My Family and Me: A Memory Scrapbook for Kids

Deborah L. Begoray is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education
at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

“Draw pictures. Write stories. Save souvenirs. Make a family tree.
Collect memories.” My Family and Me builds on the current crafting
fascination with making scrapbooks. It offers elementary-school children
a workbook of suggestions for creating a family history.

The book is divided into two-page sections, including My Grandparents,
Family Characters, Family Pastimes, and Family Travels. Many of the
pages feature checkboxes for children to fill in, such as “In our
family, most people have: dark hair, fair hair, curly hair, brown eyes,
blue eyes...,” to encourage children to get started. There are also
spaces for such things as photographs (to personalize the front cover),
keepsakes (inside the back cover), drawings (“These are the family
members I see all the time”), and stories (“The funniest thing that
ever happened at a family celebration was...”). The places for writing
are especially brief (a line and a half for a “special memory”), but
children could be encouraged to add pages for longer pieces of writing.
Parents could also serve as scribes for younger children.

The book is illustrated with colorful cartoonlike people of all types
(ethnic groups, body shapes, ages) engaged in many different activities
(dancing, operating a wheelchair, doing yoga). Each page has a border
print to help make the final product look more finished. All in all, a
satisfying activity book, especially suitable for a family reunion
project. Highly recommended.