Stumped on how to encourage the children in your life to remember the best summer ever?
As another school season appears around the corner, it can become easy for children to forget the adventures they’ve had. Learn how documenting summer memories boosts your child’s brain development, and put these benefits into practice with our own favorite ways to record memories!
The Emotional and Psychological Benefits of Encouraging Children to Get Creative and Document Adventures
Why should we be taking the time to encourage kids to be creative and document experiences? In addition to providing a tangible way to remember all the adventures they’ve been on, the practice of recording past experiences has a lot of benefits to a child’s brain functioning, emotional development, and self-esteem. Let’s dig in!
- Enhance memory retention—writing journal entries and translating memories onto a page strengthens neural pathways, making it easier for children to recall details and events over time.
- Improve critical thinking—getting creative with objects like stickers, ribbons, tickets, and photos stimulates the brain, encouraging children to form new neural connections that boost their problem solving ability and spatial awareness.
- Boost coordination—using tools like scissors, glue, and tape improves a child’s hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and patience. It also teaches them how to be careful and safe when using different objects.
- Decrease stress—engaging in repetitive activities like sticking photos in an album or writing in a journal helps wind down children's’ minds, calming their anxieties and regulating breath.
- Strengthen emotional regulation—expressing thoughts and feelings on paper rather than out loud helps children identify and work through their own emotions about an event. This also teaches them how to independently reflect on situations themselves.
- Promote focus—as children work to translate all the best parts of an adventure from their brain and onto a page, they also learn to concentrate for extended periods of time. Once they’ve done it, it also fosters a tangible sense of accomplishment as they look back on their work!
Now that we’ve uncovered all the benefits of documenting adventures, what are some ways to start doing this with the children in your life? Keep reading to explore our top five ways to creatively capture all the best parts of summer.
Five Family-Friendly Ways to Preserve Memories and Keep Summer Alive All Year Round
- Start a summer scrapbook with our template here! Scrapbooks are not only a great way to document experiences, but also a tactic to practice gratitude and reflect on adventures. You can find reflective prompts, photo sleeves, and more in our printable scrapbook here.
- Create a ‘Box of Summer Magic.’ This can include shells and pebbles collected at beaches and lakes, tickets and wristbands from events, tiny jars of sand, and photographs. You can even create a box of magic for every season!
- Make a summer recipe book. Get everyone in the family to choose their favorite dishes from the season and write up how to make them. Include illustrations of ingredients and notes in the margins. Don’t forget to bring back summer by making everyone’s favorite recipes in the wintertime!
- Bury a time capsule full of memories. Allow each family member to choose two items to put inside—this can be anything from a list of summer songs to a travel brochure. We even love swapping time capsules with another family, then unpacking each others’ favorite memories together one year later.
- Keep a handwritten ‘Jar of Moments’ to reflect on together. Find a large empty jar in the kitchen and write down happy summer memories on scraps of paper. After encouraging loved ones to do the same, open the jar in the winter and read them aloud for a fun evening of joy and gratitude.
