Are you looking for an activity that could be both creative and also deeply personal and informative? Then a family tree is a thing for you to try. This project will not only ignite an artistic spark in your kids but will – most importantly – tell them about their heritage.
Through a family tree chart, your kids will get to know the ones who came before them, will see their faces and learn their names, occupations, and life achievements. Believe it or not, but knowing their roots is a great way for your kids to acquire self-identity – now that is some awesome addition to an art project!
Already eager to get started? Then let’s get rolling.
Start with a Research
Before you actually put any names on your family tree, you need a list of those names. Jot down all your immediate relatives as far as you can remember. Get help from your parents and grandparents – learn as many relatives as they can remember.
Want to go even deeper into the past? Then make use of specialized services that provide information on your relatives. While making the list of your family members, do not limit yourself to only names and dates.
Go as far as to state your relatives’ occupations, greatest achievements, etc. Preoccupied with health? Then consider adding significant information about their health as well to trace hereditary diseases within the family.
Make the First Draft
When you have all the information at hand, it’s time to arrange it into a comprehensible form. Draw a chart where all your forebears would be connected by relation. You can either do it freehand or use specialized online services.
Make sure your kids take part in this process. They might be the one drawing all while you’d be telling them stories about their relatives.
Ready. Set. Chart!
Well, now you’ve done the preliminary work. Now it’s time to get down to business. There are actually many ways your family tree could look like. You can go with a simple family tree diagram, opt to use a fan chart, or embrace a pedigree-style chart, nothing really beats a regular family tree chart with images.
After all, your children will not only learn the names of their ancestors, but would also be able to see what they looked like (isn’t it interesting to learn who was responsible for your family’s signature aquiline nose?)
Get Photos Ready
So in order to create a family tree chart with photos, we need some photos. Once again, it’s time to scout. Thumb through your family archive to find as many pictures of your relatives as you can. Repeat these actions for your parents’ and grandparents’ photo albums.
You should end up with a heap of old and very fragile images. There is no way you’d use damaged pictures for your chart, right? Luckily, there is a way to restore your images and give them eternal life in a digital format. Do it yourself with old photo restoration software.
You’ll be able to remove all nasty imprints of time from your photos – scratches, rips, stains, and dust. If your old images aren’t that badly damaged, but still look washed out, you’ll have all the tools to make the colors look juicy. What’s more, such software allows you to colorize your black and white image – something that your kids will love doing for sure.
Start Creating
Now that you have your list and all the images you could find, it’s time to make your family real. This is the activity that can see all your family members involved. Your kids can cut and glue the pictures, while you get busy painting the tree and writing down names and other information.
Once you are through, make sure to show your project to your older relatives – after all, they too took part in creating it.
And this is it! This is how you can get your kids interested in their heritage. Family tree is a powerful learning tool that is still very engaging thanks to its creative nature.
So if you want your kids to know more about their roots, sit down to make a family tree with them. It will be a pleasant experience for all the parties involved.
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