Family tree maker

Adoption family tree

A family tree for an adopted child should show the family who raised them without pretending the birth family doesn't exist. A genogram, the detailed version of a family tree, has a separate line for adoption, foster care and birth parents, so both can sit on one chart.

Updated October 2026

Quick answer

An adoption family tree shows an adopted person's adoptive family and, where known and wanted, their birth family. Draw the adoptive parents as the child's parents with a dashed adoption line, add the adoption year, and place birth parents as their own couple linked to the child. Foster children use a dotted line instead.

Make an adoption family tree free See a finished example

What should an adoption family tree show?

Most family tree templates have one slot for a mother and one for a father, and every line means “born to.” For an adopted child that forces a bad choice: list the adoptive parents as if the child were born to them, or list birth parents the child may never have met. Neither is accurate.

A genogram solves this with different kinds of child lines. The adoptive parents are the child's parents, drawn with a dashed adoption line. Birth parents, if you include them, are a separate couple with their own link to the child. An emotional line can show how much contact there is, from close and regular to none. The result is one honest chart instead of two incomplete ones.

A worked example: the Feldman family

Mark and Rachel Feldman adopted two children: Jaylen in 2011, in an open domestic adoption, and Sofia in 2016, from Colombia, whose birth parents are unknown.

Genogram example: Open Adoption with Birth Family Contact — An adoption family tree with two adopted children, adoption years on the dashed child lines, a known birth mother and her family, and three generations of the adoptive family. Open this example

Both children hang from Mark and Rachel's marriage line, so the chart says plainly who their parents are. The labels on the dashed lines give the adoption years. To the left, Jaylen's birth mother Destiny, her husband Andre and their daughter Nia are drawn as their own family, with Destiny linked to Jaylen and a close line between them: this is an open adoption, and Nia is Jaylen's half-sister. Sofia has no birth-family branch because none is known, which the chart reflects without leaving an awkward empty box.

Lines for adoption, foster care and step relationships

Relationship	How it is drawn	When to use it
Biological child	Solid vertical line	Children born to the parents they hang from
Adopted child	Dashed vertical line	Legal, permanent adoption; add the year beside it
Foster child	Dotted vertical line	Temporary placement with foster parents
Stepchild	Dash-dot vertical line	A partner’s child, before or without a step-parent adoption
Birth parents	A couple of their own, linked to the child	Known birth mother, father or both, in an open or closed adoption
Close / distant	Emotional line between any two people	How much contact the child has with birth relatives

Standard genogram notation, drawn automatically when you pick the relationship type. See every line in the relationship lines guide.

How to make an adoption family tree

1
Build the adoptive family first
Add the adoptive parents, their marriage line, and grandparents and siblings on both sides, the same way you would for any family tree.
2
Add the child with an adoption line
Add the adopted child under the parents and set the connection to Adopted. Add the adoption year.
3
Decide on the birth family
If known and wanted, add the birth mother, birth father or both as their own couple, and link them to the child as birth parents. Add their other children if the child knows them.
4
Show contact and closeness
Use close, distant or other emotional lines between the child and birth relatives to show what the relationship is actually like.
5
Export or share
Download a PNG free, print it, or share a view-only link with relatives.

Faster: describe it

Type something like “Mark and Rachel married in 2003. They adopted Jaylen, born 2011, in 2011; his birth mother Destiny is in his life and close to him. They adopted Sofia, born 2014, from Colombia in 2016.” into Ask AI in the editor and the AI draws the tree. Each build uses one AI credit; the free plan includes 5 a month.

Making the tree with an adopted child

Practical points from how families and school counselors use these charts. This is general guidance, not a substitute for advice from an adoption professional.

Let the child lead on the birth family

Whether birth relatives appear is the child’s and family’s choice. Two files (one with birth family, one without) is a simple way to keep both.

Keep the language neutral

Labels like "birth mother" and "adoptive father" are clear and widely used. Avoid "real parents" on the chart.

Use placeholders for the unknown

An unknown birth father can be a labeled placeholder. It leaves room for what the child learns later.

Record health history where known

Adopted people often lack family medical history. What is known can go on the chart as medical conditions, for doctors later on.

More adoption, foster and kinship examples

Adoptive family with biological and adopted children

One child adopted internationally, one through an open domestic adoption, and one biological child.

Foster care family

Foster parents with two biological children and three foster children, with each foster child’s birth family.

Kinship care with a grandmother

Three children living with their grandmother, with foster and lived-with lines.

Chosen family

Family of origin and the family a person built, on one chart.

Frequently asked questions

How do you show an adopted child on a family tree?

Connect the child to their adoptive parents with a dashed vertical line instead of the solid line used for biological children. Add the adoption year next to the line if you know it. If the birth parents are known and you want to include them, add them as a couple of their own and connect the child to them with a birth-parent link.

Should an adopted child’s tree include the birth family?

That is the family’s decision, and it can change over time. Many adoptive families keep one chart with both families on it, because an open adoption already includes birth relatives in the child’s life. Others start with the adoptive family only and add birth relatives later. A diagram tool makes either choice easy to revise.

What if the birth parents are unknown?

Add a placeholder couple labeled "Birth parents (unknown)" or leave them off entirely. A placeholder keeps the place open for information the child may learn later, and it tells anyone reading the chart that the adoption is part of the story rather than a gap.

How is foster care shown differently from adoption?

Foster children are connected with a dotted line, adoption with a dashed line and biological children with a solid line. The difference matters because foster care is usually temporary and the child’s legal parents are still part of the picture. Kinship care, where a relative raises the child, is drawn with the child living in the relative’s household.

Is this a good tool for a school family tree assignment for an adopted child?

Yes. A standard school template assumes one set of biological parents, which can be hard for adopted children. A genogram-style tree lets the child show the family who raised them as the main tree, with birth family included only if the child and parents want it. The school project guide has more on framing.