting eye color, hair color, or other features through their families, can be confusing, frustrating, or even sad for children who were adopted and do not look like their parents.

Instead, teachers can use animals as examples (rather than the students’ families or any people) when teaching these science lessons.

Presenting the Project

Such autobiographical projects often involve multiple stages—completing the project at home, and then sharing it with the class . Even when a child works on the project with little or no confusion or distress, the class presentation can open the child up to difficult questions from peers.

Speak with your child before his presentation day and make sure that he knows that it’s OK to not answer a question that he feels is too personal. Even the idea of being asked questions by peers may create major anxiety for some children. Teachers need to intervene and redirect or stop the questions if the student in the spotlight is uncomfortable (or, ideally, before that happens). They should also be prepared for a child who willingly shares stories of a difficult past that may be uncomfortable for other students.

As parents, we can’t wish away painful experiences in our child’s past. But, with your input and assistance, your child’s teacher can become adoption sensitive for your child, and all the adoptees he or she will teach in years to come. And as your child sees you advocating on her behalf, she will learn that her adoption story is hers to share or keep private, that adoptive families are just another type of family structure, and to speak out when she needs to .

Copyright © 1999-2024 Adoptive Families Magazine®. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

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Family Tree Project: Teaching Students About their History & Heritage

As we approach Thanksgiving, it is common to discuss the first settlers, Native Americans, and the history of America. Since the first settlers, the United States has been a multi-cultural nation. What a great time to discuss, explore, and research the ethnicities and cultures that makes us unique.

As part of studying the different cultures of America, encourage students to investigate their own heritage. Where did their ancestors come from? To which ethnic groups did their ancestors belong? Set up a “Heritage” corner in your classroom. Have students bring recipes, stories, photographs, etc. that relate to their family’s heritage to share with their classmates.

As you know, making learning personal, keeps students interested! Use these resources and interview questions to help students build their family tree and map their family’s story. They will be working on geography, history, and research skills, all while learning about themselves.

Helpful Resources There are a number of resources that will be helpful to you. Below are two excellent publications for you use. The first is the official Ellis Island Handbook which addresses specific ethnic groups and offers suggestions for tracing lineages, such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Jewish Americans. It includes a history and meaning of the names as well as a step-by-step process to tracing one’s heritage.

Do People Grow in Family Trees?: Genealogy for Kids & Other Beginners . The official Ellis Island Handbook by Ira Wolfman

Roots for Kids, A Genealogy Guide for Young People by Susan Provost Beller

Getting Students Started Help students get started learning and researching their roots by having them interview their parents and grandparents. Have students write a letter to distant relatives. Or they can record their interviews with family members who they live near.

Interview Questions: – Where and when were you born? – Where were your parents born? When? – What do you remember about your childhood? – What things did you and your family do? – Do you know any stories about other members of your family that are interesting? – What was the biggest historical event that happened when you were a child? How did it effect you?

Family Tree Have students make a family tree. How far back can they go? You will need a large piece of paper. Follow these steps { free download }. For each person write: name, date or year born, and where.

1. Start with your name and information; put your name in the middle. 2. Then add your brothers and sisters next to your name. 3. Above you, add your parents. 4. Above each of your parents, add their parents (your grandparents). 5. Then add your great grandparents. 6. Continue adding to your family tree as you find out more about your ancestors.

Map Your Heritage

Use this hands-on geography activity to show students’ their family’s journey. They will use the information they learned from their interviews and family tree to help them see exactly where their family came from. Have students start on the map with their oldest ancestor on their family tree. Where was he/she born? Have students mark that location by drawing a star or placing a pin in the spot. Where was the next person born?  …and so on. A line should begin to be formed leading to where the student was born. Some students will need a map of the world, while other students will need a map United States or their specific state.

Even More Depending on your students’ grade and interest level, this activity can be stretched and expanded into many different educational activities–as you know, making learning personal, keeps students interested! – History Report – students can draw connections between their family and historical events. – Research Heritage – research, write, and present – Create a Timeline – show major historical events and how they correlate to different family members – Creative Writing – write a letter to or from an ancestor

Parts of this activity are adapted from Remedia’s Native Americans Unit : Embracing and understanding cultural differences. From information about America’s regional Indian tribes, to the languages, symbols, and legends of the Native American culture, this book’s cross-curriculum activities will teach students about this country’s “First Americans.”

Activities include reading, comprehension, language arts, math, social studies, critical thinking, following directions, and listening skills.

