Do-it-yourself family tree work for children. How to draw a family tree with pencils step by step. A short introduction: a useful habit is to write down
From old, yellowed photographs, beautiful and intelligent faces look back at us - the faces of our ancestors. But after two or three generations we forget who these people are, who they are to us, what they mean in our lives. In order not to lose the connection between generations, it is important to learn how to work correctly with your ancestry.
A short introduction: a useful habit is to write down
Family memory is not only photographs; this can be said about any carefully preserved family item. An antique coal samovar on a modern table looks... nice. But it’s a completely different matter if behind the history of the samovar there are living stories of ancestors! Therefore, it makes sense to get into the habit of writing down the stories of grandparents, mothers and fathers, great-grandparents, uncles and aunts. Great-grandchildren may not have time to meet their great-grandfathers in person. But the younger generation will still be able to recognize them if audio or video recordings have been preserved in which relatives remain alive and healthy, talking about their lives.
Creating the basis of a pedigree
This is exactly how professional ethnographers record information in live communication. How to create the very foundation on which you can put on the clothes of oral stories and family legends? Where can I get information, find out exact dates, names and positions? The answer is simple - in the archives, and help can be found on social networks, where many groups of genealogy enthusiasts are active.
How to draw a family tree
Novice researchers may have difficulties with graphically correct presentation of information. Therefore, today we will touch on this topic.
First of all, decide who the “end user” of the information will be. From a psychological point of view, it is important to begin to introduce a child to issues of his ancestry from early childhood, kindergarten and even toddler age, gradually changing the form of presenting information.
It is for a child of preschool or primary school age that the “artistic” version of a family tree is more suitable, when a real tree is drawn, real leaves on its branches. However, it is not necessary to draw - design options depend on individual tastes, creative preferences and imagination; you can download a ready-made template from the Internet.
” But here's the problem - most family tree charts are wrong!
For example, look at this diagram that we found on the Internet
Outwardly, it looks understandable to a child, but even a baby can ask a logical question: “Why am I the root, and from me grow the branches “mother” and “father”? In fact, it’s the other way around!”
” Indeed, on the contrary! The general pattern of constructing family tree trees is that the roots depict the first ancestors known to us, those most distant in time from us.
Family tree of Queen Victoria of England
” Another rule of scientific genealogy is that trees are built in the male line.
For example, the children of married women are depicted on the tree of their father, that is, the husband of this woman; they are not noted on the family tree of the parental family of this woman.
Important: It is along the male line that in our tradition all types of pedigree recording are built: genealogical charts, generational paintings, and the already described family trees. The rest of the design of the family tree is a matter of creativity.
” On the family tree, you should write down your last name, first name, patronymic, date of birth and death for each person, if the person is no longer alive.
How to build a pedigree chart
The principle of constructing a pedigree chart is in general terms similar to working with a family tree. There is, naturally, less creativity - there is no picturesqueness, no artistry of the family tree.
” But from the point of view of the spatial organization of information, there are important differences: a family tree is necessarily built from the bottom up, and the diagram can be ascending (bottom to top), descending (top to bottom) and even lateral (from left to right).
Generational painting
In my opinion, for an adult conducting genealogical research, the most convenient form of recording new information is generational writing. For teenagers, the ability to compose generational murals can also become a bright addition to the Russian history course.
So, generational painting is attractive precisely because it allows you to completely painlessly make additions about any person, without disturbing the structure and design. Another advantage is that it is generational painting that allows you to record absolutely any available information about a person. Standardization in it concerns only the structure of the arrangement of relatives.
Let me explain this with an example - a fragment of a generational painting of the Zakharovs.
I generation.
1. Kuzma Zakharov. Tradesman of the city of Vyazniki, Vladimir province.
II generation.
2 - 1. Alexander Kuzmich Zakharov *31.05.182[i]. Lived in Vyazniki, Vladimir province.
J. Evlampiya Alekseevna Zakharova *1837
3 - 1. Lyubov Kuzminichna Zakharova *1824
III generation.
4 - 2. Ivan Alexandrovich Zakharov *1.06.1857
A native of Vyazniki, Vladimir province, a tradesman. Ivan Alexandrovich’s father’s name was Alexander Kozmin (Kuzmich) Zakharov, he was a Vyaznikovsky tradesman. On July 24, 1883, Ivan Alexandrovich and Praskovya Nikolaevna got married, for both it was the first. The sacrament was performed by priest Konstantin Veselovsky with deacon Ioann Smirnov in the Trinity Church in the city of Vyazniki, about which act record No. 21 was made in the metric book. The guarantors for the groom were Vyaznikovsky tradesmen Mikhail Pavlovich Figurnov and Alexander Pavlovich Davydov, and for the bride - Vyaznikovsky tradesman Nikolai Chirkov and Vyaznikovsky merchant Stepan Ivanovich Krasavtsev[v]. In Tomsk, I.A. Zakharov was the confidant of the merchant Gadalov.
