I have created personal yearbooks for each child in my daughter’s class for the past two years. This year, Kara’s teacher is taking care of her class but I will be creating personal yearbooks for Colin’s pre-K class.
What is a personal yearbook?
A personal yearbook is a scrapbook of sorts with monthly layouts. Each layout includes a photo of the student, journaling about the photo and the student’s drawing. The original idea came from Becky Higgins. I created the pages I use in Adobe Illustrator and are different than Becky’s pages.
Supplies
For each student:
- one three prong folder – I use clear ones from Staples. They are sold individually in the report cover section of the store. They also come in many different colors.
- white cardstock – The number per student varies depending on the number of school year months. I include a cover page, a two page layout for 9 months and a note from the teacher page for a total of 20 pages. I like to use cardstock because it is heavier and will endure more abuse through the years but you could also use regular paper to cut down on cost.
- page protectors – This number varies based on the number of pages in the book. Take the cardstock count, divide by 2 and round up by 1 if there is an uneven number of pages.
- scrapbook paper – I cut scrapbook paper strips each month that coordinates with the theme of the month. Most of the paper I use comes from my stash but you can also shop sales at your local craft store to keep down the cost.
I estimate that my cost is about $5 per student. That includes all supplies and photo developing. At the start of each year, I put all the page protectors in the folders at one time. This saves time throughout the year.
Front Page
The front page gives a summary of the school year. These are the front pages from this year and the past two years.
There is room for two photos and two signatures – from the beginning and end of the school year. The school name, grade, teacher and school year is also included.
Monthly Pages
Each month has a two page layout.
Monthly Actions
- Contact the teacher and figure out when you will take photos.
- Take the photos and have them printed.
- Print out the paper for the students to draw on. Make sure you have one or two extra just in case someone wants to start over.
- Cut up the scrapbook paper strips for the pages.
- Return to the class to interview students and work with them on their drawings. Take notes for the journaling of the photo and of what the students drew.
- Print the photo pages with typed or handwritten journaling on the paper. Also include details on what each student drew.
- Glue the scrapbook paper to the pages.
- Add the pages to the pre-assembled yearbooks.
Tips
- I keep the personal yearbooks ordered by first name so books are easy to organize when it comes time to insert pages.
- The first month or two will be a little stressful as the kids get used to working with you and you with them. After that you will be surprised how quickly it goes!
- I create my questions for the students ahead of time and ask them all the same questions. You will be surprised by some of the cute/silly answers you will get.
- I always bring the photos to the interviews because it helps the students remember what you are asking them about.
This is a great way to get to know the students in your child’s class. You can see past posts about personal yearbooks here.
