How to draw a family tree - 53 photos of ideas for beautiful family trees

What does the tree represent about ancestors?

A family tree is something similar to a diagram that describes family ties within one cell of society. Most often it is depicted in the form of a tree.

The ancestors are located at the roots, and the next generations are located on the crown and branches.

Tree drawing for children

If you need to make a simple craft to participate in a children's competition in kindergarten or school. The family tree will always look original.

Making it won't be difficult.

To do this, we need to draw an apple tree on a white sheet of paper.
Decorate the base of the tree with a painted clearing with green grass and wildflowers.
Paint the trunk brown and make a green crown of the tree.
Paint the sky blue and draw snow-white floating clouds. Don't forget to decorate the sky with a bright yellow sun.
On the crown of the apple tree we draw large, red apples. Using pencil glue, glue photographs of family members to the apples.

This craft looks very original, it will definitely take its rightful place in a children's competition.

History of origin

In ancient times, the procedure for drawing up a family tree was mandatory for every family. Even then, people knew that marriages between close relatives would not bring healthy offspring, so it was necessary to know the family line.

In rare cases, it was necessary to preserve some qualities of one line of the clan, and men chose women as their wives - blood relatives. Family ties in those days were tracked precisely through family trees.

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Vertical family tree: top-down diagram

In this type of tree, the ancestor of the dynasty or family is at the head of the diagram, and the descendants are distributed along the branches and radiate down to the roots. It is also acceptable for the ancestor to be located at the roots of the tree, while the descendants in this case will rise on the branches from the roots of the tree.

In this version of the scheme, there are no descendants in the female line (daughters, granddaughters, ancestors of the spouse). The tree is compiled only on the basis of data on descendants in the male line, since a woman can get married and change her last name, which will lead to a “break in the family line.”

Preparing to create a family tree

Take a look at a photo of a family tree and you will see that there are many different ways to design it.

The first thing you need to do to create a family history is to collect information about your relatives. Where can you get information about your ancestors and how can you be sure of its accuracy? It is difficult to answer this question.

First, you need to interview the oldest family members, and then you can connect historical and archival documents. After information about relatives has been collected, you can begin preparing a sketch.

The size and scope of the finished work will directly depend on the number of ancestors that will be included in the family history. There are several ways to create a family tree.

Rising tree with beautiful decoration for children

You can draw a beautiful and original family tree together with your children, involving them in the creative process. To do this, you must first draw up a schematic image and enter data about all your relatives into it, and then begin the main work:

on a sheet of paper, with a simple pencil, draw a tree trunk with spreading branches;
the branches are drawn in several layers, with thicker branches depicted below;
at each level you should draw a certain number of circles to inscribe names;
the names of relatives are entered in the circles in ascending order from the grandfather or great-grandfather;
You can draw leaves on the branches with your child and entrust the child with decorating them;
the outlines of the trunk are drawn with a brown felt-tip pen, the leaves will be green;
At the final stage of drawing, the leaves and trunk with branches are decorated with pencils.

Such a drawing will contain natural motifs and, by studying it, the child will be able to get answers to his questions about family ties. Along the way, his parents will be able to explain to him that every person is part of society and the whole planet, this is our common home, where many families live.

Painted tree

Perhaps this is the most original way to create a family tree. There are a great many options for execution here. The traditional option is to draw a branchy tree on whatman paper and glue photographs of your ancestors to it.

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The meaning of a family tree for a child

The child’s family tree will help him get to know his family better, get acquainted with family traditions, rituals, the history of the region with which the family is connected, and historical events that the ancestors witnessed, and perhaps even took part in.

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When drawing up a family tree, adults and children feel like they are part of history and join the process of forming a patriotic feeling.

Such a creative task helps develop the child’s abilities, learn about talented relatives and find talents in oneself. And then, it's nice to have a visual pedigree that you can hang on the wall.

Using a ready-made template

Unfortunately, not everyone has sufficient artistic skills to create a composition with their own hands.

This is where ready-made templates and blanks for a family tree come to the rescue, which can be purchased in bookstores.

To create a historical composition of your family, you just need to paste your photos onto the template and sign them.

How to create a family tree?

The stage of collecting information is over, now it is important to write it down and draw up a family tree. We have prepared special templates for this.

Step 1: Select a Family Tree Template

On our website you can easily create online colorful wall newspapers with photographs of your family. Choose the layout you like and start creating your family tree!