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14 fascinating teacher interview questions for principals, tips for success if you have a master’s degree and can’t find a job, 14 ways young teachers can get that professional look, which teacher supplies are worth the splurge, 8 business books every teacher should read, conditional admission: everything you need to know, college majors: everything you need to know, 7 things principals can do to make a teacher observation valuable, 3 easy teacher outfits to tackle parent-teacher conferences, time to rethink family tree assignments.

Most of us recall dreading family tree homework sometime in our academic careers. Maybe you made a handprint tree when you were a preschooler or wrote down your parents on an assignment for Spanish class. It’s a typical task for a crucial school subject, family. However, in 2020, our kids will come from a broader range of households, making these kinds of activities uncomfortable and exclusive.

It’s time to look beyond family trees and consider more varied choices. There are several reasons why the family tree assignment has to be reconsidered:

Every Family is Unique.

Everybody knows families are more than just a mother, a father, and 2.5 kids. Why then do our family trees still show that pattern? Schools shouldn’t make kids complete a project that excludes step, adoptive, and foster families, LGBTQ families, and multigenerational families.

Children value their families. They feel excluded if they don’t find the representation of their own family in the curriculum. Additionally, a pupil who doesn’t feel at home at school may struggle academically.

Access to Family Information is Not Universal.

Family history research is frequently required of students for family tree projects, but not everyone can do it. Kids in adoptive and foster families may not have infant photographs or know how to sketch a coat of arms with a flag representing their ancestral country. And it goes beyond the assignment’s failure, which is already stressful enough. The more nuanced emotions kids may have due to being reminded of what they don’t know, the greater the harm.

Family Tree Assignments Do Not Include Trauma.

We must remember that not every student comes from a happy household. Numerous of our pupils have endured abuse and neglect. Activities centered around family trees can make children with horrific childhood experiences anxious and develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Exposure to their personal life might also leave children open to bullying and exclusion. The health and welfare of our pupils should always come first.

Move On to More Inclusive Initiatives.

This does not imply that we shouldn’t discuss families in the classroom. We should and can. Simply said, we need to be more careful about the things we plan. Try the Welcoming Schools lesson “Circles of Caring Community,” which highlights all the benevolent people in kids’ life. Other wonderful alternatives for students to talk about themselves and the significant individuals in their lives outside of a conventional family tree assignment include “autobio” and “Where I’m From” poems.

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Creating a Family

Supporting Adoptive, Foster, & Kinship Families

The Dreaded Family Tree Assignment in Adoption

The  Dreaded Family Tree Assignment stirs anxiety in the hearts of many adoptive and foster families. We worry that our kids will feel different, or that they will feel pressured to overshare. And our hearts really break if our beautiful child does not have some of the information that these assignments require.

While many schools are catching on quickly to the perils of assigning a project that defines “family” or digs into a child’s history, many families still face difficulty when their child is asked to bring in a baby picture or write family names and relationships on a hand-drawn oak tree. Any non-traditional family is subject to the triggers, but certainly, our kids who have come to us through adoption or foster care can really struggle with these assignments.

Variations of The Dreaded Family Tree Assignment

You’ve no doubt already seen some variations of the assignments that focus on who is family. With six kids in the public schools continuously since 1999, I sure have seen my share! In pre-school and the early elementary years, we saw a few different “All About Me” posters and “Me in a Bag,” in which kids are asked to put 5 things in a bag as conversation starters for class introductions.

To teach concepts of time, we’ve also had many variations of timelines like, “My Ten Point Timeline” or “Past Me, Present Me, Future Me.” Some schools use these projects as an opportunity to also practice speaking in front of peers, which can add many extra triggers for kids who dislike being in the spotlight or who feel unready to share their stories.

Certainly, these earliest versions of the project can be pretty benign and are much easier for a student (with Mom or Dad’s help?) to tweak for his own developing understanding of his story and his family’s comfort levels regarding privacy. But we all know that it doesn’t stay this easy (not much about parenting does, does it?) , hence the dread that so many adoptive and foster parents feel at the start of a new school year.

The Social Media Effect

You don’t have to scroll far in an adoption or foster online community this time of year to find posts exclaiming over the very fact that such projects still exist. Or rants about the inflexibility or insensitivity of teachers who won’t modify such an assignment. Or worse, parents share their child’s anguish at not only having to share it in front of the classroom but also of the pain that “not knowing” some of this information that the child (and thus the parent) feels. These sorts of triggers are hard for our kids and therefore hard for us. Grief and loss are hard topics for anyone. To think about our child addressing those feelings in front of a whole classroom of peers is absolutely untenable for many of us.

