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An introduction to family structures and how generations connect us to the past.
Did you know that you are like a leaf on a giant, living tree that started growing hundreds of years ago?
Imagine a group of people who were all born and grew up around the same time. This group is called a generation. You and your friends in Grade are part of one generation. Your parents are part of a different generation because they grew up many years before you. Your grandparents are an even older generation! It is like a ladder of time where each step is a new group of people in your family.
Quick Check
If you and your cousin are both years old, are you in the same generation?
Answer
Yes, because you are both children growing up at the same time.
Families are made of many people. Your parents (your mother and father) are the generation right above you. Above them are their parents, who are your grandparents. If we go back even further, we find your great-grandparents. Every person has parents, which means the family gets bigger the further back you look! This connection to the past helps us understand who we are today.
Let's count how many generations we can find in a small family group: 1. Generation 1: You (the child). 2. Generation 2: Your Mom and Dad. 3. Generation 3: Your Grandma and Grandpa. In this group, there are total generations!
Quick Check
Who is in the generation that came before your grandparents?
Answer
Your great-grandparents.
A family tree is a special drawing that shows how everyone is connected. We usually put the youngest person (you!) at the bottom or the 'roots.' We draw lines up to your parents, and then lines from them up to your grandparents. It looks like a tree because it has many branches. Each branch represents a different part of your family history.
If you want to draw a tree for your father's side: 1. Write your name at the bottom. 2. Draw a line up to your Father's name. 3. From your Father, draw lines up to his Mother and Father. Now you have a map of generations of your dad's family!
Imagine you want to show generations. 1. Start with yourself ( person). 2. Add your parents. 3. Add your grandparents. 4. To reach the generation, you would need to add all of their parents ( people!). That is a very busy tree!
What do we call a group of people born around the same time?
On a family tree, where do we usually put the youngest person?
Your great-grandparents are younger than your parents.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, see if you can remember the names of the three generations: you, your parents, and your... (can you recall the next one?)
Practice Activity
Ask a grown-up at home to tell you one story about your grandparents when they were little kids!