Step 2: Add Photos to Layout

To make your pedigree look stylish, you can bring everything to photo uniformity. For example, use only black and white photographs, or you can, on the contrary, leave photographs in the color and quality in which they are, to emphasize the difference between eras.

Step 3: Add Family Names

You can add or change any inscriptions on the poster: change family members or add their names, name your poster “Family Tree” or “My Family”.

If some information or photographs are missing, you may select an item or picture to illustrate such cases. A question mark, an image of a man or a balloon instead of a missing photograph - any symbol that your imagination suggests can be a solution to the problem.

Step 4: Save and print your design

You can send the finished template for printing through the website, or print it yourself. You can also send a family tree template electronically to all members of your family so that your family history is stored in their phone memory.

Computer to help

Currently, on the Internet you can find many free, accessible and easy-to-use programs and applications with which it is not difficult to create a template for a family tree.

Having chosen the tree option you like from the program catalog, you need to upload photos and make the appropriate inscriptions.

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Note that some services are also equipped with photo editor functions, with which you can edit photos and improve their quality.

How to draw a family tree with a pencil step by step for a child?

In order to draw a family tree with a child, you will need:

simple pencil
eraser
colored pencils, markers, paints
ruler
scissors
glue
photo of family members

IMPORTANT: Primary school or preschoolers are usually asked to draw a family tree. In family lessons, the child is asked to talk about all the family members shown in the diagram, so do not make the tree extensive. Show on it only those relatives whom the child knows and about whom he can talk.

Place the sheet in front of you, preferably horizontally.
Using a simple pencil, draw a tree trunk and branches.
Draw the crown. How realistic it will be depends on the age of the child and his creative abilities.
Designate a space on the table at the top of the tree for the child's name and/or photo.
Just below, accurately identify his parents.
On the branches of the trees, place relatives from mom and dad's side, respectively (grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, if there are any).
Draw a family tree so that the generations are next to each other in ascending order: mom and dad, lower down - grandparents, even lower - great-grandparents.
Draw relatives from the same generation side by side horizontally.
Connect all relatives with horizontal and vertical arrows.
Color the background as you wish, the trunk and branches of the tree – brown, leaves – green. If there are photo frames, frame them too.
Take the prepared photos, carefully cut out portraits of family members, and paste them on the appropriate places.
Label the family tree. For example, “Petrov Family Tree”, “Anya Petrova and her family”, “My Family”, etc.

Family tree in pencil: step 1. Family tree in pencil: step 2. Family tree in pencil: step 3. Family tree in pencil: step 4. Family tree in pencil: step 5. Family tree in pencil: step 6. Family tree in pencil: step 7. Family tree in pencil: step 8. Family tree in pencil: step 9.

Family tree in pencil.

IMPORTANT: Frames for photos of each relative can be made in the form of leaves, apples, etc., then the tree will turn out brighter and more beautiful.

Draw a tree trunk and branches. Draw a crown. We schematically outline places - “apples” for family members. We detail the drawing and color it.

We design the background. We write family members into the “apples” or paste in their photos.

Family tree in the interior

A family tree is not only a unique composition that reflects the desire to know one’s family and learn more about one’s ancestors. This is also an original interior solution.

Using a stencil, you can apply a tree to one of the walls in the room and place your favorite photographs of family members and distant relatives on it.

We present to your attention step-by-step instructions for creating a family tree as an interior tree for beginners.

Drawing a family tree with children

While learning about the world around them, children strive to absorb as much useful information as possible, which becomes the basis for their further development. Completing a creative task will help you master drawing techniques, structuring data, and will give you the opportunity to touch history, along with other benefits:

spending time together and being completely immersed in the process of getting to know relatives and friends;
a return to the origins of a kind, while you can remember many interesting life stories and situations;
systematization of knowledge and photographs of relatives, making excellent crafts for decorating the home interior.

A drawing made using any technique can be supplemented with the birth dates of relatives, which will help you never forget about memorable dates. It is allowed to supplement the family tree with photographs that are glued to the beautifully decorated tree during the design process.

Progress

Place the stencil on a flat, plain wall surface, securing it with masking tape.

Shake the spray paint can and carefully paint over the stencil details. Remove the stencil after the paint has completely dried.

Insert the photographs into frames and place them on the trunk and branches of the tree along the family lines. Ready.

In such a simple, uncomplicated way, you can honor the memory of your ancestors, find out information about your relatives and pass it on to your children.

How to create a family tree?

