Making a family tree with kids is a great way to teach them about their ancestry while helping them learn more about themselves. It can be a fun project that the whole family can work on together. Here are some tips for getting started.

Benefits of Building a Family Tree with Kids

There are many benefits to creating a family tree, such as understanding your genealogy, developing problem-solving skills, strengthening relationships, and many others.

Build a stronger sense of self-identity

Building a family tree with kids can help them develop a stronger sense of self-identity as they learn more about where they came from and what makes them unique.

Knowing where you come from is important to understanding who you are. For kids, this process of self-discovery often begins with learning about their parents and grandparents. But it can be even more enlightening for them to explore the branches of their family tree, discovering the stories and traditions passed down through the generations.

So whether you’re looking to teach your kids about their heritage or just want to bond with them over some shared history, building a family tree is a great way to do it.

Learn more about history

It is important for kids to learn about history, but making the past feel relevant to their lives can be tough. One way to do this is by teaching them about their family history. By tracing their ancestors, kids can start to see how they fit into the larger story of humanity. They can also learn about the unique challenges and experiences their ancestors faced. Additionally, exploring family trees can help kids understand the similarities and differences between their own lives and those of their ancestors. As a result, learning about family history can make the past feel more real and relevant to kids.

Build strong family relationships

As any family historian knows, building a family tree can be a rewarding experience. Not only does it help you to learn more about your ancestors, but it also encourages you to bond with your relatives. For children, this can be a particularly valuable experience. It is all too easy for children to become estranged from their extended families in today’s world, especially when there are not old family photos of many relatives. By working together to build a family tree, children can develop a sense of connection with their cousins and other extended family members. This can help to foster communication and understanding within the family.

How to Make a Family Tree

Trying to trace your family history can be a daunting task. Putting it all in a family tree is a great way to organize the information you’ve gathered.

Gather information

The first step is to gather as much information as possible about your ancestors. This includes names, hometowns, careers, achievements, and known locations. You should also try to determine the birth and death dates for each ancestor. Once you have collected this information, you can construct your family tree. Start with the oldest generation of your family and work your way down to the present. Be sure to include any spouses or children for each ancestor. If you are having trouble filling in some of the details, don’t hesitate to reach out to other family members for help.

Put your tree on paper

At a time when almost everything is done electronically, there are still some who prefer the old-fashioned way of doing things. For them, there is nothing like the feeling of holding a pencil and paper in their hands as they try to piece together their family history. While it may take a bit longer, creating a family tree on paper can be very rewarding. It allows you to physically see your progress, but it also gives you a chance to add your personal touches. Whether you choose to use colored pencils or family photos, a paper family tree can be a beautiful and meaningful addition to your home. Even if you own a computer, there is something special about having a physical record of your family’s history. Keeping a family tree on paper is the only way to go for those who value tradition.

One option is to use a family tree printable template. There are many different templates available online, and you can choose one that best suits your needs. You can also find templates specifically designed for certain countries or regions. Once you’ve found a template you like, simply print it out and fill in the information by hand. You may also want to use a pencil to erase any mistakes.

Consider family tree software

With modern computer technology, anyone can search the deep web to find people and research their ancestors to build a family tree. There are dozens of family tree software programs available, and most come with a tutorial to help you get started. Keeping your records on your computer has some advantages over traditional paper records. It’s easier to fix mistakes, and you can sort your ancestors differently.

Plus, every genealogy software package lets you print off your information on various forms and charts. But regardless of how you store your data, it’s important to back up your records regularly. If your computer crashes or you accidentally delete a file, you won’t lose all your hard work. And if possible, use an automatic online backup service to ensure that your data is always safe.

Share your tree

Once your child has completed their family tree, encourage them to share it with relatives who might have additional information or stories to add. This is a great way for kids to get excited about their family history and learn more about the people who came before them. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to connect with relatives they might not otherwise have the chance to talk to. So encourage your child to share their family tree with relatives.

Final Thoughts

Building a family tree with your kids is a fun project, but it can also be educational. It helps children learn about their ancestors and teaches them the importance of preserving family history. By following these simple steps, you can help your child create a lasting legacy treasured for generations to come.