Zh. Zakharova (Vsekhvalnova) Praskovya Nikolaevna *1848 (or 1860, 1861) +03/15/1942
Philistine. Daughter of the Vyaznikovsky district village of Novoselki, peasant Nikolai Egorovich Vsekhvalnov. She was born in Vyazniki, Vladimir province, and got married there. Subsequently, between 1890 and January 1894, she and her husband moved to Tomsk. She was a housewife and raised children. She had 12 children in total, but only 6 survived to adulthood. After 1917, she lived with the family of her daughter Maria Ivanovna all the time. She died of heart disease and old age in Tomsk, as recorded in entry No. 903 dated March 16, 1942.
5 - 2. Fyodor Alexandrovich Zakharov *11/18/1872 +06/25/1906
A native of Vyazniki, Vladimir province, a tradesman. He was the recipient of the baptism of his niece, Maria Ivanovna. Died June 25, 1906. He was buried on June 27, 1906.
6 - 2. Vasily Alexandrovich Zakharov *01/18/1863
A native of Vyazniki, Vladimir province. On July 25, 1871, he received a residence permit in Tomsk for a period of 11 months as a private in the Vyaznikovsky district regiment[x]. There is no information about his departure in the “Alphabet Book of Temporary Residents in the City of Tomsk”.
7 - 2. Evdokia Alexandrovna Zakharova
[i] State Archives of the Vladimir Region, f. 391, op. 3, d.2, l. 177 rev. - 178
[x] State Archive of the Tomsk Region, f. 104, op. 1, d.1014, l. 39 rev.
Roman numerals indicate generations. Number one is the generation of the most distant known ancestor. Each person is assigned a serial number, indicated by an Arabic numeral. In this fragment, the serial numbers are increased to seven. The second Arabic numeral after the dash is the serial number of the person's father. So, in this example there is a person:
6 - 2. Vasily Alexandrovich Zakharov *01/18/1863
He has serial number 6, is the son of Alexander Kuzmich Zakharov, who has serial number 2, was born on January 18, 1863. The source of this information is indicated under the footnotes. Wives do not have their own serial numbers and are designated by the letter “F”. So, Zakharova (Vsekhvalnova) Praskovya Nikolaevna is the wife of Ivan Aleksandrovich Zakharov.
Appetite comes with eating. It is quite possible that when you and your child start compiling a family tree or generational list this summer, you will want to ask your questions. In Novosibirsk, since 1994, there has been a public organization - the Novosibirsk Historical and Genealogical Society, which unites like-minded people and provides methodological assistance in compiling a genealogy. The society is represented by a group on the social network VKontakte
"It is important for a person to know his roots"
V. Peskov
If you treat your family history superficially and frivolously, you may at some point find yourself in an awkward situation and not be able to answer the simple question: “What kind of family will you be?” Previously, representatives of the highest nobility were engaged in genealogical research with particular zeal. This was explained simply - the family pedigree (a sample of which could be provided to anyone) served as proof of their high origin.
Simpler people also kept information about their origins. Many peoples who have not yet broken away from the great umbilical cord and preserve the traditions of their people (for example, Buryats, Mongols, Kazakhs, etc.) are very sensitive to preserving information about their ancestry. It was considered shameful not to know one's ancestry up to the seventh generation. All the information collected in the pedigree was and remains a source of pride. From a practical point of view, it protected people from incest.
Recently, it has become fashionable to restore the family tree. Various computer programs and agencies come to the aid of everyone. In this article we will share how to create a family pedigree (sample No. 1) on your own, without the help of professionals. Believe me, at first this burden seems overwhelming - the main thing is to start!
Step One: Gathering Information
In the first stage of creating your family's pedigree, you will have to become a meticulous journalist, greedy for any kind of information. Last names, first names and patronymics, dates of birth and death, place of residence, date of marriage, etc., etc., etc. Do not discard information that for some reason seems unnecessary to you now. Believe me, when the full picture comes together, this is the puzzle that will be missing.
Look through your archival documents, ask relatives (especially older ones). The work of collecting information can take a long time, especially if your relatives are scattered around the world. Do not neglect the epistolary genre, write letters, collect information in telephone conversations, on Skype.
Step two: draw a draft
Already at the stage of collecting information, for convenience, you need to take notes on what you heard and make diagrams. The figure below shows the “skeleton” of the family pedigree, an example of the approximate location of the key figures. As you can see, the diagram is simple, female personalities are indicated in round segments, male personalities in square ones. Family pedigree (sample):
For a draft of a family tree, a thin one is also suitable; as needed, you will simply glue the required work area.
