Blended family tree template
Standard family tree templates quietly assume one couple, married once, with children who all share both parents. Plenty of families are not shaped like that, and trying to force them into a template that cannot bend is the moment most people give up.
This template starts from a remarriage. One parent, two relationships, children from each — which produces half-siblings, who share one parent, and a stepparent, who is a parent by relationship rather than by blood. The chart keeps both relationships visible instead of pretending the first one did not happen.
Blended family tree template
Five people: a father, his first partner and their child, plus a second partner and the half-sibling from that relationship.
Who it's for
- Remarriages, second families, and stepfamilies of every shape.
- Anyone whose family tree has broken a template that only allowed one marriage.
- Explaining to a child exactly how a half-sibling and a stepparent differ.
How to fill it in
Start with the parent who appears in both relationships — in this template, the father.
Fill in the first partner and the children of that relationship.
Fill in the second partner and the children of that relationship. Both couples stay on the chart.
Check the sibling links: children who share one parent are half-siblings, and the app works this out from the structure rather than asking you to label it.
Add stepchildren and further partners as needed. A person can appear in as many relationships as real life required.
Tips
You are not obliged to record a divorce to record a remarriage — but if you want to, there is a “Got Divorced” life event.
Adopted children belong on the tree exactly like any other child. Family is not only biology, and the chart does not force you to say it is.
Frequently asked questions
The remarried person is drawn once and connected to both partners, with each relationship's children hanging beneath the couple they belong to. This template already has that structure.
A half-sibling shares one biological parent with you. A stepsibling shares no biological parent — they are the child of your parent's new partner. Both can be recorded here.
Yes. A stepparent goes on the chart as the parent's partner, and their own children appear beneath them.