Scrapbooking for Kids

Scrapbooking is a great way of preserving the memories of our life. Though usually considered to be an adult hobby, it is soon becoming a favorite among kids too, since it involves a lot of cutting, pasting, painting, coloring pages, etc., which kids enjoy the most.

It not only helps in developing a child's skill of organization, but also aids in exploring his or her creativity.  Moreover, it provides a great opportunity for parents to bond and spend quality time with their children. Before you initiate your child into this hobby, let us take a look at some important things that you should know.

One thing that parents must remember, is that scrapbooking should be a fun activity and not a tedious task. Do not expect the end result to be a grand one. Also, children, especially the young ones, do not have the patience to sit at one place and work on the scrapbook for long and continuous hours. Don't force your child to work on the scrapbook. Set aside at least 15 - 20 minutes everyday for scrapbook activity, and if you see that it holds your child's interest, you can let it go on until he or she is bored of it.

As I said earlier, scrapbooking should not be an elaborate task. You would rather divide it into small scrapbooking projects which can be completed within a few weeks time. In such cases, a theme will be helpful.

So, the first thing that you and your kid should decide is the theme for the scrapbook which could be anything from family, friends, holidays, to sports, toys, or anything that is close to your or your kid's heart. This is important because the supplies that you will need would depend on the theme that you select.

Once the theme has been decided, start collecting the supplies that will be required to complete the task. There are various scrapbook kits available in the market for kids which will make the job quite easy. These kits, can however, be a little expensive and not everyone will be able to afford them.

In such a case, you can look for colorful papers which are easily available in craft shops. Other things that kids would require to make a scrapbook are cards, fancy stickers, colored pencils, embellishments, colorful paper cut outs, glue, scissors, etc.

Once all the required supplies have been bought, the next thing to do is to select the photographs that will adorn the scrapbook. You can select a few according to the theme of the scrapbook and then, ask your child to decide what he or she would like to use. Once this is done, ask them to cut the photographs the way they want to stick them in the book. If your child is too young, it is advised you do this.

Scrapbooking is a way of exploring your child's creativity and hence, you must give him or her the freedom to make decisions while decorating the book. But, it is also okay to guide them through the process. For instance, matting the photographs is something that most adults do to highlight the photograph.

With very young children, you can skip this step, but if you are doing it with an elder child, you may introduce him or her to this procedure. However, never force your child in doing it. Apart from this, you must also give your child the freedom to choose the color schemes, embellishments, etc., for the scrapbook.

Once the pages of the scrapbook have been decorated with pictures, colors, and stickers, the next step is journaling it. It can be anything, from a small caption to just the name of the people present in the picture. Even if your child does not know anything other than writing alphabets, you must allow him or her to do the writing in the scrapbook.

Ask your child first, as to what he or she would like to write in the scrapbook. If they are unsure about it, you can give them suggestions. Don't make a big deal about the spellings of words, as these are true, heartfelt, and innocent memories.

Scrapbooking is not only a great way of developing your child's organizational and planning skills, but also the best way to tap his or her creativity. Moreover, a scrapbook made by your little one will always remind you of the happy moments that you spent with him or her while making it.