It is very important to draw out all the personalities that you learned about from informants. Even those about whom you have virtually no data. It's okay, leave the circle empty - there was a person, and sooner or later you will find information about him.
Step three: tree design
How sprawling your family pedigree will be (sample #3) depends on the amount of information collected. Three or four levels (and this is one century) can easily fit on a standard sheet of Whatman paper.
A start. To delve deeper into earlier times, you'll need to go to archives and libraries. It would be a good idea to contact namesakes.
In this article, we have only superficially demonstrated how to compile a family pedigree (a sample is also presented in schematic form). Your family tree can be three-dimensional, it can be illustrated with coats of arms of clans, portraits of all relatives - everything is in your power. The family pedigree (sample) is an example of your dedicated work, which your descendants will appreciate.
The continuous connection between generations, which has existed since the beginning of time, is the guarantor of the preservation of human memory.
Documentary evidence of such memory is the family's pedigree - an example of a reverent attitude towards one's roots.
Before directly compiling a family tree, preparatory work should be done. First, write a list of your immediate family. Then collect as much personal information as possible about them, as well as data related to their profession and field of activity.
Try to find out something about your ancestors. Create a geographical map of where your relatives live. Also, be sure to look through documents from the home archive and make notes on the photographs found (place, who took the photographs and when).
Essentially, a family tree or pedigree tree is a diagram of family relationships made in a specific form. As a rule, descendants are located at the roots, and the ancestor is in the crown. This is the most popular ascending.
The process of making a family tree
After the preparatory process is completed, you can begin the actual production. For work you will need: plywood, a frame with glass, hinges and a hook, four wooden boards, a brush, white and brown paints, green paper, burlap, a heat gun or glue, cardboard and photographs, as well as putty.
First, measure the frame with glass and make a wooden box according to the resulting dimensions. Then you need to cut the plywood to the size of the box and attach it well to it. Make a recess on the frame and mark it for the hinge. Now you can proceed to priming and subsequent painting of the frame and frame. Fasten the loops and hook so that it can be closed.
Start gluing the linen fabric to the inside bottom of the box. Do this very carefully, starting from the middle of the bottom. Then you will need to cut out a tree trunk from thick cardboard or plywood and apply putty to its surface. Be sure to add knots and rough edges to make it look more like real bark. Complete drying will occur in approximately 12 hours. Only then can you start sanding. And don't forget to paint the wood brown.
Cut the leaves out of paper, and then fold them in half for volume, unfold them and glue them to the trunk. The order of gluing can be arbitrary. Photos should be cut out and pasted onto cardboard. In this case, the size of the cardboard should be slightly larger than the size of the photographs. All that remains is to secure the cardboard with photo cards with double-sided tape in the desired order. The family tree is ready.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with our webinars on genealogy; they discuss in detail: the method of creating a family tree, the process of searching for ancestors (the correct choice of requests to archives, and how and what sources to use when collecting information).
How to build a family tree online on FamilySpace
To add new family members, you need to select the “Next” arrow with the mouse and enter information about the new relative. If you need to edit the entered information, you need to click on the “Menu” button and go to the required action. You can edit information about relatives by going to the person’s profile.
How to print a family tree layout?
Download family tree and print, perhaps by selecting the printer icon. You can also use our paid design service family tree By selecting one of the presented design types, the service is available in the “Pleasant” section. By default, on family tree, the template is set in the classic FamilySpace design. If you wish, you can order a painting with a picture of a tree; this function is available in the “Our Services” section.
Who can see my family tree?
You can set your own privacy settings and decide who to grant access to. Information may be available only to you, all your family members, friends, or all FamilySpace users. You can limit viewing in the “Settings” section.
You can also limit the ability of your relatives to edit, in which case they will have all the information, but they will not be able to make changes and accidentally erase something.
Is it possible to merge family trees?
If you add a relative registered on FamilySpace to your family, and some of the data in your family trees overlaps, the system will automatically reconcile and offer to merge the trees. In the case of duplicates (repeating profiles) in the family tree, you can independently choose the principle by which to combine them - save data from family tree, from the tree of the attached relative, or save as much information as possible by combining data from both trees.
I use another program, how to transfer my family tree to FamilySpace?
If you use other programs (for example, Tree of Life) or are registered on social networks (for example, MyHeritage), it is possible to import family tree on FamilySpace. First, you need to save your family tree in GEDCOM format (usually available in the “Save As” or “Export” menu items). Next, you need to log into FamilySpace, into the “Family” section and select GEDCOM, then import the resulting file to FamilySpace. Not every program allows you to export a family tree; if you have questions, we recommend looking at the “Help” section.
