Quick tool
Printable blank family tree
Choose how many generations, the shape and the paper, then print it and fill it in by hand. Every box is named, so children know who goes where: Father’s mother is Dadi, Mother’s father is Nana.
Filling it in
Start with yourself at the bottom (or on the left), then your parents, then their parents. Write a woman’s name before marriage if you know it: it’s often the only way to find her family later. When you don’t know a date, “about 1950” is fine.
For a school project
Four generations on A4 is the usual size. Ask grandparents for their parents’ names and the villages or towns they came from: those are the details that are hardest to find later.
When the paper runs out
Family Tree by Manr.ai keeps the whole family, with photos, birthdays and stories, and shares it with relatives so everyone can add what they know. Private, and free during beta.