Was your vacation jam-packed with activities? Help your kids remember the highlights by creating a vacation photo album together.
To encourage your children to use a photo album as a prop when telling their friends at school about their vacation, the first step is to involve them in the album-making process. It’s a fun-filled activity that requires thought and creativity, and an excellent opportunity to share a special moment together.
Sit down with your kids and try to remember as many activities as you can. A calendar may help you remember things you did on certain days. Ask your children what really stuck out for them so you can pick their favourite moments. You might be surprised to discover that the rainy afternoon spent at the movies trumped your weeklong vacay in the mountains!
The next step is to find photos of those special moments. If there are no pictures of an activity or outing that was particularly memorable for your children, you might look some up online or ask your little artists to draw pictures (which you can then scan and add to your photo book). Next, ask them to help you pick out the best pictures from each of their summer highlights. These days, you can find a whole range of photo management software like Picasa or XnView to organize all your photos in a flash.
The easiest is to put your pictures in chronological order. By sorting and arranging your pictures by date in advance, you’ll be able to weave a visual tapestry of your kids’ summer adventures more efficiently. Don’t fall into the trap of only including pictures of your little ones though. The album shouldn’t be about them, but about their summer vacation. Alternate between pictures of landscapes, playtime, friends, animals, food, etc. If your kids took any photos themselves, don’t hesitate to use them too—they’ll be proud to show them off to their friends.
Lastly, if you think your children might end up using the photo album or book for a class presentation, don’t forget to add a little history and culture. Pair certain images (a historic place you visited, a museum, an exotic dish, etc.) with short texts that can be read aloud in class. Their teacher will certainly appreciate it!
You have two options. You can print your shots and insert them in a traditional album, or you can create a photobook online. This option allows you to choose from several available themes and layouts. Let your little helpers choose one they like so they feel much more involved in the process of creating their vacation photo album.
