Imagine
presenting to your child on their 18th birthday a notebook that
contained a visual and written record of his spiritual growth from
childhood through his teenage years! Imagine the impact as he
becomes a young adult being able to see the evidence of God’s
Hand on his life from his earliest days.
How To Begin:
Have
one notebook per child. You may let them know you are making
one – but if so, they should only see the things that they
submit to the notebook. Many of your writings and submissions
should be saved for future reading by your child. The advantage
to this is that you may get better cooperation in getting significant
items from them, or in getting them to write on topics you request.
Do not let them know where the notebook is kept. Just allow
them to give you things to consider including. Some parents think it
best to keep the entire project a secret, as then the impact of the
gift will be greater. But it is up to you.
Have
your child design the cover (perhaps of picture of himself with
Jesus) – or use some of their artwork for the cover. Make
a collage of items relating to them and/or pictures of them. As
they get older, if you want to make the cover more up-to-date, simply
put the new cover in front of the older ones. There will be a
history of covers to look through.
Determine
what the tabs in your notebook will be. You can have them go by
year, or grade, or by category. Categories could be:
Writings, Pictures, Church Papers, Letters from Mom and/or Dad,
Awards, Artwork, Doodles, Stories, Poems, Milestones, etc.
Start
to keep an ‘eye out’ for things that would be good to
save. Items could include the things mentioned under
‘categories’ above.
Write
to your child from time to time. Write it in the first person,
and write it to them like they would be reading it today, but keep in
mind that they will be reading it probably far in the future.
Explain things – use a lot of detail. You will bring back
many lost memories for them! The next page has samples of
things you can write about. Many of them can be used again in
future years. Whenever you enjoy a day or moment with your
child and think, “I never want to forget this,” write about
it! Or you WILL forget it! The sad thing is, you will
never miss the memory, because we don’t know what we forgot, it
is just gone. Save those memories, thoughts and feelings –
big and small – by writing them down. Don’t worry
about how eloquent you are, remember, it is the thought that counts!
Better a plain letter, then no letter at all!
Write
in your own handwriting, if possible. While typing is faster,
your notebook will lose a lot of it’s personal touch. In a
day when so little is handwritten any more, it will mean a lot to
your child that you took the time to sit down and write.
At
significant times, on important days, or whenever growing experiences
happen, encourage your child to draw or write about them.
What
Goes In The Portfolio?
Items
for the parent to put in:
Some
early memories of your own childhood
When I was a child... (how
are things different?)
What it means to me to be your
parent...
God Made You Special…
You learned a
tough lesson today...
I was proud of you today...
You
did something funny today...
I learned from your faith
today...
I saw God in you today...
I've tried to
teach you...
A Fun Family Memory
The Top Ten Things
I hope I've Taught You.
You gave me a wonderful gift
today...
The nicest gift you ever gave me...
One of
my favorite memories of you...
Today's your birthday!
Highlights from this past year...
Today was a 'first' for
you...
We discovered a hidden talent today....
My
prayer for you today...
My prayer for you this year...
You
make our family special because...
Before I forget, I just
have to tell you....
You encouraged me today...
Guess
what you said today?
My special day with you...
One
Saturday Morning...
It was a Dark and Stormy night...
Snow
Day!
What a great summer you had...
How you came to
Christ...
You asked Jesus into your heart today...
You
are quite the inventor...
I get a kick out of the way
you...
You are so creative...
Christmas
Reflections
On Thanksgiving: I'm thankful for you because...
Items
you may ask your child to provide:
Birthday:
Memories of this past year…
Christmas: What I want for
Christmas / What Christmas Means to Me
Thanksgiving: I’m
Thankful for…
Easter: Easter is Important because…
New
Year's Day: My new years Resolutions are…
Once upon a
time...
Sunday School Essays, Papers
Notes from
Pastors and Teachers at church
Kids Bulletins and Sermon
Notes
Sunday School Pictures
Stories, Poems or
Writings about spiritual things
Sunday School papers and
doodles from church.
Awards they barely remember
receiving.
Poems, stories and other things they wrote about
God.