Check out FamilySearch for more ways to get your kids involved in family history.

About the author:  Marc McDermott is a genealogist who has been blogging about the topic since 2019. His blog, GenealogyExplained.com, is one of the most popular resources on the internet for people looking to learn more about their family history. Marc’s passion for genealogy is evident in his writing, and he takes great joy in helping others learn more about their ancestors.

YouTube is one of the most engaging platforms. So engaging, in fact, that even our children are getting hooked. What they don’t realize is that too much time on YouTube is potentially developmentally damaging. As parents, it’s up to us to shield our children from the adverse effects of too much time on YouTube.

We can start by replacing that time with enriching activities our children will love. These five tips can help you make the transition.

Discuss the Harmful Effects of YouTube

It’s essential to discuss the harmful effects of YouTube with your children in a way they can understand. If they can genuinely resonate with and comprehend what you’re saying to them, they’ll be more likely to decrease their use of YouTube willingly.

Talk in-depth about how too much YouTube can result in not getting enough time to do things together like read. Reading to your child can provide them with various developmental skills, including the desire to read more by themselves. Reading is integral to academic and professional success. Be transparent about how not learning to read effectively can stall their progression in life.

Discuss how social media can affect their mental health as well. Ask them if they’ve experienced any of what you’re talking about while using YouTube to help them resonate with the discussion even more. Allow them to open up about how they feel about limiting their use of the platform.

Once you discuss the harmful effects of YouTube with your children, the next step is limiting their screen time. Your children won’t like it at first, but restricting their screen time will emphasize how serious you are. You can reduce their screen time in phases so that it isn’t such a shock to your kids.

When you limit your children’s screen time, you must fill it with off-screen activities like sports.

Encourage Participation in Sports

Sports are fantastic for children of all ages. Not only do sports get your kids out of the house and offline, but they can also teach them skills they can take with them into adulthood. For example, they can learn to take constructive criticism when working with coaches or how to develop a solid work ethic.

If your children aren’t interested in traditional sports, look for creative alternatives like eSports. They can participate in sport-like competitions online while still honing soft skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and self-confidence.

Whether eSports or traditional sports, find out which specific ones your children want to participate in. Sign them up and see how things progress.

In addition to sports, explore creative passions with your children.

Explore Creative Passions

You’ll start to hear less and less about YouTube if you encourage your children to explore their creative passions. Instead of YouTube being an outlet, replace it with a creative activity.

Nudge your kids to explore their offline creative passions before diving into any online. Then, do your best to make those creative passions a part of your children’s daily to draw their attention away from YouTube slowly. Before you know it, they’ll be more interested in exploring their creativity.

Creative passions can be a part of your children’s self-care, too.  They can also learn how to engage online safely including while on YouTube.

Prioritize Self-Care

Make self-care a priority for you and your children. When you prioritize self-care, you teach your children how to love and honor themselves. You give them a chance to get to know themselves. You also provide them an opportunity to appreciate being present.

To prioritize self-care, the first step is to have an initial conversation with your children about what self-care is and why it’s crucial. Next, work with them to develop a list of self-care activities unique to their interests and needs.

Then, categorize these activities by whether they’ll be done daily, weekly, monthly, or less often. Once they’re categorized, put them on the calendar. Have your kids check them off as they’re completed to keep them enthusiastic about self-care.

Also, be sure you’re making a consistent effort with self-care and the rest of the activities above.

Be Consistent

Consistency is key in most things, especially in your attempts to decrease your children’s time on YouTube. You’ll quickly fall back into your old YouTube habits without a consistent effort. So, be consistent in making this a lifestyle change.

Here are a few ideas to stay consistent in your efforts to decrease the use of YouTube in your household:

• Create a daily schedule for your children
• Strengthen your mindset and help your kids do the same
• Designate a specific time to turn off electronics each night
• Reinforce the positive changes your children are making constantly
• Stick to a family schedule regarding when and how long everyone can use YouTube each day

Ultimately, be consistent to ensure offline activities become the norm over hours of video content on YouTube every day.