In recent years, and maybe thanks to social media’s influence, there does seem to be a progressive movement by educators to avoid the dread in The Dreaded Family Tree Assignment. More teachers are pre-emptively researching or embracing educational options and more personalized parameters for the project. Educators do recognize that the definition of “family” is changing rapidly in our culture and that families built by adoption or by foster care often need an expanded ability to choose while still learning curriculum objectives.

You Are Not Alone

Whether you are part of a school that is already offering plenty of flexibility in these types of assignments or you are pioneering the way by advocating with and for your kid to change the face of these projects, we want you to know that you are not alone in your dread. We want to share the resources we’ve found to creatively modify assignments, talk with your kids to help them feel most supported, and even learn what is out there to help you educate the educators.

Creative Modifications

This website is full of templates for “non-traditional families” and they include a wide array of step-family dynamics, adoptive family trees, and trees for families with two mommies or two daddies. There are even templates for families built by egg donors and surrogacy. Given the many different shapes that families can take, you are sure to find something that you and your child can work with and maybe even that a teacher can agree upon.

When Laura contacted her son’s middle school teacher, she took the time to communicate that individual modification of the assignment was not actually the goal:

The answer is to design assignments like this in flexible ways FROM THE BEGINNING so every child feels included and capable of completing the work without feeling embarrassed or afraid of being different.

Ask Your Child About The Dreaded Family Tree Assignment

If you take some time to sit down with your student and get a read on how this project makes her feel, you can then work with her to find one or more modifications that will suit her. Each child is unique and the conversation can be a really informative peek into your child’s mind as she processes the options that feel most comfortable to her.

Karen handled The Dreaded Family Tree Assignment in a calm and non-reactive manner, letting her son lead the way in how to approach the conversation.

I think the best thing to do is not make a big deal about it. I ask my son how he would like to modify the project (if needed) and I email the teacher and let him/her know. I have never had any issue. This approach seems to give my son more confidence that his unique background is something to celebrate and not dread these assignments but take them as an opportunity to be creative.

Valarie uses the conversations to teach a bigger life lesson. They decided together what the project must look like, informed the teacher, and completed the assignment as they had agreed to do between them. This certainly puts the adoptee in the driver’s seat and prioritizes control over their own story.

What my kids learned it that everybody has a story. My daughter says that’s the most important lesson I’ve taught her. They never need feel ashamed of their story nor compelled to share it but knowing that everyone has a story they are great compassionate listeners.

Don’t Ask Permission.

Some parents don’t contact the teacher for permission or even inform the teacher of changes being made. They focus on how to meet the parameters of the assignment without calling down any unwanted attention over the issues.

If this is how your family chooses to handle The Dreaded Family Tree Assignment, be on the lookout for other opportunities to teach your child the skills of self-advocacy and exercising their voice. This skill is an important one for kids to practice, even if it’s in the safety of home to start.

There are also families who outright choose not to participate in the project, even with modifications because their family culture prioritizes the child’s right to privacy. Holly said it like this:

We don’t participate (daughter’s choice) – it’s her journey and story to share with who she feels comfortable. Adoptee voice is first for us – her voice says no, so I honor it.”

Find Your Path, But Be Flexible

As one mom said, “My 15-year-old daughter has done these projects for years, but only lately have they hit her hard.” It’s important to recognize that as our children grow in their understanding of their story and of the world in which they live, their feelings about what to share, how to share it, and IF EVEN to share it will also grow and change.

What works now for my little 1 st grader will have to be modified as she gets a few more of these projects under her belt. She’s a raging extrovert and a very physical, relational learner. Teaching her how to judiciously choose what she can “hold back” to protect and hold sacred will very likely be my task.

I have to take a very different approach with my older daughter. She needs to know the requirements of the project and what she is “allowed” or “not allowed” to share. Coaching her is more about assuring her that it’s okay to treat the requirements of the project as guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. That sharing more won’t earn her more favor or a better grade. And that the grade is not the goal.

Increasing Complexity Can Mean Increasing Triggers

Of course, as the lesson objectives get more complicated and more biology-focused, such as the study of genetic traits, Punnett Squares, or hereditary diseases, so do the triggers. Delving deeply into the study of blood typing, congenital birth defects, and eye color can trigger anger, anxiety, feelings of abandonment, and more.

