Keeping Your Children's Memories: Save Photos, Drawings, School Papers and Toys

If you're like most parents, you have scrapbooks full of pictures of your kids and other family members. But have you given thought to collecting memories for your children? A little planning and effort on your part will create a collection of memorabilia that will call to mind many happy times as your children approach adulthood.

With the existence of digital cameras and printers, it's easy to create multiple copies of photos. As you work on your own family scrapbooks, it makes sense to also put together scrapbook pages for each of your children, with each child as the star of his or her own scrapbook. Family barbeques, vacations, special events like recitals and graduations, and just plain lazy days will all invoke welcome memories for your children. Don't forget to include family photos and pictures of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even copies of photos of earlier generations of the family.

Once your children enter school, they will bring reams of papers home - completed drawings, homework, notices - all kinds of interesting material. You may want to create a file folder for each of your children for the current year, and save absolutely everything, especially if they may need to refer back to certain papers as they progress through the school year. Dividing papers into different subjects, like math, English, science, and so on, can actually help them in their studies. Once the year ends, go through the papers you've collected, with your child, and help them edit the collection, saving the best of the papers and drawings. Choose a couple to add to the child's scrapbook, and file the rest away in a folder, marked with the dates of the school year.

Your collection of memories can go beyond just photos and school papers. Most children own lots of toys, clothes, and books throughout their childhoods, and grow out of them as they grow up. Recycling out-grown toys and clothes to other families is a great idea, but why not save one or two items each year for a memory box? A favorite childhood book, a beloved teddy bear, a frequently worn dress or shirt can be tucked away in a sturdy acid-free box, to be saved for your grown child to share with his or her own growing family.

Stashing away valued memories for your children's future will evoke many happy recollections; more than that, these memories will create a common bond between family members and forge a family history that can be passed on for generations.