This is one activity from the January Growing Towards Justice guide. You can order the full 10 month curriculum here.

Create a Roots of Love tree with your child

 Resources needed:

Roots of Love template or paper and art materials for drawing a tree with lots of roots

Most of us complete a family tree at some point in our lives. It’s nice to know who’s related to whom, and to keep track of the generations. But many of the people who love us don’t have a place on a family tree – and for some people, the ‘missing branches’ on their tree are a source of sadness or pain.

 A Roots of Love tree flips the idea of a family tree on its head, and reminds us that it takes more people than immediate, biological family to raise a child – it takes a community. It also places less importance on lineage and more importance on a day to day feeling of love and connection. Who provides the roots that allow your child to thrive?

Ask your child to think about the people that love them and help them to grow. Print out the Roots of Love template so that your child can decorate the tree however they like. Help them to write their name in the middle of the tree, and help them to write the names of people they identify who love them and help them on the roots of the tree.

As your child gets older, some of the roots will grow thicker and stronger, while others fade away. This happens in real tree root systems! Keep adding to this tree over time and admire the beauty that is the breadth and depth of love your child experiences.