Your child is a teenager; they are learning more about themselves and becoming more like an adult. This is a busy social time in your child’s life. You or your child will most likely want to make a scrapbook to record these few years of being a teenager.

First you will need to find an album that has many pages for the teenage years. You will want enough pages for age 13-19 and more pages to record things that happen during those teenage years. You need to have plenty of space to include any awards and report cards to display on the pages. Look for scrapbooks that have more of a library type of feel or look about them.

Making a teen year’s scrapbook can be done together or by just one person. However you make the scrapbook there are things you will want to consider putting into your scrapbook to record these years. These things will include:

    Start with the day they turn 13. This is a big moment for your child. Take pictures of them throughout the day.
    Do a journaling box or page to record your teenager’s favorite things. You can do this for every year. It gives a nice reference for how they change and discover things about themselves through these years.
    Still try to take pictures of your teenager on the first day of school. They may not like it some years but it is nice to look back on.
    Record the date they begin school, the name of the school and what city the school is in. This can be done on a clip art of a school or as a journaling page
    Let your teenager take the camera out with friends for them to record things that they did and friends that they had.
    Make text boxes of favorite sayings or phrases that your teenager says.
    Put their class schedules for each year onto the pages.
    Include school projects that they have. Science or art projects with a brief description and a picture of the project.
    Include any sports that your teenager may be involved in. Add newspaper clippings and game schedules also.
    You can journal or have your teenager journal things that they are looking forward to each new year. At the end of the year you can journal again on the things that they are happy to have learned.
    Special performances your teenager may be involved in like drama, music, or band.
    Awards or special certificates you child receives should also be included. Attach pictures of your child receiving them.
    You can add all the report cards your child brings home or just the last one from the year. These ones usually show the full years grades.
    Any class trips your teenager went on. Where they went and what it was for should be included. Use photos your teenager took while on the class trip.
    Do some of your own journaling on how proud you are of watching your child grow up. How much they change through the year and what you look forward to for the coming year.
    Include college applications and acceptance letters.
    Take as many pictures as you can. The teenage years are hard to do this sometimes.
    Remember to take pictures of the formal or semi-formal dances your teenager attends.

The teenage years are all about growing up and finding who you are and what you want to become. Having a scrapbook to look back on is a great way to record these years.

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Tue 11 Mar 2008