At this level of education, it’s even more important that our kids recognize their feelings and talk through them. If you can have a conversation with your student, you can often coach them on how to talk with the teachers. A saving grace of technology and social media is that they may be better tools for our kids to have this conversation with their teachers if talking one-on-one with the teacher feels intimidating.

Again, as the complexity of the projects increases, you and your child will have to talk about how they prefer to handle it and what their options for self-advocacy could be. There are many options with these more complex assignments as well. One mom advocated for her child to be able to study the genetic lineage of a person of the student’s choosing in deference to her child’s discomfort with sharing limited personal details. Other moms have done something similar by studying one famous person in the context of complex historical timelines.

You Don’t Have to Dread The Family Tree Assignment

There is a myriad of ways to handle the hard conversations surrounding family-history-focused assignments. It doesn’t have to be rife with such dread and anxiety for us parents. With a little preparation, a little advice from parents who have been through it already, and some creative problem-solving skills between you and your student, you can help your child claim ownership and voice in whatever way feels comfortable to her.

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Expert-Based Training for Parents and Professionals

The trick to taking the fear out of science is helping students find the science in their daily lives.

Science is the reason why we add salt to the roads when snow is in the forecast.  It’s the reason why the arrival of cold temperatures coincides with low tire pressure in our cars . Science explains why salt dissolves in room temperature water while sugar doesn’t and is even the reason why some people sneeze when going outdoors from a dark room on a sunshiny day. 

Anytime you can help students relate science to things they understand and care about, you remove one more barrier to learning.

Take learning about DNA and genetics, for instance.  What good is it if a student understands how DNA base pairing works and can recite all of the steps of mitosis if they never understand how DNA relates to their daily lives?

The solution?  Help them understand how DNA has shaped their family by constructing a family pedigree. 

*This post contains affiliate links

What is a Pedigree?

While a pedigree may resemble a simple family tree, it contains more information.  Specifically, a pedigree allows you to track how a particular genetic trait has been passed down through several family generations.

Scientists use pedigrees to study how certain genetic traits are inherited, and to predict how a trait may be passed on to future generations.

The really cool thing about a pedigree is that it is a tool that allows you to use an individual’s phenotype—the outward expression of a trait, to determine that individual’s genotype—what genes they possess.

What do I mean by that?  Let me explain.

You already know that, for the most part, your observable traits are controlled by your genes .  Often, more than one allele exists for a given gene. When more than one allele for a gene exists, one allele will be dominant over other alleles.  

This is the case with eye color*.  

What color eyes do you have?  Brown? Blue? Green? Hazel? Your eye color is your phenotype—the outward expression of the genes you possess for eye color.  The actual genes you possess is known as your genotype.

The allele for brown eyes (which we will designate B) is dominant over the allele for blue eyes (which we will designate b).  Since we have two copies of every gene (one copy inherited from each parent during conception), we have two possible alleles for eye color.  

A person with two copies of the brown eye allele (BB) will have brown eyes, while a person with two copies of the blue eye allele (bb) will have blue eyes.  What color eyes will a person with one brown eye allele and one blue eye allele have (Bb)? They will have brown eyes. Why? Because having just a single copy of the dominant brown eye allele will mask expression from the recessive blue eye allele.

In this example, there are two different eye color phenotypes:  blue and brown. But there are three possible genotypes (BB, Bb, bb).

While it is possible with commercial DNA testing kits to determine your genotype, you may be able to determine what genotype you and your family members have based on your phenotypes using a pedigree.

How to Construct a Family Pedigree

Choose a trait.

There are many traits you could choose to construct your pedigree, and a lot will depend on your particular family.  

For instance, in my family, we have left-handed relatives on my side as well as my husband’s side.  The fact that my husband, my younger son, and I are all right-handed while my older son is left-handed made this trait an interesting one to investigate.

You’ll want to choose a trait that is readily-observable (or easily testable, like the ability to taste PTC ).  Traits like eye color or the presence of a cleft chin can be ascertained from pictures, so choosing these traits would allow you to include family members who are far away (or even those who have passed away).  

The more family members you are able to include, the more thorough your pedigree will be and the more information you will be able to glean from it. 

Collect Your Information

After you’ve chosen what trait to study, your next step is to make a list of all of the family members you wish to include in your pedigree.  In addition to yourself, you’ll want to include your parents and siblings. You can also include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. If you’re really ambitious, you can include great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, second cousins, etc.

