Sending home a memory book at the end of the school year is such a great way to celebrate a year of growth in the classroom. However, if you're anything like me, you might find the idea of adding one more thing to your end-of-the-year to-do list a bit daunting. There's already so much going on in the final weeks of school. The last thing I want to do is find myself scrambling to make memory books during the midnight hour! To combat this, I came up with a solution I would love to share with you today. Come along as we discuss how to make memory books simple!
I love making keepsakes in the classroom. As a teacher, it's fun to take some time and reflect on each group of kiddos and how they have grown each year. Students love seeing an overview of their progress and parents love it even more! But as teachers, we are already pretty busy. Adding this to your lessons might seem overwhelming, especially if you're trying to squeeze it in at the end of the year.
That's why I came up with a simple system that will allow you to painlessly collect pages for your memory books each month. Not only will you end the year with a fully complete memory book, but you will also add in some additional writing practice each month! Win, win, right? Keep reading to see just how I do it!
Getting Started With Memory Books
My best advice for getting started with memory books is to plan it all out.
What I mean by this is to take some time and think about how you would like this process to go. For me, I found it best to plan a day each month that my students will complete their monthly pages.
The pages I include ask students to reflect on their favorite memory of the month, so I find that choosing a day towards the end of the month works best.
Once you have this decided, go through your planner or calendar and write it down for every single month. Trust me, this is a must! It's all too easy to forget this when you have tons of other lessons going so I find it super helpful to plan the entire year in one sitting. Then, when that day rolls around – your writing lesson is already planned.
Decide On Storage
Next, take a minute to think about how you want to store the pages throughout the year. The pages I use can be bound in a 3-prong folder, stapled together, or used in a binder.
Each year I like to think about what will work best for my group and how much space I have to store them.
Some years I purchase folders or binders and designate a place for them in my classroom from day 1.
The benefit to this is that you can add the pages as soon as they are complete and they will be done by the end of the year. This also means you will need to make room for them though.
If you don't have space, consider using a hanging file folder for each child and collecting their writing pages there.
This is a great system as well and will make for quick assembly at the end of the school year.
Working On The Memory Books
Throughout the year, I like to complete these writing pages with my small groups or as part of our writing block. I find these settings work best so that I can encourage students to use their best coloring and offer assistance. The memory book-making process begins on the first day of school in our classroom!
On the very first day, kiddos complete a page that asks them to write their name and draw a picture. I like to have them draw a picture of themselves but you could also have them draw the classroom. If you're working with young preschoolers who can't quite write their names on their own yet- not to worry! Try using a highlighter to write it on the line and then have them trace over it. As the year progresses, they can work up to writing their name independently.
Each month, my students complete a page where they write their names and a page that asks them to describe their favorite memory. I love making an anchor chart of monthly memories with my students also! We work together to brainstorm things we did and learned throughout the month. Display your chart for your kiddos during writing time for inspiration.
Adding Extras To The Memory Books
While the writing pages are certainly enough to create a fantastic memory book, you can also add any special crafts or work samples if you would like!
I like to choose one craft we did each month for the memory books as a bonus. This doesn't need to be anything fancy! Feel free to use any work samples, crafts or more writing prompts you completed during the month for this.
I like to use a piece of colored printer paper for these crafts and have kids glue them to the page.
Then place them behind the monthly writing pages for a fun addition to the books that parents will love!
Finishing Up The Memory Books
When the last days of school roll around, have your students complete their final page. If you haven't already, assemble the books and add this page. Once we are done with this, I love to give students some time to flip through their memory books and see how much their work has improved. We discuss how their writing and coloring skills have changed and all that they have learned.
This is also a great time to reflect on the fun memories they recorded and decide what their absolute favorite memory for the year was. My students love presenting these memory books to their parents at the end of the year. I love seeing the look of accomplishment on their faces as they celebrate a fun year in our class. Making memory books is a rewarding process and I love how simple it can be with monthly writing pages!
Make Memory Books In Your Class
I highly recommend simplifying the memory book process and setting aside some time each month to work on a page or two. Even if you simply have your kiddos work on a writing prompt each month and save a few seasonal crafts, you will be in great shape when the end of the school year rolls around!
If you're interested in a done-for-you resource you can use in your classroom, be sure to check out my Year Long Memory Book resource. This is perfect for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd-grade students! Using these printable templates will make your memory book process super simple and save you lots of time for all of your other end of the year tasks! No matter what you choose, have fun collecting memories throughout the school year!
Save This Post For Later
Don't forget to Pin this post to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can get a headstart on memory books with your class!
