Articles : Tutorials - Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking with Your Kids

Scrapbooking with your kids can be a great way to spend quality time together. In the process of sharing your favorite hobby, you’ll also be able to gain new insights into your child’s personality.

Creating an “All About Me” Album

A small “All About Me” album is a great way to introduce your child to the joys of scrapbooking. A 6x6, 8x8, 9x9, or 8 ½ x 11 album with a consistent theme will seem much less overwhelming for a child than a large 12x12 scrapbook full of random layouts. If you wish, you can even choose a sketch from the PageMaps Web site to assist in the process of designing each page. 

Topics for an “All About Me” album may include:

• Family
• Friends
• Pets
• Life at school
• Hobbies
• Favorite things
• Future plans

Although many parents give their children their unwanted photos to scrapbook, letting your child pick out the photos he or she wishes to use is a much better strategy. If your child is old enough, you may also want to consider offering a few photography tips and letting him or her take pictures with your digital camera.

Tips for Scrapbooking with Your Kids

When scrapbooking with your kids, you’ll want to remember the following tips:

• Put safety first. If you’re scrapbooking with a preschooler, make sure all sharp cutting tools and any small embellishments such as eyelets or mini-brads are safely out of reach. Older children may enjoy using punches and die cut machines, but you’ll want to supervise closely to make sure nobody accidentally pinches a finger.
• Protect your work area. It’s a proven fact that children are much messier than adults. Cover your scrapbooking work area with newspaper or an old drop cloth to avoid having to scrape glue, paint, or glitter off the table when you’re done.

• Choose products with kid appeal. While it’s fine to let your kids practice scrapbooking using your leftover supplies, you’ll probably want to start buying them their own patterned papers and embellishments at some point. Companies such as KI Memories and SEI are great choices for scrapbooking with your kids, since their products feature bright colors and contemporary designs that appeal to both the young and the young at heart. If your child has a special interest such as sports or music, you may also want to search for items that appeal to these tastes.
• Don’t micromanage. Although you’ll want to provide some general guidance, resist the urge to tell your child how to scrapbook. One of the best aspects of this hobby is that it encourages creativity. Let your child do his or her own thing and see what happens. You just might discover a great new technique you can adapt for your own layouts!

Be proud of your child’s accomplishments. To encourage your child’s interest in scrapbooking, proudly display his or her work with your own albums. If you wish, you can even frame a special layout to use as wall art within your craft room.