Creating An Alphabet Scrapbook

To make an alphabet scrapbook for a child, I suggest using an 8x8 album. My sister takes hundreds and hundreds of pictures of her daughter. I remember thinking "there she is with a banana", and "there she is with an apple", thus the idea of an alphabet scrapbook developed.

I like stencils. I created all 26 letters using a stencil. I then mounted the letters on the opposite corners. For example, "A" was in the upper left corner, while "B" was in the upper right corner of the adjoining page. I’ve also seen alphabet scrapbooks with the letter centered on the top of each page. The option to put the letter in the bottom corners or centered on the bottom is also there. Or create your album mixing all of the above with the letters in various places throughout the album. Try putting the letter in the center of the page and then building your photos around the letter.

Your "A" page can either be the child holding an apple, or it can be mom and dad inside an airplane. Maybe you have a pet named Ben. That could be the focus of your "B" page.

I think it is so much fun to go through photos and specifically look for those photos that belong to a certain letter.

It’s also fun to create your ABC scrapbook, taking photos during the year, making sure to get one photo of your child for each letter. Children learn to recognize and read letters usually after age 3. This gives you 3 years to take photos. When the alphabet book is a book of pictures of the child, the child will look at the book over and over again, reading the letters, and reading the words. Children like to read about themselves and learn about themselves.

You can also create a book for nieces, nephews or a good friend, if you are with them often enough to take photos of the child with each letter of the alphabet.

Have fun being creative with the 26 letters of the alphabet!

About the author:
Audrey Okaneko has been scrapbooking for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com