Tips for Creating a Successful School Days Photo book
by Tiffany Tillman
You’ll love creating this School Days photo book. It’s fun, easy-to-create format allows you the ease and flexibility you need to gather information and photos no matter what your situation. The School Days photo book makes a great gift for teachers, classmates and family members.
I designed the School Days photo book with fun, bright school colors to match classic colors often found in photos often taken at school. The playful charm adds to the appeal of the book giving kids a memento to cherish for years to come. Feel free to further customize the book with the addition of alternate pages for more photos.
Finding & Gathering the Information
Title Page
Simple photos from the year with small details work best for this page. Photo ideas can include the child’s shoes, a smile, eyes, hands, bus number, or book bag. Or duplicate photos which you will use in the interior of the book.
A Little About Me and First Days
What new milestones can be documented as the year begins? New braces, new glasses, growth spurts, missing baby teeth all represent small milestones with big impacts. Use the photos spaces on the first page to document those changes. Need additional photo ideas? Include a photo of the child’s favorite school lunch or new school supplies. Use the journaling section to document age, grade, height, weight, school and school year.
Be sure to share the feeling and activities of the first week of school? What did he or she wear during the first days of school? Use the second spread’s journaling section to document your subject’s feelings through words and a photo.
My Teacher and My Schedule
Invite teachers to take a photo one on one with your child right before or after class. Multiple teachers? Try a group photo or choose a favorite teacher. Older children and teenagers may not feel comfortable inviting you to take photos, so hand your camera over and let them take the photos.
What does your child do before and after school hours? The second page is a perfect place to include photos of your child’s daily routine: brushing teeth for school, lacing up shoelaces, or waiting for the school bus. After school photos can include homework time, a home study area, or your child relaxing after the school day.
My Class
A class photo will work well in the first part page of the My Class section. The large journal strip is perfect for classmate’s names. Include photos taken during the year of other classmates on the second page. Or include photos of your child’s classroom. Class pet? Cubby holes? Class project on the wall? Use the additional photo space to document these memories too.
My Friends
Preserve photos of your child’s friends. Favorite photos of friends can include: classmates, friends from sports, car-pool buddies, even friends from the bus-stop. Pictures from a sleep over work well.
Fieldtrips
What field trips did your child attend during the year? Tell the story of the trip(s) with photos and captions. Chat with the teacher or class chaperone for additional photo-sharing ideas.
My Sports
Recess and P.E. offer great opportunities to showcase your child at play during their school day via photos. Capture photos of organized sports or activities after school including football, baseball, karate, ballet, gymnastics or cheerleading. Use photos from different times during the year, choose photos from one specific event, or select team photos and individual shots.
My Special Events
School programs, class parties, photos with special guests, awards ceremonies all work well on this page. Will your child dress up for school during the year? Take photos of your child in costume before or after school.
My Projects
Did your child participate in the annual science fair? What artwork pieces did your child create during the year? Photograph or scan artwork and projects to add to this page.
Tip: Don’t worry if you don’t have a scanner—try laying the artwork on a solid surface (such as the floor or the refrigerator) and taking a photograph. It’s faster and easier than scanning so you’re more likely to capture more of these items.
Fond Memories & Looking Back
What were the last weeks or days like for your child? Will this be the last grade attended at the particular school? Did your child experience any changes since the beginning of the year? Tell the story here. Include photos of graduation, end of the year parties, or photos of your child’s achievements from the year.
Journaling the Information
- Invite your child to author or help write the journaling for the book.
- Try starting sentences with "on this day you" or "during the year you". Create a list of special days or events from your child’s year.
- Document the achievements as well as the challenges from the year. Each child is unique and each year will be different. Share in the book the obstacles your child overcame during the year.
Collaborate with Others
Want to gather more photos to add into the school book? Here are some ideas for additional photo resources.
- Have your child carry a disposable camera to school (with teacher’s permission) to capture photos of events parents would regularly miss. Field trips, school plays, P.E., lunch time? Anything goes when your child is behind the lens!
- Attending your child’s Open House? Snap a few photos of their classroom, desk, supplies, project work and additional surroundings before or after the event.
- Coordinate a picture swap with parents of other students in the same classroom for additional photos during special events or chaperoned field trips.
You may also want to check out the following resources for more ideas:
A planner page separated in months to help plan or remember which events should be in the book [PDF] >
Ideas for variations and creative ways to use the School Days photo book >
