Activity 01
My Family Tree Chart
Students will draw a tree on a chart paper and paste small, passport-sized photos or draw pictures of their family members on different branches. They will label each member with their name and relationship to the student (e.g., 'Dadi - Paternal Grandmother').
Identify the different members of your immediate and extended family.
Facilitation TipProvide a simple template to help students structure their tree with different levels for generations.
What to look forObserve students as they work on their family tree charts. Check for correct placement of members and understanding of generational levels through informal questioning.
UnderstandAnalyzeCreateSelf-AwarenessSelf-Management
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Family Story Circle
Each student shares a short, interesting story about one of their grandparents or an elder in the family. This could be about their childhood, a special skill they have, or a festival they celebrated together.
Explain the relationship between a maternal and a paternal grandparent.
Facilitation TipEncourage active listening by asking other students to ask one follow-up question after each story.
What to look forA simple worksheet with a 'fill-in-the-blanks' section (e.g., 'My mother's brother is my ____') and a task to draw a small, labelled family tree for a fictional family.
UnderstandAnalyzeCreateSelf-AwarenessSelf-Management
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Relationship Web
In small groups, students use yarn or string to connect cards with different family roles (e.g., 'Mother', 'Father's Sister', 'Mother's Brother'). This helps them visualise the web of relationships in an extended family.
Compare your family tree with a friend's to see similarities and differences.
Facilitation TipStart with a simple web for a nuclear family and then add cards for extended family members to show the growing complexity.
What to look forProvide a checklist for students to review their own family tree: 'Have I included my parents?', 'Have I included my grandparents?', 'Have I labelled the relationships correctly?'
UnderstandAnalyzeCreateSelf-AwarenessSelf-Management
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin by discussing the student's immediate family, then gradually introduce the concept of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. Use your own simple family tree as an example to model the activity. Emphasise that every family is different and special, creating a safe space for children from diverse family structures to share.
By the end of this topic, your students will be able to create their own family tree and explain how everyone in their family is connected.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
All families are like my family (e.g., a nuclear family with two parents and children).
Families in India are very diverse. Some are joint families where grandparents, uncles, and aunts live together, while others might be single-parent families. All types of families are special and provide love and care.
Only people related by blood are part of a family.
Family is about love, care, and connection. Members who are adopted or step-relatives are just as much a part of the family as those related by blood.
The terms 'grandfather' and 'grandmother' are the same for both sides of the family.
While we use general terms, we have specific names to understand relationships better. Paternal grandparents are your father's parents (Dada, Dadi), and maternal grandparents are your mother's parents (Nana, Nani).
Methods used in this brief