This fairy-tale, family tree castle is a great activity to encourage children to talk about their families and the people (and pets) that are close to them. In the UK, the royal family is a useful example to use with children as they are in the public eye and it is easy to find free photo resources etc to print out. Talking about the royal family can then lead on to children talking about similarities and difference in their own families. Do they have a grandmother? How many brothers/sisters do they have? Who else is special to them? It is important to be sensitive when talking about families as there can be lots of different circumstances to cover.
This discussion can then lead onto decorating the castles and adding the people and animals who make up their families to the windows and doors.
Materials:
- A4 printer card
- A4 paper
- Glue stick
- Colouring pencils/pens
- cocktail stick/lollipop stick.
- scissors
- craft knife
Instructions
- Print the castle pdf onto thin card – remember to print at actual size. Click here to get the free printable.
2. This step needs to be done by an adult. Cut around the doors and windows. This is best done using a craft knife. Make sure you leave one side of each window and door uncut so that you can open and close them.
3. Glue the back of the card, making sure not to glue over the doors and windows. Stick the card to a piece of white A4 paper.
4. Cut out the castle and the flag. Colour the castle in and add people and animals inside the doors and windows.
5. Glue the flag to a cocktail stick or lollipop stick and attach to the top of the castle using sticky tape. Glue along the side of the castle and roll into a tube, hold the join firmly until the glue dries. Stand back and admire your family castle.
Make Time Together 