A memory book for parents with family and personal photographs
Make a memory book for parents with photographs from before parenthood, family occasions and current interests. Decide whether one shared book or two individual books suits the material.
Choose whether this is one shared book or two individual books. Separate interests and very different photo collections may work better as two projects.
Look beyond your own childhood. Ask for early work and friendship photographs, then include something they enjoy now.
Make a book from these memories
Add your photos and keepsakes, then put the book together in your browser.
Find photographs from before you were born
Ask relatives or old friends for photographs from before you were born. Request names, dates and permission to include each contribution.
Look for pictures of their first flat or a room they decorated. Those places can explain a period with few portraits.
Give each parent their own pages
Make a section for each parent, then add shared occasions where they belong. Choose the photos by what they show rather than giving everyone equal page counts.
Use separate sections or books if a combined family account does not suit them.
Include something they do now
Add a recent project or regular activity. The book does not have to stop when their children grow up.
Check before including a sensitive family event in a surprise gift. Leave it out if you are unsure they want it there.
Pages to make
Before the family years
Place an early photo of each parent with a school, home or workplace keepsake. Keep the dates and contributors visible.
A home you remember
Pair a photograph of a familiar room with an object connected to it, such as a recipe card or a copied house plan.
People around them
Collect photographs of their friends, siblings or colleagues. Ask contributors to supply their own account of the pictured occasion.
What they do now
Use a recent image of an activity or project. Add a detail photo of the finished work, setting or tools they chose.
Questions
Is a memory book for parents the same as an anniversary book?
An anniversary book concentrates on the relationship and its dates. A parents' memory book can include separate childhoods, work, friendships and family life.
How can siblings contribute without repeating photos?
Give each sibling a different period or subject to cover. Keep one shared photo list so the same picture is not used in several sections.
Can I make this for one parent?
Build the book around that person's life and the memories you share. Include relatives and friends where they belong, without creating a section for an absent parent.