Scrapbooks | Scrapbooking Supplies | Tips

Do you love the idea of scrapbooking for children but aren’t sure how to start?Many parents who scrapbook would love to share their hobby with their kids, but they aren’t sure what materials to offer or how to keep things neat and organized.  Do you just open your scrapbooking stash to your kids and let them choose what they want to use or should there be rules to scrapbooking for kids?Here are several ideas for scrapbooking for children.

1. Keep the mood fun and relaxed for your kids.Forget the idea that layouts should be perfect.  For children, it’s all about the process and working with the materials, not the product or end result.

2. Designate certain materials for your kids to use when scrapbooking.  Scrapbook supplies are expensive, and you may have embellishments or paper you purchased just for a specific album, like Disney World stickers for last summer’s vacation pictures.  Don’t just let your children have complete access to your supplies.Put together the supplies and paper you want them to use, and keep those items separate from your materials.

3. Scrapbooking for your kids should be appropriate for their ages.  This applies specifically to scrapbooking tools.  Your child may be old enough to use scissors, but some of the specially-designed cutting systems for scrapbooking can be too dangerous for young children.Look over your tools carefully and consider which ones are age appropriate specifically for your children.Be sure to fully explain the precautions and safety rules.  For example, when using an eyelet setter, always use a mat under the paper to protect your work surface.

4. Put out photos for scrapbooking that will appeal to your children.  Scrapbooking for kids is more fun when they are working with photos that include them.  Does your daughter love stuffed animals?  Let her do a whole album with pictures of her stuffed animal collection.

5. Use duplicate photos when scrapbooking for children.  Then, let them use the photograph any way they wish.You will still have an original for your albums.

6. You want to remember journaling whenever you are scrapbooking for kids.Your children should use their own handwriting.  They should sign and date the page as well.The photos on the layout might be from a different date or event, but by dating and signing the page you can see later how old they were when they created the layout.You may need to provide your kids with journaling ideas, but for most children, let them put their own feelings and thoughts on their pages.

7.Keep supplies for your kids well organized.Store materials for scrapooking in separate containers and have your children keep them sorted and organized for their projects.

8. Teach your children scrapbooking techniques.  Again, consider the ages and artistic abilities of your kids.  Simple scrapbooking techniques like paper tearing and matting are easy for most children to learn.  Older children might enjoy rubber stamping or embossing on their page layouts.

Scrapbooking for kids is a fun and exciting hobby for families.It is a great chance to spend some quality time with your kids.  Follow these tips and schedule some time for scrapbooking with your kids today.