Getting Children started on Scrapbooking

   Scrapbooking is an interesting hobby for both children and adults. All children with no exceptions love to play around with paper, colours, pictures, etc. It is very easy to make a child interested in scrapbooking only because it is plenty of fun.

It is a mistaken notion that girls enjoy making scrapbooks more than boys. Boys are creative too and enjoy creating especially with their friends in a group.

Adults can really motivate their children to start on a scrapbooking project by talking about if first and getting them interested. Children then eagerly start planning and collecting materials required like photos, school papers and awards, etc.

The first step is to help the child decide on the theme. It is a good idea to let the child select his own theme so he will be more excited and motivated about the project. Some of the good themes are sports, school, friends, family, etc.

Children can also be asked to create a scrapbook on a birthday party they enjoyed, a good vacation they really enjoyed, a day they visited the zoo or their favourite park, etc.

Without unduly interfering or giving them suggestions, allow the children to choose the things they want to go into the scrapbook.

 When you go to the shop to get them the supplies, make sure you take them along and choose supplies like tags, trims, background paper, colours, etc.

Gently suggest things that you think will be interesting for the child like borders, ribbons, animal cut outs, additives which are fun, pieces of foam, etc. By matching trims and accessories with pictures you can explain to them and help them choose the right product.

There are two types of scrapbooking. One is a short term project which will be completed in a day or two. The other is an ongoing one which encourages the child to take it as a hobby and teaches him to be patient.

It is better to go in for short term projects if the child is very young and the long term hobby if he or she is a little older.

It is a long and tedious process to accumulate items needed for the scrapbook. Make everything very interesting and interactive. While choosing photographs make them laugh by telling them incidents associated with it to make it livelier.

Give a freehand to the child to arrange and organize the photographs in whichever way he or she wants. Do not try to correct them and force your ideas on them.

Make sure you give them a lot of stickers as they love to play around with them. Design scissors which make a design when when we cut is an all time favourite with kids. If they are very young, you can help them cut.

Glue sticks are ideal for children rather than the messy adhesives. Give them a paper punch to punch paper and foil. If you give them an ink pad and some stamps they will be delighted. They will have tremendous fun stamping images on their album.

If the children are of an age where they can write and draw let them make their own tags. Even if it isn’t perfect the child will enjoy making as much of the scrapbook as possible by himself.

Tags: card making crafts paper scrapbook scrapbook ideas scrapbooking scrapbooking ideas scrapbooking layouts scrapbooking paper scrapbooking supplies scrapbooks wedding scrapbook