1. Interview relatives

Relatives are your main source of information. Ask about distant family members, find out about your grandmother's cousin's daughter and her children. Play “What?” with your family. Where? When". What is the event (marriage, birth, death), where is the place, and when is the date. Keep these three cherished questions in your head and you can create a family tree for many generations.

2. Study family photos

Ask your loved ones to look through family photo albums with you. Feel free to repeat the question “Who is this?”

Pay attention to:

dates
signatures on the back of the photo
clothes of the heroes of the pictures. She can tell, for example, in what years and where the photograph was taken.

3. Find documents of relatives and references to them

Work with the family archive. Birth and marriage certificates, military IDs, diplomas - all this can help trace family ties.

4. Take help from relatives

Try to involve someone from your family in collecting information. This will especially help if some of your relatives live in another city or country. With an accomplice, things will go faster and more fun.

Advantages of an interior family tree

This design method undoubtedly has many advantages:

Budget-friendly way to decorate the interior;
Originality, individuality, uniqueness of style;
Simple method of execution;
The ability to complement the image with other decorative elements - shelves, lamps, panels, and so on;

In the future, if a child appears in the family or new information about relatives, the interior family tree can easily be supplemented.

A tree is a symbol of strength, wisdom, life. That is why it is used to compile a pedigree. In addition, wood is associated with purity, nature, comfort, warmth, and family.

Compositions created with your own hands with warmth and care fill the room with a special atmosphere, especially when it comes to family history and roots.

TOP 13 programs for compiling a family tree

There are not many user-friendly graphical programs that allow you to quickly create family trees without the need. Some of them allow you to draw up pedigree records, search for information in the database, create a card with additional data for each relative, and summarize results in reports.

It is easier to deal with the following services that are available online.

Comparison of programs for creating a family tree

Programs for creating a family tree	Russian language	Import data	Finding matches on the Internet	Selecting a criterion for a pedigree	Printing settings	Creating family photo albums	Video lesson
SimTree	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Family Tree Builder	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
GenoPro	+	+	–	+	+	+	–
Gramps	+	+	–	+	+	+	–
Tree of Life	+	+	–	–	+	–	–
RootsMagic	–	+	+	+	+	+	+

According to this rating, the Family Tree Builder program takes first place, followed by RootsMagic. In some cases, a specific person needs to select a program to suit their needs. Let's look at the list of the most common genealogical services.

MyHeritage

Website https://www.myheritage.com

After registering with the service, you can create your family tree online, create a calendar of family events, and more. It is possible to order a DNA test for an additional cost.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life program is described in detail on the official website.

Using the program, you can build a family tree with photographs; using the program, you can set a background image for the tree. If desired, you can display the place and dates of birth and wedding, place of residence, profession and other information. Creates pedigree paintings, you can display statistics.

SimTree

Developer website: simtree.ru

Free software for storing pedigree data on a personal computer. Using the program, you can create a family tree.

RootsMagic

Official developer page: rootsmagic.co.uk

A program with a clear interface for drawing up a family tree and saving documents from the past of your family and relatives.

Canva

Official website: canva.com

A service for creating various graphic objects: quote designs, covers for groups, media objects. The site also has original layouts for building a family tree. The convenience of the service is that the created family trees can be downloaded and printed in a photo studio or printing house.

Search the site for “family tree.”

GenoPro (GenoPro)

Genealogical program website: genopro.com/ru/

Using GenoPro you can build a family tree and pedigree. After entering data on relatives, you can completely display a graphical representation of the family tree.

Rodovid

Description and instructions: ru.rodovid.org

An online wiki project where anyone can create their own tree or join an existing one. You can create a virtual family book on the project. Rodovid was created by enthusiasts to revive family values.

Family Tree Builder

Official website: familytreebuilder.com

Convenient and understandable program with a Russian interface. Compiles family trees, builds reports, you can enter facts and data about the family into the program. Backgrounds for the family tree can be selected from those presented.

GRAMPS

Official developer page: gramps-project.org

Free genealogy program for managing genealogical databases. In the program you can create and track the life path of your ancestors. Works with many database storage formats.

Personal Ancestral File (PAF)

A free program for Windows, a software platform for filling out and creating a pedigree tree for family and relatives.

Relatives

Official website: genealogysoft.com

The Relatives program is suitable for constructing family trees of any complexity. They have powerful tools, clear and visual graphics with convenient search by family tree.

Geni

geni.com

Free service for creating a family tree. The Geni Global Family Tree reunites over 132 million people around the world.

GenealogyJ

Free program for compiling a family tree. Perfect for structuring information about relatives.

