Growing Your Family Tree: Exploring Genealogy With Your Kids

Children can engage with their heritage by interviewing older relatives or cooking traditional family foods.

Making a family tree with kids connects them to their roots. first vector trend/Shutterstock

Digging into your family’s roots together is a fun and fascinating way to strengthen your relationships—the process helps nurture your kids’ sense of contentment and boost their self-esteem and confidence. Stefan Walters, a London-based family therapist, said: “We all feel stronger if we are a part of a tapestry. One thread alone is weak, but, woven into something larger, surrounded by other threads, it is more difficult to unravel.”

Ira Wolfman’s book “Do People Grow on Family Trees?” is an excellent introductory resource to help acquaint you and your kids with commonly used terms and guide you in your genealogical research. Also, three invaluable free online resources are the Family Tree Magazine website, Cyndi’s List, and the Library of Congress family history page.

Root Everything in Storytelling

Every culture tells stories as a way to pass down family history and traditions to younger generations. The indigenous Wampanoags’ stories, for example, often focused on legends, creation and spiritual beliefs, morals, ancestral successes and challenges, and their belief that all living things are connected.

The Yoruba people of Nigeria and surrounding nations listen to stories outside, under the moon and stars. Story themes focus on animals who talk and act like humans, religious rituals, and tales of deities, all with the intention of teaching cultural heritage, values, and morals.

Spark interest by telling family stories. On my mother’s side, I can trace my family’s roots all the way back to the late 1700s, including a young soldier named Peter who served with the Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He may have been one of the many who trekked up to Canada to help Benedict Arnold seize Quebec. Not all the soldiers made it that far north before the mission was scrapped.

Think about your childhood and your parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods, and choose a few stories that are action-packed, amusing, or suspenseful. Pop a big bowlful of popcorn and gather your kids for a story time like no other. Share photos to help your kids connect names and faces to the relatives in your stories.

Host Fun Genealogical Activities

Shine the spotlight on your ancestors and engage your kids in some fun genealogical activities to truly nourish your stories and help them take root in your kids.

Make a family tree together. For artistic parents: Draw a large tree with lots of branches on a poster board. Cut out a bunch of construction paper leaves to represent family members, print their full names with birth and death dates, and glue them on. Attach it to the wall in an easily accessible and visible place in your home. Or, try Canva’s free family tree maker or visit Family Search for free printable family tree templates.

Visit Printable World Map for free continent maps, a world map, or a map of the United States. Give your kids clues, starting with general hints such as Eastern Europe, and then more specific hints—such as around the capital city of Budapest—until your kids can pinpoint the country and town or village where their different ancestors were born. Label them on the maps.

Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

Encourage your kids to interview older relatives such as grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They can use this background information to create a scrapbook, a family newspaper or newsletter, or even a compilation book.

Grab your apron and whip up some delicious ancestral foods together. My paternal grandparents, John and Clara, were born in Austria in the late 1800s; they came to America in 1920 and settled in eastern Pennsylvania. Every year at Christmas, our whole family gathered at their house for a big feast and holiday celebration. The pièce de résistance was a delicious slice of tradition—homemade strudel, of course.

For meal inspiration, visit the Challenge Fifty Two website, where Sally shares a dinner recipe from every country in the world. Or visit Barefoot in Jandals and satisfy your family’s sweet teeth with yummy dessert recipes from around the world.

Strengthen Educational Skills

In addition to the social benefits, genealogy exploration helps kids strengthen essential academic skills.

Delving into genealogical research boosts critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It requires kids to compare and contrast information from multiple sources and analyze that information to gain a deeper understanding.

Storytelling introduces your kids to new vocabulary words and strengthens their speaking skills. Listening gives their brains a great workout as they create visual scenes and characters in their minds. History and geography become meaningful as your children connect earlier lessons with broader historical times and events.

Genealogy is a fascinating mix of history and mystery. Exploring your family’s roots doesn’t require shovels and won’t leave muddy tracks on your floors, so gather your kids and start digging.