A nuclear family traditionally contains only parents and children. In this family both parents or if only one parent, often the mother, socializes the children, or teaches them society's ideals and beliefs. In an extended family, several generations live together and the socialization of the children falls to multiple generations. In an extended family, grandparents and grandchildren interact more frequently. In the United States, nuclear families are the norm, but extended families are not uncommon.
Identify if your family is informally matriarchal-ruled by a female line, or patriarchal. Identify the matriarch or patriarch. Note that in the United States, family names indicating lineage are primarily passed down from the man's family, which is patrilineal. For example, N.E. Johnson, et al. reported in an 1991 article in the "Journal of Biosocial Science," the Mosu in China are matrilineal and traditionally trace lineage through the mother's line. However, in the United States, we acknowledge lineages from both sides of the family, despite the tendency to take the father's last name.
In the United States it is illegal to have more than one spouse. Allowing only one man to marry one woman is termed monogamy. Still, some groups, such as Mormons, historically have had male members who have taken more than one wife. Having more than one wife at a time is polygamy. In rural China, Mosou women have several de-facto husbands, which is an example of polyandry. The term serial monogamy is the tendency in the west to have multiple spouses one after another through divorce.
Identify if the family is matrilocal, patrilocal or neolocal. Traditionally in the United States a family is expected to set up its own place of residence upon marrying, which would be defined as neolocal -- new locale. However, that does not always occur, even within the United States. If newlyweds move in with the wife's family, it is a matrilocal family; if the move is in with the husband's family, it is patrilocal. In some societies, such as India, newlyweds typically move into the home of the husband's family.
Present your own family in a collage using the terms above. For even more fun, make up a family and give them different descriptors.