The term “Genealogy” may call to mind piles of dense, brittle documents and endlessly branching charts of family lineage, but there are also plenty of kid-friendly ways to explore your family’s unique ancestry.

These four easy activities will make genealogy come alive for your primary schoolers, and don’t be surprised if you learn something, too!

Activity #1: Make a photographic family tree.

Sorting out how each relative fits into the bigger picture can be perplexing for younger kids, especially when an extended family is large. Help them connect the dots by constructing a visual map of your family’s lineage.

You’ll need:

• Quarter-sized headshots of each relative (enlarging a recent family photo is an easy way to harvest them)
• Scissors
• A glue stick
• A thick black pen for labeling photos
• A printed family tree template (check out www.familytreetemplates.net/category/kids).

Begin by gluing your child’s photo to the base of the tree trunk, then glue each relative’s picture onto the appropriate corresponding branch, labeling it and discussing the relationship.

When you’re finished, the picture will be clearer for your kids, and you’ll have a beautiful piece of hangable personal history.

See more activities on the next page!