Discover the Stories that Connect us Across Generations...
Available Now
Get your Family Stories Card Pack today
99+ Conversation Cards
Explore family history, traditions, childhood memories, migration stories, life lessons, and more.
Perfect for Family Gatherings
Bring them out during dinner conversations, holidays, reunions, road trips, and grandparent visits.
Build Family Connection
Spark meaningful conversations across different generations.
Preserve Your Stories
Pass on the wisdom, learnings and memories that might otherwise be forgotten.
About Jenny Brown
Developed by
Dr Jenny Brown
Dr Jenny Brown is a leading family therapist, researcher, and author with over four decades of experience in child and family mental health across Australia, the USA, and the UK.
The Family Stories Card Pack grew from Jenny’s desire to help families develop a deeper understanding of their generational context beyond the therapy room.
The Family Stories Card Pack grew from Jenny’s desire to help families develop a deeper understanding of their generational context beyond the therapy room.
About Bowen Theory
Grounded in
Bowen Family Systems Theory Research
Rooted in Bowen’s understanding of the family as an emotional system that extends across generations, the Family Story Cards encourage curiosity and conversations about the people, relationships and experiences that have shaped one another.
Over time, these conversations can help families put key Bowen principles into practice: looking beyond fixed labels, understanding people in the context of their relationships and life course, recognising the influence of the generations, and developing a more thoughtful understanding of differences within the family.
Over time, these conversations can help families put key Bowen principles into practice: looking beyond fixed labels, understanding people in the context of their relationships and life course, recognising the influence of the generations, and developing a more thoughtful understanding of differences within the family.
About Parent Hope
An Initiative of
The Parent Hope Project
The Family Stories Card Pack was designed alongside the goal of supporting parents to recover confidence in their role and capacity to contribute to their child’s wellbeing.
These cards facilitate open-ended dialogue that gently shifts attention away from the child. As children are given the role of interviewer and listener, they get to ask questions, be curious and reflect on the stories they hear. All while older generations have space to share their experiences and perspectives.
These cards facilitate open-ended dialogue that gently shifts attention away from the child. As children are given the role of interviewer and listener, they get to ask questions, be curious and reflect on the stories they hear. All while older generations have space to share their experiences and perspectives.
By Dr Jenny Brown
40+ Years Experience
Grounded by Research
Bowen Family Systems Theory
Designed for Families
Parent Hope Project
Suitable for:
- Parents and children (at any age)
- Grandparents and grandchildren
- Family gatherings and reunions
- Couples learning about their backgrounds
- Camp D&M conversations
- Teachers, therapists and community groups interested in family storytelling
Perfect for:
- Family connection and conversation
- Grandparent visits
- Family reunions and celebrations
- Long car trips and holidays
- Building children's resilience and identity
- Preserving family stories for future generations
There Aren't Any Complicated Rules
1. Choose a category
2. Pick a card
3. Read the question (reword it as you wish)
4. And listen to where the story goes
Allow a natural conversation to emerge. Often times, a single question is all it takes.
Bring the cards to dinner with grandparents, take them on a holiday, pull them out at a family gathering, or take a few cards when visiting a relative.
2. Pick a card
3. Read the question (reword it as you wish)
4. And listen to where the story goes
Allow a natural conversation to emerge. Often times, a single question is all it takes.
Bring the cards to dinner with grandparents, take them on a holiday, pull them out at a family gathering, or take a few cards when visiting a relative.
1. Connecting Across Generations
An important aspect of the Family Stories cards is the opportunity for one generation to become curious about another.
Families take many forms. The cards can be used across adoptive families and across families where parents are separated, providing opportunities to explore the stories and relationships that make up each person’s wider family.
The younger person becomes the curious interviewer and listener, discovering that the adults around them have histories of their own and that they are one small but important part of a much bigger family story.
Families take many forms. The cards can be used across adoptive families and across families where parents are separated, providing opportunities to explore the stories and relationships that make up each person’s wider family.
The younger person becomes the curious interviewer and listener, discovering that the adults around them have histories of their own and that they are one small but important part of a much bigger family story.
2. Creating Touchpoints for Understanding
Grounded in an understanding of the family as an emotional system that extends across generations, the Family Stories Card Pack invites children (and adults) to see their family members in greater depth. Through hearing their stories, children can discover the strengths and struggles, successes and failures, values and experiences that have shaped the people they know today.
Rather than seeing family members only through the lens of the present moment, children can begin to understand the circumstances and experiences that have shaped them. This wider view can open up curiosity, helping children appreciate and make sense of differences between family members and within relationships.
Rather than seeing family members only through the lens of the present moment, children can begin to understand the circumstances and experiences that have shaped them. This wider view can open up curiosity, helping children appreciate and make sense of differences between family members and within relationships.
3. Preserving Family Memories
Amidst the haste of everyday life, some of our richest family stories can disappear simply because nobody thought to ask about them.
Over time, family story conversations can preserve stories, memories and traditions that might otherwise be forgotten, and build a richer picture of where we come from and who we are connected to.
Over time, family story conversations can preserve stories, memories and traditions that might otherwise be forgotten, and build a richer picture of where we come from and who we are connected to.
Available Now
Get your Family Stories Card Pack today
99+ Conversation Cards
Explore family history, traditions, childhood memories, migration stories, life lessons, and more.
Perfect for Family Gatherings
Bring them out during dinner conversations, holidays, reunions, road trips, and grandparent visits.
Build Family Connection
Spark meaningful conversations across different generations.
Preserve Your Stories
Pass on the wisdom, learnings and memories that might otherwise be forgotten.