The Mom I Want to Be

Children will “branch out” as they explore family members and roles

 

In Advance: Introduce the topic of extended family by talking about relatives. What does your child do with their relatives? Do you visit relatives? Do you gather for certain holidays/ celebrations?
 
Make a list of family members on a large chart with your child. Mother, father, sister brother, grandparents, grandmother, cousins, aunt, uncle etc. Mention that some families have special names for family members and that is something that makes each family unique.
 
Explain to your child that he/she is going to create his/her own family tree. Describe the process your child will use to make a family tree. On a piece of tag board have your child line his/her elbows up with the bottom of the paper. Ask him/her to put his/her arms side by side and lay fingers out flat. Trace from the elbows (trunk) up and around the fingers (branches). This will be your child’s tree.
 
Invite your child to draw pictures of his/her extended family above and around the branches. Help your child label the names of family members. At the top or bottom of the tag board have children write “My Family Tree.”
 
Display the tree on a wall or bulleting board for your family to appreciate.

Play a family guessing game by giving clues about family members and having your child guess to whom you are referring. (Example: Who has an older brother?  This person is a boat captain and lives in Florida. Who has a collection of model cars? etc.) This will bring a lot of laughter, and increase children’s awareness of their larger family.
 
Remember: This is a great opportunity to present the idea of diversity to children. Young children may not know the terminology for family member classifications. Accept all names children share, as some children know grandparents, aunts, uncles in different terms, or languages.