What does family mean to you? In today’s society we’ve moved past the old cliche of the “nuclear family” and the new “normal” family can mean so many different things! This week we’re talking about family, what a family is, how families can be different and who makes up our family. I came up with a few simple activities to cover the idea of “family” with my son, that you can use a modify to fit your own unique family. To wrap it all up, check out some of these recommendations from Netflix which showcase all sorts of different families, too!
Before Carter was even born I made him this family album! Each page has a different family member with the name so he can flip though and remember who everyone in our family is. You can easily make a family album online or even just print pictures out and put it together yourself!
Next we made our own family tree! I cut out the tree shape and leaves from construction paper. I printed up small pictures of family members and taped each one to it’s own leaf, then wrote everyone’s name on their leaf, too. Then, I hung up a sheet of sticky paper (contact paper) and stuck the tree on it as an invitation to play! I gave Carter all the leaves and let him hang them up around the tree as we identified and talked about each person.
Carter was proud of his tree and wanted to pose for a photo in front of it!
To wrap it up I gave Carter some crayons and paper so he could draw his family. He chose an abstract drawing, as you can see. He colored and said all the names while he colored, so I labeled them as he told me each one!
I think it’s also important to share and discuss different types of families and how each family is made up of unique members. You can check out these shows on Netflix with your kids and use them to discuss each of the different types of families you may see!
For Little Kids:
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1. Lily’s Driftwood Bay
2. The Tigger Movie 3. Guess How Much I Love You: S1E5 Big Like You 4. Angelina Ballerina: Superstar Sisters
For Big Kids:
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JBean says
May 28, 2015 at 12:08 pmOne year for Christmas my mom made each of my sisters and me a family album with copies of old photos of our relatives. It was such a great idea and something I love looking through. Family is so important and especially knowing where you came from. I can't wait to share our family history with my kids one day too. I love the family tree your son made 🙂
Marci Lutsky says
May 28, 2015 at 12:50 pmWe love the Angelina Ballerina books but have never seen the movies. Will check it out on Netflix, thanks!
Deb Clem-Buckert says
May 28, 2015 at 1:49 pmSuch a great activity to teach him about family. Social media can keep kids connected to family far away, but it doesn't replace talking about them on a regular basis. When my teen was little, she loved Angelina Ballerina!
oboyorganic says
May 28, 2015 at 1:57 pmLove these ideas! Thanks for inspiring me to do the same.
Julie D says
May 28, 2015 at 2:37 pmWhat a great idea for teaching kids about family…especially when family members live out of town!
Sarah Honey says
May 28, 2015 at 4:32 pmAwesome ideas! I love the tree.
Carrie says
May 28, 2015 at 5:51 pmSuch great picks for kids! We've been talking a lot about family, we live far from our cousins but try to keep in touch via Skype which everyone loves.
Emz says
May 28, 2015 at 6:07 pmWonderful ideas!
Lindsey S. says
May 29, 2015 at 1:35 amLove the idea of the family album! What a great keepsake!
Chrystal Mahan says
May 29, 2015 at 1:42 pmWe've been getting better about printing off digital pictures. Kiddo has a very blended family. She is 1 of 4 kids from her mother, but she is my husbands only child. I have no children of my own. Her other 3 siblings all have different fathers and only the youngest childs father is around, whom the mother is married to. So, it makes for interesting family moments – especially holidays.
alexandria waning says
June 1, 2015 at 12:52 ammy daughter learned about families in school this year. love the idea to make a book of her close family member's pictures and little facts.
Taylor Speikers says
June 1, 2015 at 2:38 pmI love the little book you made – it's such a good idea! I'd have to work on getting my stuff together to keep up with it though 😉
eirejay83 says
September 25, 2015 at 10:55 amHi Rachel, it's Jacinta from forest group.. I love your blog so far! This has been playing on my mind for ages, it's so important to do these activities when you live away from all your family. You have inspired me, seeing his happy face building the family tree.. love it! I need to get moving and do our family album! Well done 🙂