Conclusion

The developmental dangers of YouTube aren’t something to take lightly. It’s essential to protect yourself and your children from videos and other digital content that negatively impacts growth.

You can do so by first being transparent about the harmful effects of YouTube with your children to help them understand why you’re implementing new boundaries around screen time.

Then, focus on off-screen activities like sports, self-care, and creative passions your children are interested in. And finally, be consistent with your efforts to guide your kids away from YouTube and toward a fuller, real life.

About the Author
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in education, mental health, family lifestyle and online safety. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. You can follow her on Twitter.

Tabletop games are a great way to get kids interested in gaming. This can be a great hobby for them to enjoy and can also teach them important skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and communication. It’s a social activity that can be enjoyed by all. Here are six tips to help make tabletop gaming more appealing to kids.

1. Start with chess

Chess is a classic game that has been enjoyed by people for centuries. It’s a great way to teach kids about strategy and planning ahead. There are many different chess sets available, so find one that appeals to your child’s interests. You can also find online versions of chess that can be played for free. You can also click here to check out more information. Additionally, many bookstores and game stores offer chess sets and books that can help kids learn how to play. If your child is struggling to understand the game, there are also plenty of online tutorials and videos available. It’s important to let them move at their own pace and not get frustrated.

2. Try out different genres

There are many different types of tabletop games available. From card games to role-playing games, there’s something for everyone. If your child is interested in a particular topic, try to find a game that focuses on that subject. For example, if they’re interested in history, there are plenty of historical games available. There are also games that focus on other topics like science fiction or fantasy. The key is to find something that they’re interested in so they’ll be more likely to enjoy playing the game. Additionally, you can check out online reviews of different games to see which ones are the most popular and recommended for kids.

3. Get them involved in the game

One of the best ways to get kids interested in tabletop gaming is to make them feel like they’re a part of the game. This can be done by involving them in the game’s design and development. If you’re creating a custom game, involve them in the process and let them help with the design. You can also let them create their own characters or come up with ideas for new scenarios. This will help spark their creativity and make them feel more invested in the game. Additionally, you can find games that allow kids to play online with other players, such as solitaire. This can help them socialize and make new friends while enjoying the game.

4. Let them play with friends

Tabletop gaming is a great way for kids to socialize and make new friends. If you know other families who are interested in gaming, invite them over for a game night. This can be a great opportunity for kids to interact with each other and have fun. You can also take your child to local game stores or conventions. These events are usually very welcoming to new players and can help kids find others who share their interests. Additionally, many stores and conventions offer special events for kids, so they can learn more about gaming and meet new people. It’s important to let them play with friends so they can enjoy the social aspects of the game.

5. Encourage their imagination

One of the best things about tabletop gaming is that it encourages kids to use their imagination. This can be a great way to spark their creativity and help them come up with new ideas. Games that require kids to create their own characters or come up with their own stories are especially good for this. You can also encourage them to be creative in other ways, such as painting miniatures or designing game boards. This will help them think outside the box and come up with new solutions to problems. Additionally, it’s important to let them express themselves and have fun with the game.

6. Be patient

It’s important to be patient when teaching kids how to play tabletop games. They may not understand the rules right away or make mistakes. It’s important to let them take their time and not get frustrated. If they’re struggling, you can offer assistance or advice. However, it’s important to let them figure things out on their own so they can learn and grow. Additionally, it’s important to have patience when playing the game yourself. Games can be long and complex, so it’s important to take breaks and not get too frustrated. The key is to have fun and enjoy the time spent with your child.

Tabletop gaming is a great way to spend time with your kids. It can help them socialize, use their imagination, and learn new skills. If you’re interested in getting started, there are plenty of resources available. You can find games that focus on different topics, so there’s something for everyone. By involving your kids in the game, you can help them feel more interested and invested.

Children’s music is a legitimate business that sometimes goes unnoticed since most children’s artists will never be renowned enough to be in the limelight. There are exceptions to this norm, including Raffi, The Wiggles, and many individuals who earn a fortune by performing children’s music.

A little background info can help explain why so few people know about kids’ rock & roll: It used no advertising (no record company even had any idea how much it would sell) because its audience was not interested in an artist or their talent didn’t appear on screen like other kinds of pop culture hits.

