by Brittany Burns, Children's Services Associate October 2022
One thing that I have found over the years is that my parents or grandparents do not talk about their childhoods much and I do not think to ask. This was especially true when my grandfather got Alzheimer’s and started to forget more and more. Here is a great craft for the whole family to help everyone’s memory. It is called a Pocket Family Picture Book.
Materials:
- Cardstock or scrapbook paper cut into 3 by 4 inch pieces
- Scissors
- Family pictures
- Glue
- White paper or labels
- Hole Punch
- Binder rings or string
Instructions:
- Cut the cardstock or scrapbook paper into 3 by 4-inch rectangles. Cut out as many rectangles as you have family members that you want to include.
- Punch a hole in the top left corner of all the rectangles.
- Find family pictures that will fit on each page of one family member that you want to remember.
- Glue one picture per rectangle. Make sure the hole in the corner is clear.
- Write the person’s name on the rectangle with the matching picture. You can write it on the back or front. You can also use the labels or white paper to create a label for each page.
- Here is where you can customize the Family Picture Book based on who is going to be using it. If it is going to an elderly relative, you can put facts about the person pictured on the back to remind them of their loved ones. If it is being used to show pictures of newly found ancestors, you can put what you have learned on the back. If is being used to introduce family that lives far away to a young child, you can leave the back blank.
- Put the binder ring through the hole in the corner of each page. You can also cut a piece of string and use that to put everything together.
Now you have a fun little pocket-sized book to show to your family and friends! You can use it as a fun way to help grandparents remember the people they love most, and it may even spark some memories for them. You can use it to help introduce family members to children that may be too young to remember the last time their grandparents visited. You can even use it as a fun way to keep pictures of those you love with you wherever you go. Every time you pull out your book, you can tell people the stories about the individuals that the pictures spark. Share your family stories because I bet they are just as fun to remember as they were to experience.
P.S.: Join us on Weds., Nov. 9 for a special Memories Story Time, where we'll learn about and support those living with memory loss by joining us for stories, songs and a craft that is sure to make a loved one's day special!