motherandbaby.co.uk | April 2020 | 63Baby&ToddlerCreate afamily tree of facesThis activity celebrates your relationship with
your toddler and all the other important bonds
in your family too. It will also gently help her
understand that you are not just her mum, but a
daughter, and perhaps a wife, aunty and cousin
as well. And it will show her that Nanny isn’t just
her nanny, but your mum too.
Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to
chat about all this. Your tot can’t grasp the
structure of your family and won’t be able to
imagine that you were ever a child, or think of
you as anyone other than her mum. But this
project will allow her to ‘see’ the web of family
relationships in a way she can understand.
Before you start, print or find photos of all
the family members you wish to include on your
family tree. On a large sheet of paper, create
a picture of a tree. You could use glue and
tissue-paper, or use paint to make thumb-print
or handprint ‘leaves’. Stick a photo of your child
on the main trunk. Now draw a line upwards
and add a photo of you and your partner.
Continue by adding photos of grandparents,
aunties, uncles and cousins.
Stick your finished family tree on the wall at
your toddler’s eye-level. She will love pointing
to the faces and saying the names. It’ll help her
realise that she is part of a bigger family, and
see her place within it.
WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE
THIS MEMORY
● Linda says: ‘You will be able to look at
the family tree together and say,
“Look, you got your green eyes
from Grandpa, and curly hair like
Uncle Ted.” It’ll give her a sense
of connection, and of
continuity, and that’s very
grounding. One day she’ll
realise you’re not just
her mum, but an
individual too.