How to Create a Child Theme in WordPress

A child theme in WordPress is a theme that inherits the functionality and styling of another theme, called the parent theme. Creating a child theme lets you safely customize your site without losing changes when the parent theme updates. Here’s how to create one step by step.

Step 1: Create a Child Theme Folder

1. Use FTP or File Manager in your hosting control panel.
2. Navigate to wp-content/themes/.
3. Create a new folder for your child theme. Example: mytheme-child.

Step 2: Create a style.css File

Inside the child theme folder, create a file named style.css with the following content:

/*
 Theme Name:   MyTheme Child
 Theme URI:    https://example.com/mytheme-child
 Description:  Child theme for MyTheme
 Author:       Your Name
 Author URI:   https://example.com
 Template:     mytheme
 Version:      1.0.0
*/

/* Custom CSS starts here */
body {
    background-color: #f9f9f9;
}

Important: The Template value must match the folder name of your parent theme (e.g., mytheme).

Step 3: Create a functions.php File

In the same folder, create a functions.php file to enqueue the parent and child styles:

<?php
function mytheme_child_enqueue_styles() {
    // Enqueue parent theme stylesheet
    wp_enqueue_style(
        'parent-style',
        get_template_directory_uri() . '/style.css'
    );

    // Enqueue child theme stylesheet
    wp_enqueue_style(
        'child-style',
        get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/style.css',
        array('parent-style')
    );
}
add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'mytheme_child_enqueue_styles');

Step 4: Activate the Child Theme

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Appearance → Themes.
3. You should see your new child theme listed.
4. Click Activate.

Step 5: Customize Safely

• Add CSS rules in style.css.
• Copy template files (e.g., header.php) from the parent theme into the child theme folder and edit them as needed.
• Write PHP functions in functions.php to extend or modify features.

Best Practices

• Only copy template files you plan to change—WordPress will use the parent theme’s files for everything else.
• Keep the child theme lightweight to ensure easy updates to the parent theme.
• Always test on a staging site before making major edits.

Summary

1. Create a new folder in wp-content/themes/ for your child theme.
2. Add a style.css file with the correct header and custom styles.
3. Create a functions.php to enqueue parent and child stylesheets.
4. Activate the child theme from the dashboard.
5. Customize safely without losing changes during theme updates.

With a child theme, you can confidently personalize your WordPress site while keeping the parent theme fully updatable.

🎨 Want to learn more? Visit our WordPress Customization Hub for tips and advanced techniques.