What’s on your flag?

What does your flag symbolize? Mine has two blue stripes, representing a prayer for piece, and a star of David, which symbolizes a connection to our past. My kids’ homeland flag has the stars and the stripes, symbolizing each in its turn the 50 states and the 13 first colonies that declared independence from the motherland. But what symbols do we as a family share? Being a family on the move with so many cultural influences – passport countries, host countries, homeland countries – what kind of a flag would represent the colors of my family?

In this activity I invite you to search for your family flag. How will it look? How many parts would it have? What colors? What would it symbolize? What family memories would it include? What family traditions would it present?

For the activity you’ll need a large white A1 construction paper, a pile of A4 drawing papers, glue and scissors. Prepare markers, paints, crayons, colorful old magazines, colored papers, family photos, and any other materials that would elicit your family’s imagination. Get messy – this is a must for real creativity!

1. Get your family together and start by brainstorming ideas for a family flags – use the above questions and write down all ideas. Make sure you give everyone a chance to add their input – even the youngest of the family members.
2. Give each family member an A4 drawing paper and take 10 minutes for private work on a sketch for the flag. Don’t get into details, it’s only a sketch!
3. Get back together – share your works. Each one gets his turn to present his ideas.
4. Think together what parts of each sketch would you like to incorporate into your family flag?
5. Start working together on your joint big family flag. Make sure everyone is taking part.
6. Congratulation! Time to raise your new family flag – I hope you didn’t forget to prepare a speech… 🙂

Send us your family flag photos – we’d love to hang them on our wall.

More flag projects around the world:

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/free_resources/teachers_corner/projects/familyFlag.jsp?f=multi

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/building-student-identities

http://mssierraspot.blogspot.sg/2012/09/4th-grade-family-flag-finished-product.html

By Dr Taly Goren, a long time traveler between nations and continents,
relocation specialist, parents groups facilitator, mother of two adolescent TCKs,
and the wife of a Hi-Tech Expat frequent flyer.