How is creating a family tree on FamilySpace different from other projects?
FamilySpace is currently the largest project in the RuNet in the family social networking segment. Construction tool family tree takes into account a lot of nuances related to the specific information (for example, support for patronymics, names of cities and towns in Russia, taking into account multiple changes of names and many other factors). The tree supports difficult situations, for example, when family members have been divorced several times and there are children from different marriages.
The FamilySpace team also independently scans archival materials; on the site you have the opportunity to find references to your ancestors in various materials, such as censuses, address calendars, and city directories.
In order to complete their homework perfectly, schoolchildren, as well as their parents, are wondering how to draw a family tree for a child for school.
This activity is not difficult, but it requires some preparation and awareness of who the ancestors were.
Therefore, it will become fascinating for both children and parents, who in the process of doing it can remember their genealogy and introduce the child to his ancestors.
You also need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to answer questions that will certainly follow from an interested child, so you need to set aside a lot of time to complete this task.
Purpose of the task
It’s not just the school curriculum that includes an assignment that requires an image of a family tree. Children attending kindergarten also encounter it. But due to their age, completing the task falls primarily on the shoulders of the parents.
But schoolchildren, correctly, do it on their own, asking their parents for help to obtain more complete information about this or that relative.
The main goal pursued by teachers who introduce this task into the school curriculum is to study their ancestry, to show children’s interest in the history of their family.
Using this task, you can explain to children that their family tree is not only the grandparents, aunts and uncles whom they see regularly, but also those who lived long before they were born.
This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in history, but do it in a rather interesting and exciting way.
Children can depict a family tree for a school lesson in two ways. The first involves depicting relatives up to the second or third generation, so they are able to complete this task without parental help.
In the second case, the genealogical approach can be expanded and involve more generations. You can portray either a direct relative, for example, an aunt, or all members of her family.
How to portray
If you are wondering how to draw a family tree, you can find a lot of examples on the Internet.
But they all have a certain visual similarity, because this is a tree with branches, each of which corresponds to a specific family member.
It is better to do the work on a sheet of A4 paper using a simple pencil. It can be erased if necessary.
Step-by-step image of a family tree:
- First, you need to draw a tree on a piece of paper. It is better to depict its trunk in the center, and branch off from it.
It should be taken into account that the main branch is the child, so his name should be entered first in the work, and all other family members will come from him.
At this stage it is necessary to properly distribute the space. To do this, before starting work, you should decide on the number of relatives, as well as which parent’s line they can be attributed to.
- After the child’s name is indicated in the picture, 2 branches need to be drawn at a higher level. They will belong to their parents.
If the child is not the only one in the family, then brothers or sisters can be depicted on the same level with him. You can supplement the work at this stage with other family members - spouses of brothers or sisters, if any.
- When the parent branches are drawn on the drawing, you can build on them to depict the next level - grandparents.
In order to make it clear in the work where whose line is, it is recommended to depict mother’s relatives by drawing the branches coming from her, and father’s from him, respectively. Thus, grandparents will appear in the work.
- If desired, the pedigree can be depicted further by including great-grandparents, great-grandfathers, as well as cousins and second cousins.
- When all the relatives have taken their place on the family tree, you can begin the final stage - registration.
It consists in removing unnecessary lines from the drawing and designing it appropriately. You can erase everything with an eraser, and colored pencils, felt-tip pens or paints will help make the picture bright. You can decorate the tree however you like.
An interesting solution would be to supplement it with photographs of all relatives who are indicated on the tree. But this can only be done if you have the appropriate photographs. If they are not at hand, do not despair. You can supplement the names of your relatives with their dates of birth.
Family tree
A drawing depicting a family over several generations will certainly captivate the child, because this is a great opportunity to learn about the history of the people who are part of the family. If the child does not show interest in drawing, then you can get out of the situation in another way.
For example, find examples of work on the Internet and download them. For primary school children, it will be more interesting to work with a colorful layout, complemented by fairy-tale characters.
At an older age, children may like laconic, restrained images, in which there is nothing superfluous.
It is better to approach work in a good mood, because this is the only way to complete it to the maximum. If a child asks for help, parents should not ignore these urges, because due to his age, he may simply not know some relatives or not fully understand what he needs to do.
By doing work together with the baby, parents have a great chance to spend time together, get closer and tell him many interesting facts that will certainly remain in his memory.
The initiative for one or another version of the family tree image should come only from the child. Therefore, parents should not impose their ideas or vision of the final result on him.
If he wants to portray only relatives whom he knows, this is his decision, but if there is a desire to fill the family tree to the maximum, the parents should help with this, naturally, if there is a request for help.