How to write a family creed

A family creed is a short list of what your family stands for, written by the family, in its own words. It sits somewhere between a motto (a few words) and a mission statement (a paragraph), and it works best when everyone who has to live by it helps write it.

Creed, motto, mission statement: what is the difference?

A motto is a phrase of two to six words you can put on a ribbon: “Stronger together”, or in Latin, Fide et Amore, “by faith and love”.
A creed is a handful of short sentences that start with “we”: we tell the truth, we eat together, when things get hard we stick together. It is specific enough that a nine-year-old can tell when someone breaks it.
A family mission statement is usually a paragraph about purpose. It is useful for adults, but kids rarely remember it.

Most families end up wanting all three, and they fit together: the creed says how you live, the motto sums it up, and a crest gives it a picture you can hang on the wall.

How to write one together, step by step

Pick a calm moment. A holiday meal, a long car ride or a Sunday breakfast. Not the morning after an argument.
Let everyone answer privately first. If people answer out loud, the loudest person wins and the youngest copy their parents. Private answers, counted together, show what the whole family actually thinks. The free session on this site passes one phone around so each person answers alone.
Choose values, not rules. Ask “what matters most in this family?” before “what should we do?”. Kindness, honesty, courage, humor and togetherness are the most common picks; the full list of 36 family values has more.
Turn each value into a sentence you can keep. “We value honesty” is vague. “We tell the truth, even about who ate the last cookie” is a promise. Short, concrete and a little bit funny beats long and solemn.
Add one line about hard times. A creed earns its place on the wall on the bad days. “When things get hard, we stick together” is the line families quote most.
Vote, then let one person edit. Give the family a few options and vote. Then let one organizer do the final edit, so the result reads as one voice.
Put it where you will see it. Print it, frame it, read it at the start of the year. A creed in a drawer is a creed nobody keeps.

Tips for doing it with kids

Keep it under ten lines. Children remember sentences, not paragraphs.
Let them choose the animal and the color. It is the part they will care about most, and it makes the crest theirs.
Use a playful tone if your family is playful. A creed that makes everyone laugh gets read out loud.
Revisit it every year or two. Kids grow, and the creed can grow with them.

What makes a good family creed

The best creeds are specific (“we eat dinner together”), honest (“we forgive each other, usually by dinner”), short and in your family's voice. Borrowed creeds rarely stick, because nobody in the family chose the words. That is why this site builds every creed from the family's own answers and lets you rewrite any line.

Examples

See family creed examples for new parents, blended families, grandparents, reunions and more, each with its crest and motto. For mottos on their own, see family motto ideas and Latin family mottos with translations.