A Guide to Organize and Preserve Your Child's School Memories

As a parent, managing the avalanche of school-related materials your child brings home can be overwhelming. From precious artwork to worksheets filled with achievements, finding a system to organize and cherish these keepsakes can be challenging. However, fear not! In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you how to streamline the process and use Rethink Yearbooks' free tools to make it easier than ever.

Step 1: Create a Designated Space:

Begin by designating a specific area in your home where your child can place all their schoolwork. This space can be a tub, a basket, or even a corner of their room. Having a dedicated spot will not only make it easier for your child to keep track of their schoolwork but also simplify the organizing process. Whenever your child brings home schoolwork, whether it's artwork, assignments, tests, or worksheets, have them place it in this designated space. While some parents like to curate immediately, our suggestion is to gather everything throughout the year and curate it all together at the end. This allows you to see your child's progress in the context of the entire school year.

Step2: Make a digital album of key photos from the whole year

We all take lots of photos of our children every year, starting from the first day of school to events and activities like Halloween, Holidays, Clubs and Birthdays. We recommend taking an extra moment to put some key moments of the growth of your child in an album (call it yearbook), right there and then on your mobile device. Add it it some photos you take of your child in their classroom, with their teacher, with their best friends, of their classroom and desk etc and you have a good collection to incorporate in a keepsake you decide to create for them at a later date such as designing custom pages in their school yearbook or printing them and putting them in a binder you curate for them with the rest of their school work.

Step 3: End-of-Year Curation:

When the school year comes to a close, allocate 2-3 hours of dedicated time to sort through the collected items and curate them. We recommend dumping the tub or basket in an open space and taking photographs to capture the volume of work your child accomplished during the year. Next, sift through the papers and select samples that showcase handwriting, assignments, or exemplary work in various subjects. Consider saving writing samples, essays, or assignments that reflect your child's growth and achievements throughout the school year. 

Step 4: Binder with Plastic Sleeves and Memory Box for Special Creations

To organize paperwork, use plastic sleeves and a binder. Include school photos, certificates, grade reports, young author stories, self-portraits, artwork, and other significant mementos spanning the entire school year. You can also decide to include prints of photos from the album you have been curating on your mobile device to create a comprehensive summary of your child’s school year. For larger items and cherished creations, invest in a memory box. You don't need a separate box for each year; rather, create a single box filled with items that bring your child joy and comfort.

Step 5: Digital Preservation:

Take digital photographs of any remaining artwork, stacks of books, or bulky items that won't fit in the memory box or the binder. This digital archive ensures that you can revisit these treasures whenever you like while minimizing physical clutter. Bid farewell to the excess schoolwork by recycling or disposing of it responsibly.

Step 6: Reflect and Close the Chapter:

Engage your child in reflecting on the school year as a means of closing this chapter and preparing for the next. Encourage them to share their thoughts, accomplishments, and aspirations. You can capture these reflections in the form of Q&A sessions or letters or photo collages, which can be printed and included in the binder alongside their curated schoolwork. 

Download our reflection template to kickstart your child's journey of self-discovery and nostalgia. By following these steps and incorporating Rethink Yearbooks' free tools, you can efficiently organize and preserve your child's school memories. These memories will serve as a lasting tribute to their educational journey, capturing their growth, achievements, and milestones for years to come and will assist in informing them on who they are and who they are becoming!