Digital Scrapbook

Preserve Their Childhood with a Digital Scrapbook

Written by Jaqueline Jordan Russell

Just like with growing children, our 10 years as Owensboro Parent magazine has flown by! While we love celebrating big milestones, we also recognize how important it is to cherish the everyday moments. I’ve got a sweet—and FREE —way to collect memories and give your child an amazing gift.

Create a permanent, digital scrapbook for your kids by creating an email address in their name and sending them snapshots of their childhood to treasure forever. The best part? They don’t get the password until they turn 18, and by then they’ll have a treasure trove of sweet memories to sort through. What a gift!

Once the email is set up, it takes just moments to send them a short note, photo or video.

TIPS FOR SETTING UP THE EMAIL ADDRESS

I suggest creating a Gmail account through Google, since they likely aren’t going anywhere. They also have massive storage capabilities.

Use your child’s full name for the address. They’ll thank you one day when they don’t have to add 007 or the year they were born when they go to create one for themselves.

Remember, this is a great way to make sure your photos are secure somewhere else. If you were to lose your backup or hard drive, it’s nice to know you have them safe in another place.

Email accounts can expire due to inactivity, so make sure to log into the account every couple months to keep it in good standing.

WONDERING WHAT TO SEND?

Thinking about all the things you’d like to share might seem like a herculean task, but don’t overthink it. Remember, you can easily send a note, photo or video from your phone.

Milestone achievements

Photos or videos from birthdays Photos of certificates from school or church Video of their first time playing a sport or after winning a game Notes about the first night they slept in their own bed or a story about their first friend Photos from their first sleepover

Photos of birthday card inscriptions from grandparents and family

Photos of notes from the Tooth Fairy

Day-to-day moments

A photo of the sweet way they sleep in their crib day

A video or note of funny things they

say

Photos of them doing something silly

An audio clip of their laugh when they’re little

A photo of their favorite toy

A video of them on the slide at their favorite park A selfie of you and them eating ice cream

Photos of their drawings and crafts

A recipe and photo of you making cookies together

Including family

Photos/videos of them playing with each parent

Photos with siblings

Videos of them with grandparents

Photos of cards or notes from family members and close friends

The sky's the limit for what you can share with them, and just imagine how incredible it will be to browse through these memories with them one day! If you’re still stuck for ideas, think of things from your childhood that you’d like to remember more clearly. That might be a favorite toy that you just can’t remember the name of, childhood friends you’ve almost forgotten or cherished moments shared with your grandparents. Take a second to capture those moments and relive them for years to come! OP

JACQUELINE JORDAN RUSSELL is a marketing specialist, freelance writer and photographer. She has a passion for celebrating every day moments and basically leaves a trail of confetti wherever she goes.