You can feel closer to your children if you keep treasured memories that you can look back on over the years. This is excellent for holding sentimental value. But you can also use some of the following ideas to record and track the growth and achievements of your children as they grow.
1. Photos and Videos on Your Phone
You can capture important moments in your child’s life by taking photos and videos of their milestones, such as first steps, the first day of school, birthdays, and vacations. You can store these digital memories on your phone or computer and make backups to ensure they are safe and secure. Social media apps like Instagram are great for this since they will always be stored. You can then download them when you need to (https://setapp.com/how-to/save-instagram-photos-on-mac) for use later on.
2. Keep Treasured Memories in a Memory Box
A memory box is a simple but effective way to keep your child’s most important memories safe. Start by picking a container that is strong and safe, like a plastic or wooden box, and write your child’s name and the date on it. Then, gather important things you want to keep, like school projects, art, certificates, and sentimental items. It’s also a good idea to include a few notes or a letter from you to your child to let them know how you feel at the time the memory was made.
3. Keep a Personalized Journal
Write down your child’s big steps and accomplishments, as well as what you’ve noticed and how you feel as a parent. This lets you write down your thoughts, feelings, and observations as a parent as well as the important events and milestones in your child’s life. To get started, you can choose a notebook or a digital app and set aside some time each week to think about the past week or month. You can also write about special achievements, such as their very first word.
4. Scrapbook with Your Kids
A scrapbook is a creative and fun way to remember your child’s childhood. Make a beautiful, personalized album with photos, drawings, and other items that you and your child will love for years to come. Once the scrapbook is done, you and your child can look through it together and talk about the past. It could also be a meaningful gift to give your child in the future, like on the day they graduate from high school or college when they get married or have kids of their own.
5. Frame Your Children’s Artwork
Kids often produce a lot of artwork, so why not preserve some of their best pieces by framing them and displaying them around the house? This can be a great way to showcase your child’s creativity and give them a sense of pride and accomplishment. Here are some frame ideas:
- Use popsicle sticks to create a simple frame, which they can then decorate with paint.
- Use a paper plate as the base for a frame, cutting out the center to create a border.
- Children can use a length of string or wire to string beads into different designs.
- Glue puzzle pieces together, then paint the pieces or add other decorations.
- Cut out shapes from felt to create a fun and colorful frame.
- Use modeling clay to create a frame, then paint or decorate with other materials.
- Gather sticks, leaves, and other natural materials to create a frame.
Making artwork frames together is a great way to bond and spend time with your kids. Of course, they will also feel proud of accomplishing something with the artwork and the frames. However, getting your kids into crafts also enhances their development by tuning their fine motor skills.
6. Record Their Voice and Handwriting
Record your child talking or writing something to keep their unique voice and handwriting. You can put these recordings in a special folder or digitally store them. You can also keep your child’s handwriting by scanning or taking a picture of something they’ve written, like a letter, a drawing, or a school project. Then label and date each recording or image so you can find it easily when you need to move or back up files in the future and prevent accidental deletion.
7. Bury a Time Capsule Together
This is a very creative way to keep memories of your child. Make a time capsule with your child that includes things that show what they are interested in and what they have done. Then you can bury the time capsule or put it somewhere safe to be opened in the future. This can be a fun and exciting event that you and your child can look forward to. It can also be a meaningful way to think about the past and celebrate your child’s growth and accomplishments since childhood.
8. Keep Treasured Memories by Saving Special Clothes
Even without birthdays, most people have about six important days in their lives. Some of these are religious events like baptisms, graduation, and weddings. For kids, some include their first day of school or their first formal dance. Keeping special clothing that means a lot to you and your child is a great way to remember and record important moments and memories. Clothes are real things that your child has worn, so they’re a good way to remember a special event.
9. Organize a Special Memory Book
Make a memory book with all of your child’s schoolwork, report cards, awards, and certificates. To store the items, choose a memory book or binder with clear plastic sleeves. This will keep them in order and keep them from getting damaged. As your child gets better at school, keep adding to the memory book with their new accomplishments. This is a great way to keep track of your child’s growth and can help you plan for their future by going over their achievements.
There is sentimental value when you keep treasured memories of your children. And you can help track their academic and personal growth. Some ideas for this include keeping photos and videos on your phone, framing their artwork together, and creating a memory book.