Next, determine which version of the trait you’ve chosen that each family member in your list has.  For example, when I made my pedigree to trace how the gene for left-handedness was passed down through my family, I created a table like this.

Constructing Your Pedigree

While you are free to use whatever symbols you’d like, there are certain symbols that are universally used in pedigrees.  The beauty of using these symbols is that anyone can look at your pedigree and understand it.

Males are generally represented as squares and females with circles.  If a person displays the trait you have chosen, you will indicate that by coloring in the entire shape that represents them a solid color.  If the person doesn’t have that trait, you will leave their shape empty.

A horizontal line is used to indicate that two people are married, while a vertical line connects a child to his or her parents. 

Your next step is to begin drawing your pedigree on a blank piece of paper.  You might want to start with the symbol representing yourself. If you are part of the youngest generation that you will include in your pedigree  (i.e., you have no children, nieces, or nephews), you will probably want to place the symbol representing you towards the bottom center of your page. 

If you have brothers or sisters, draw their symbols beside you.  Once again, indicate whether or not they possess the trait you are tracking.  Remember to indicate that you are siblings using lines as shown in the figure of pedigree symbols above.

Next, add symbols for your parents above you, linked with lines as indicated in the above figure, and indicating whether or not they possess the trait.

Continue the process for the rest of the family members you wish to include.  

Here is the pedigree I constructed tracing left-handedness in my family.

From my pedigree, you can see that not only is my older son left-handed, but so is my father and my husband’s father.

This pedigree is based on my family’s phenotype: their outward expression.  But based on this pedigree, I can actually determine some facts about the genotype of some of my family members.

Using Your Pedigree to “See Inside” Your Genes

This initial pedigree, coupled with an understanding of genetics, allows me to make some assumptions.  

The allele for left-handedness (which I will designate r)  is recessive. Knowing that, I know that my older son must have two copies of the left-handedness allele (rr).  Why? If he had even a single copy of the dominant allele for right-handedness, he would be right-handed. (By the same token, I also know that my father and my husband’s father both had two copies of the left-handedness allele.)

But how did my older son get two copies of the left-handed allele?  After all, my husband and I are both right-handed.  

My husband and I both must carry a copy of both alleles: the dominant allele for right-handedness (R) as well as the recessive allele for left-handedness.  Even a single copy of the dominant allele for right-handedness is enough to mask expression of the recessive left-handed allele. But, while we are phenotypically right-handed, we were both able to pass down the gene for left-handedness to our son.  With two copies of the left-handed gene—one from me and one from my husband—my older son is left-handed.

And where did my husband and I get our copies of the left-handed gene allele?  Looking at the pedigree, we see that both of our fathers were left handed. Our fathers both passed on a copy of the recessive allele while our mothers both gave us a copy of the dominant allele for right-handedness.  Both my husband and I must have the genotype Rr. Our phenotype—our outward expression of the trait—is that we are right handed. But we both carry a hidden copy of the recessive allele for left-handedness. We are considered “carriers” of the left-handed allele.

Using this logic, we can actually fill in some more information on my pedigree.  I will indicate individuals who carry a hidden copy of the recessive left-handed allele by coloring in half of the shape that represents them.

You should see that I also designated my father’s parents as carriers of the left-handed allele.  Why? Because just like the case with my husband and me, the only way for two right-handed parents to produce a left-handed child is for them to carry a hidden copy of the left-handed allele (Rr).

It is possible that other members of my family have the carrier genotype too, but at this point, it’s impossible to know without more information.  

For instance, my younger son is right-handed.  There are two different genotypes that produce the right-handed phenotype: RR and Rr.  He could have inherited two copies of the dominant R allele, or he could have a single copy of the right-handed allele and a hidden copy of the recessive left-handed allele.  When he has children of his own (or even grandchildren), if any are left-handed, we will know that he is a carrier of the left-handed allele.

Genetic Traits You Could Use for a Family Pedigree

Depending on your family, there are many traits you could choose to construct your own pedigree.  Here are just a few:

Earlobe attachment

Do your earlobes attach directly to the side of your head (attached) or do they hang free (unattached, or free)?  Free earlobes is the dominant trait while attached earlobes are recessive.

Bent pinkies

Place your hands in front of you, palms up, with your two pinkies touching side to side.  If the tips of your pinkies bend away from each other, you have bent pinkies, the dominant trait. If they don’t bend away from each other, you have straight pinkies, the recessive trait.