Photo family tree

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Ideas for inspiration

How to make a family tree with your own hands? First you need to decide on a theme, which will require a little imagination.

The tree can be made in the form:

a real tree painted on a canvas or living room wall;
topiary with photographs;
photo album;
collage from photos.

There are a huge number of options, you should choose the right one from them. If a schoolchild needs a family tree, then you can use a ready-made template.

DIY family tree

A small tree with a description of the family, starting with great-grandparents, is suitable for school. An excellent option for a student would be a template in the form of a family flower. On each petal there will be a specific family member and brief information about him. Another option for a school could be a regular diagram or template of an apple tree, where each apple is a member of the family.

Family tree painting

It will be easy for a student to talk about his family with such a hint in his hands. Then you can take the family tree home from school and hang it in the nursery so that the child always remembers the history of his family. For the school, it is enough to place brief information about relatives on the tree: full name, date of birth, profession.

The task of creating a family tree can await parents in kindergarten. For a kindergarten, a template of cute bears is suitable, each of which will symbolize a family member. The kid will certainly love this idea. For kindergarten, you can print out a real tree on a color printer and stick a photo of your grandparents and parents on it. For a child who goes to kindergarten, it is enough to know only the names of his closest people; the baby simply cannot handle the rest of the information. This tree is perfect for a kindergarten for a family holiday. For older kids, a great option would be to draw a tree for the kindergarten yourself; funny drawings by relatives are a great option.

A DIY family tree for school or kindergarten is the best way to tell your child about his family.

Using a photo editor

Having figured out how to draw a family tree, you can use your knowledge of computer technology and implement the project using different photo editors.

This will allow you to choose the best option for drawing up a family tree, decorate it with additional elements and add individual accents that will make such a project unique.

Pedigree concept

Identification of family ties, who is whose brother, wife, uncle, close or distant relatives, the transfer of genes from father to son constitutes the concept of pedigree. With the help of companies engaged in the study of genealogies, state archives, and family albums, you can compile your pedigree going back several generations.

The expression “to the seventh generation” means to know your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, his occupation, way of life. This is very honorable and highly valued both within the family and for others and serves as an example for identifying and preserving the traditions of one’s family.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life program is described in detail on the official website.

Several ways to collect information

The most effective way is to interview loved ones about family stories, who saw, heard, and knows what. Search the Internet, social networks, find namesakes, perhaps they are your distant relatives and know something about common ancestors.

The Internet will also help to recreate the historical era of life. Wars, revolutions, and migration make adjustments to the family structure and can radically change the entire family tree.

Rising

The scheme is growing upward. The descendant is at the foot, and the ancestors are “seated” along the branches. Accordingly, the crown of the tree is crowned by the eldest of them. The best option if there are not enough materials: it is enough to study direct connections. Brothers and sisters are not indicated.

Descending

The chain of ancestry is built from top to bottom: from ancestor to descendants. All blood connections are indicated, so careful preparation is required on your part. Can unite hundreds of people.

Circular diagram

The pedigree is depicted in the shape of a circle or semicircle. The child is placed in the center. The next circle is divided into 2 parts (for mom and dad), the third - into 4, etc.

Create on computer

How to make a pedigree on PC? Earlier we told you why this method is much more convenient.

Family tree as a gift

Such a project would be an excellent gift for a person who is interested in the history of a clan, family or dynasty. You will feel like a real researcher or scientist while compiling a family tree for a loved one.

To compile you will need a diagram with a corresponding picture. Choose any structure you like best (for beginners, the standard vertical one is better).

Example of a family tree

Design the diagram yourself or use a family tree program (then print the result in a printing house and insert it into a beautiful frame).

Horizontal family tree

This type of tree can be found quite often in European family archives. On such a tree, the ancestors are depicted on the left, and the branches go in a horizontal direction. In addition to direct ancestors and descendants, other blood relatives are sometimes included here, in which case the scheme will be called mixed.

Best Family Tree Templates for Students

If your schoolchild has been tasked with creating his own family tree, he will be helped by templates-tips that clearly show what a particular tree might look like. We offer you a family tree - templates to fill out, which can be used in a graphic editor, or printed directly on a printer.

You can download this template for filling out a family tree for free. To do this, just hover over the template you like, right-click, and select “Save image as.”

You can also use an English template for a schoolchild that displays a family tree.

If you use a graphic editor, you can insert photographs of your relatives into the empty fields of the template. The result obtained will be printed on the printer.

You may also be interested in how the electronic diary works on the official website of school 94 in Nizhny Novgorod.