The people we love gather more frequently during the holidays, and there is no better time to learn about your family and what makes it special. Learning about family relationships helps your children discover who they are and where they came from, says Crayola Kids, a Meredith magazine. Why not decorate a family tree with mementos from your family's past or with handmade ornaments?
Pattern your family tree after one that grows in your country of ancestral origin. If you are of Latino heritage, draw a family banana tree with a piece of colorful fruit to represent each family member. Or if you are of Chinese ancestry, cut out leaves that resemble those of the ginkgo tree.To focus on more recent history, draw a tree that grows in your own state - an orange tree from Florida or a California redwood.
Place a leaf under a sheet of paper and gently rub the side of a crayon over it to outline the vein pattern and shape. Repeat with other leaves. Or just draw the leaf shapes and details. Cut out the individual leaves, write the name of a family member on each one, and paste the leaves onto a cardboard trunk cut out to display family "branches." Each family of aunts, uncles and cousins gets a separate limb. If you have space, draw pictures.