Hitchhiker’s thumb

A strangely-named but easily determined trait is known as the hitchhiker’s thumb.  Observe your thumb as you give the “thumbs up” sign. If your thumb naturally bends back, you have hitchhiker’s thumb—a dominant trait.   If your thumb stays straight, you have the recessive trait.

Without thinking, clasp your hands in front of you.  Now look at your clasped hands. Which thumb is on top, your right thumb or your left?  Believe it or not, even this is determined by your genes! Clasping your hands with the left thumb on top is the dominant trait. However, if your right thumb was on top when you clasped your hands, you have the recessive trait.

Another observable genetic trait is the presence or absence of a cleft chin which appears as a small indentation. The cleft chin allele is dominant while a smooth chin is recessive.

Morton’s toe

I don’t know who Morton was, but he’s got a strange trait named after him.  If your “big” toe is shorter than your second toe, you have what is known as Morton’s toe, a dominant trait.  If your second toe is shorter than your “big” toe, you have the recessive trait. 

Widow’s peak

If your hairline comes to a point at the center of your forehead, you have what is known as a widow’s peak.  The presence of a widow’s peak is a dominant trait, while a straight hairline is a recessive trait.  

Sun sneezing

For some people, exposure to a bright light (like the sun) causes them to sneeze. Such individuals have been nicknamed “ sun sneezers ”.  The sun sneezing trait is dominant.

The ability to taste PTC

PTC (Phenylthiocarbamide) is a harmless chemical with a peculiar property:  depending on what genes a person has, PTC can taste vastly different. 

To some, PTC tastes extremely bitter. To others, PTC has no discernible taste at all. Other individuals describe the taste of PTC as mildly bitter.  The ability to taste PTC is a dominant trait, while the inability to taste PTC is recessive. Interestingly, people with a copy of both alleles have an intermediate phenotype:  to them, PTC tastes only mildly bitter. Learn more about the genetics of PTC here .

Other Ideas

If color-blindness or dyslexia run in your family, you could create a pedigree to trace these traits. You could also construct a pedigree of blood types (A+, O-, etc.). Of course, using these traits will require a bit more research on your part since the phenotypes associated with these traits can’t be determined by outward examination.

Creating a family pedigree is a great way to make DNA expression and genetics come alive for students. It’s just one way to take the fear out of science, and to demonstrate that science isn’t just something in a textbook.

Science is everywhere.

If your students want a better understanding of DNA and how it governs observable traits like the ones we’ve just discussed, check out my self-paced, online classes.

In DNA: The Alphabet of Life , I cover the basics of DNA structure and function, and describe how genes are expressed through the processes of transcription and translation. I also explain how DNA mutations occur, and how they can lead to diseases such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease, and cancer. Hands-on activities, videos, and instructions for experiments are included.

In Genetics and Heredity , we explore how DNA is manifested as observable traits. Students learn the principles of Mendelian Genetics and learn how to use Punnett Squares to predict the outcome of genetic crosses. I also explain the other forms of inheritance, including sex-linked traits, the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA, incomplete dominance, codominance, and polygenic inheritance. A wealth of activities are included to give students opportunities for hands-on learning. Many examples of real-world genetics are given, including the genetics of calico cats, human blood types, cystic fibrosis, color blindness, and more.

DNA expression, gene alleles, and heredity is something we study in my live, online biology class . If you’re looking for a fun, engaging science class for your high schooler that includes many opportunities for hands-on exploration, check out what I have to offer: High School Science Classes Taught by Dr. Kristin Moon

*This is an oversimplified explanation of how eye color is determined. The genetics of eye color are explored more thoroughly in Genetics and Heredity .

* *As an affiliate for Amazon and Home Science Tools, I may earn a commission if you use my affiliate link to make a purchase. This doesn’t affect your price in any way, but helps me with the cost of maintaining my website so that I may continue to share resources to help you understand, teach, and love science.

4 thoughts on “Exploring Genetics by Creating a Family Pedigree”

I absolutely love this idea! I am totally going to do this with my family. Thank you for such a great resource! I will keep you posted on how it goes.

I can’t wait to hear if you discover anything interesting! I love being able to “see inside” my genes!

I am adding this to my plans for next school year. I love how you have put everything I need to teach this right in one spot. Thank you it is such a life save.

I know you’ll enjoy doing this activity! If you make any neat discoveries, come back and let me know!

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