A Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Scrapbook With Your Kids

Children love anything to do with craft. Children thrive in an environment filled with cutting up paper, choosing colours, peeling off stickers and using glue sticks. An ideal way to channel this creative interest is to create a scrapbook. This activity can also develop their fine motor skills. Children can, at times, have a short attention span, so this is an ideal activity that can be done for short periods but to which pages can be added as the years progress. Children can then look back on their handiwork and can see how their skills have developed and changed since they first began this project.

Choose a topic

This scrapbook can be a personal book, filled with favorite holidays, friends, pets, sports or special occasions. Another idea is a scrapbook depicting a school timeline, starting off with kindergarten, prep and every year at school. It could even be a scrapbook containing birthday celebrations only, from birth through to the present and adding pages to it each year.

Choose the photos

Once you have chosen a topic, choose the relevant photos. Ideally choose 3-5 photos but explain that they might not all fit onto the page once decorations and embellishments have been chosen.

Choose a color scheme

Choose a few different colors with coordinating embellishments. Let your child choose which colors they would like to use. Do not give them too many to choose from, as this can sometimes be overwhelming.

Choose the scrapbooking tools

Explain the tools that will be used, such as paper trimmer, decorative scissors, tape runner, corner cutters, etc. Explain to them what they can use now and teach them how to use tools safely. If you are scrapbooking with younger children, explain that they will be able to use some of the tools when they are older.

Choose paper

Lightweight paper will be easier for your child to cut, instead of using cardstock. Now you have chosen the photos, choose decorative embellishments, such as stickers, die cut outs or embellishments to enhance the scrapbook pages. Now you are ready to put the scrapbook together! Once your child has made their first scrapbook, they will possibly want to go on and make more. Scrapbooking is a great activity that can be done on a weekly or monthly basis. You can continue where you left off at any stage. Scrapbooks come in all sizes, so smaller ones might be suitable to make a memory of a family holiday or to make a scrapbook to give as a gift. Scrapbooks made by children are eagerly received by family members or special friends as keepsake gifts. When scrapbooking with children, it is important to remember to let them make most of the decisions. This will be a good learning process for them. They may need help cutting larger pieces of paper or cutting complicated shapes. A good idea is to have custom stickers made. While they are choosing which stickers to use, you can be cutting the paper. Children will need to feel involved at each stage of scrapbooking.

Jessica is a stay a home mum and when her kids are at school she loves the art of flower arranging in her spare time. She loves sharing her tips and tricks with other fellow green thumbs and creating arts and craft ideas for her kids.