This is a true calling for certain artists. Writing songs for children and performing them isn’t just highly valuable; it is also challenging and fun. Your first thought would be writing songs for children is an easy task, but actually, it’s quite the opposite.

It would help if you did not only dazzle the children but also appeal to the parents so that they would purchase your songs. Children are not big spenders, but their parents are. Children enjoy music; it’s only a matter of getting their parents to purchase your music.

In this blog, you will see great ways to start writing a song for children, and it would be excellent if these methods were easy to follow in your own life! I’ll share some of my favourite techniques here, so look forward as I continue to share them.

Select A Topic

Children are constantly restless. Consider what you communicate with children and what they question about. Try responding to one of them with a song.

A child, for example, would inquire as to why the sky is blue. This one query might spark a slew of musical ideas. As you develop your mind’s capacity to associate other words with certain associations, this process becomes more subtle and deliberate.

Most of the children’s songs are about body parts. The main purpose of such songs is to educate them. Sometimes, artists use music to encourage children to establish healthy habits such as making their beds and cleaning their teeth. If you write one decent song on some of those topics, you may have parents happily singing along.

As you can see, the universe of children’s songs is rich with imagination. In reality, choosing a theme for a children’s song is easier than writing an adult song since children’s music does not carry all of the demands of mature music. When sung by adults, it must convey joy and connection; it cannot be too heavy or overly sentimental.

Choose A Melody

The majority of children’s songs are written with the main melody, and it makes little difference which one you choose as an adult. Experiment with your instruments to find a melodic phrase or two to utilize in your song.

A melodic phrase can be both a verse and a chorus. Keep your sentences as basic and catchy as possible so that they can quickly become lodged in a child’s mind. Your song’s chorus must be the most straightforward.

Build The Chorus

The chorus is the most significant portion of a children’s song. It’s generally something simple to memorize, sing, and occasionally dance to.

The repetitive nature of the chorus also makes it more catchy and helps it get stuck in your head, as heard on the most popular modern kids songs. The more you hear it, the more you like it.

Each verse in a song usually has its lyrics to build off of or contrast with the chorus. They are often written by different people than those who wrote the chorus.

Fun And Easy Verses

The verses must be simple to grasp and follow. You may go in various directions with the lines, but keep in mind who you’re singing for. If your listeners are a little older, you can use more complicated vocabulary. If your audience is young, you should generally keep the lyrics as basic as possible.

Keep In mind Song’s Purpose

Some believe that music communicates emotions in a way that other art forms cannot achieve. The purpose of a song is for people to listen to it. This includes listening for pleasure, for enjoyment for fun.

Song’s purpose can be different from one listener to another. However, the most common use of songs is fun and entertainment.

Repetition

Children learn by repetition. That is how kids learn to talk, count, and recognize the alphabet letters and words. Repeating the same theme helps kids learn and remember the song.

The song Wheels on the Bus starts with the same verse and ends with the same lines. Use repeated words, melodies, and lyrics to make your music readily recognizable and more interesting for kids. While writing a song for children, try to repeat some words to make your song easy to remember.

Choreography

Children like movement. You will keep their attention if you can persuade them to perform distinct motions and sing along to the music. It is very important to determine the audience’s age; if they are too young, they will have difficulty executing anything.

Instead of movement, ask the youngsters to make noises. Singing, clapping, and snapping are all tools used in music. These actions also seem to excite children.

Record Your Song

If possible, try to engage children in the singing of your song. It’s much better if you can acquire a range of various voices to simulate the vibes of a family sing-along, such as an adult woman, an adult guy, and many youngsters.

You can use a variety of instruments to help your music sound more professional and orchestrate it a little more. If you want to create a polished end product, have your music professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered.

If you are able, have someone record your song and then listen back to it so you can hear the work that still needs to be done.

Conclusion:

 There are different ways of writing songs for children and it requires just as much consideration as writing songs for adults. Most importantly, having a great time. Kids simply want to have fun, and you are now an entertainment provider.

Read about the top benefits if learning music for kids and adults alike.