By Graham Johns
In this fast-paced, electronic-based world, it’s difficult to find an activity to share with our children that does not involve television or the computer. Scrapbooking might help to bridge that gap of having fun but staying interested. The hobby helps stimulate conversation and keeps your kids away from technology. You and your kids can enjoy some quality time together and reconnect over a common hobby.
Helping your preschooler to create a school memory album is a great opportunity for them to practice gluing and cutting skills. You will do most of the work, but your child will help every step of the way. In the process, your child will learn some of the fundamentals of scrapbooking. You will also have spent time getting to know your child’s creative side. As the child gains confidence and skill, allow him or her to start working on pages with less help from you.
Remember that kids will not be able to work on scrapbooks for as long as you will. The younger your child is, the shorter their attention span will be. The important thing is to make the scrapbooking fun and exciting, not tedious. When your child starts to get bored or distracted, put the project away for another day.
Do not be afraid to let your children make some decisions on the memory album. They need to have the opportunity to experiment with colours and textures as they develop their skill and tastes for the craft. Even if they choose something that you do not particularly care for, remember that it is their album. Encourage them in another direction, but avoid the temptation to stifle creativity by forcing your own ideas about their pages on them. This is the quickest way to kill your child’s interest in scrapbooking.
If your children are older, give them the supplies and let them go with their own ideas. You will be pleasantly surprised by the creative streak that almost all children possess. Give your children disposable cameras so that they can capture some photos of their friends and their activities on their own. This is the best time to teach them about how to properly handle photographs and negatives. You can scrapbook together, working on your pages while they create their own.
While you are saving memories with your children in your albums, you are creating more memories as the books are being created. They will look back and remember how much fun they had while cutting and pasting pictures and memorabilia. Enjoy the family time together, and let your children explore their own creativity. So go ahead and grab that paper, dig out the markers and the crayons, and maybe add a little glitter while you’re at it. Start to create a treasured SCHOOL MEMORY ALBUM today!