During retirement and senior living, you may find yourself going back through old family photos or bins and wanting to put them all in one place. Scrapbooking is a great tool for seniors to look back fondly at memories and allow their creativity to come to life.
A family history scrapbook allows you to recount some of the best memories of your life, as well as the lives of family members who came before you. Family history scrapbooks can be passed down through generations and added to over time.
If you’re looking to start your own family history scrapbook, utilize the Arts and Crafts studio here at Southgate, and consider following these helpful steps:
Step One: Gather Your Materials
To start making your family history scrapbook, you’ll need to collect your supplies. Start with the basics: a scrapbook, scrapbooking paper, scissors, writing utensils (pencils, pens, or markers), and tape. If you’d like to add embellishments such as stickers or glitter, be sure to have that on hand as well. A great place to gather materials is a craft store, or by visiting Southgate’s own Arts and Crafts Studio.
Step Two: Find Photos
Another important piece of the puzzle is finding photos to put in the scrapbook. You may have a collection of family photos in various bins or photo albums, or you may need to develop some. You can get photos developed, digitized, and stored at an authentic camera shop, such as EverPresent in Worcester.
You can also develop photos at a pharmacy or grocery store, depending on whether they have a photo lab. Another great way to find pictures for scrapbooking is to ask other relatives for the photos they have.
Step Three: Do Your Family Research
If you want to chronicle your family history in your scrapbook, consider reaching out to close and distant relatives. You can connect over a meal or coffee and jot down notes they have relating to pictures you’ve found.
Your photo album could strictly consist of pictures or include written or typed anecdotes and information about family members and their lives. You could also include a family tree for future generations to look back and understand more about where and who they’ve come from.
Step Four: Organize
Once you have all of your photos, supplies, and important family information, you can begin to organize. Consider putting photos into piles based on years or making a family tree and dividing the picture up that way. Whichever way you choose, the scrapbook is bound to be incredible and showcase generations of familial love.
Step Five: Begin Crafting
Now that you’re organized, you can begin the process of taping, gluing, and inserting your photos and memories into the scrapbook. You can add to it a little bit each day, and over time you’ll have a beautiful finished piece of art to keep for yourself or gift to another family member.
Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to put your scrapbook together. It’s all about creating your own artistic vision and putting time, energy, and love into your project.
At Southgate at Shrewsbury, we want everyone to feel at home and express their creativity. That’s why we offer many amenities, including our library with a fireplace and woodworking workshop, in addition to our Arts and Crafts Studio for residents to explore.