Tips For Scrapbooking With Small Children In The House

Scrapbooking can be loads of fun and very relaxing. It also allows you to create a lot of memories that are happening and worth sharing with others. However, scrapbooking with kids in the house can be difficult, especially young kids. Knowing how to handle the various situations can be difficult as well. After all, it is hard enough to keep your kids out of the garbage, out of the cupboards, and out of the toilet. As your kids age new problems arise and they are wanting to do everything you do. So how do you handle it and still get some scrapbooking done?

Keep Things Organized.
Often times scrapbooking works loads better if everything is organized. Work on creating a system that will allow you to keep all of your scrapbooking supplies organized. This will make it a little harder for your kids to get into it, especially without you knowing about it. Having a cupboard, case, or another organizational system will make your life loads easier. Organized scrapbooking supplies will be easier to get out and faster to set up. They will also be easier to take care of and believe it or not faster to put away. This small savings in time can make a huge difference when there are kids running around.

Keep Things Out of Reach.
Having things in places where your kids don't go or can't go really is best. Thinking up and out of the way often makes a huge difference. Maybe the best space for your stuff is in the garage, your closet, or on the top shelves of a book case. Where ever it is that you find to be the best place for you, it should be somewhere that is out of the way. Make sure that your kids know that they aren't supposed to touch your scrapbooking supplies and that they will get in trouble for it as well. If need be, store you stuff in a place that locks. You can get a suit case with a small combination lock on it or lock them out of a room or closet. This can make it easier if your kids are particularly attracted to your scrapbooking items (paper, markers, and scissors can attract many kids).

Making Memory Fun.
When scrapbooking while your kids are awake, don't be afraid to include them. If they are bothering you or wanting to use your stuff then it is time to set them up. Give them a variety of pictures that don't meet your quality standards, let them use certain supplies, and tools. Not only is this a good way to let them entertain themselves, it lets them feel included and you can add their pages to your scrapbooks as well. These will be memories you can cherish down the road. It is a good idea to include the name of the "artist", the date, and how old they were at the time when you include their pages in your scrapbook.

If scrapbooking is something that your family comes to enjoy you may want to consider getting an inexpensive camera for your child(ren), letting them choose their own photos, allowing them to pick out their own papers and other embellishments, and getting them set up with their own storage case. You can then teach them the importance of taking care of their supplies and over time they will develop responsibility to go with their hobby.

Take Advantage of Down and Out Times.
Don't be afraid to put off a few of your household chores to use their nap time or the time when they are out with friends as a good time to scrapbook. After all, you are creating memories and relieving stress. Set up your supplies right before they lay down for a nap or right before they leave. This way you can use the entire time that they aren't underfoot for scrapbooking itself and not just for setting up your stuff. As soon as all is quiet and you are left to your own devices get started. You may want to make your favorite beverage and sit down to enjoy your scrapbooking experience. Have a pad of paper and a pen available to write down ideas. This way if you don't get the time to actually put your pages together you can have an idea of what you were thinking when you get to come back to it.

Teach Them.
While there are few crafts that are easy to do with young ones in the house, teaching them what they can and can not touch is a huge help. You will want to come up with some simple rules regarding your scrapbooking supplies and pages. Make sure that there is a consequence for touching your stuff and be willing to act on it. When they do the things they aren't supposed to do, then you need to make sure that you respond as you said you would. Over time they will learn that they can not break the rules and that your scrapbooking is something that is important to you.

Start a Group.
Another great option is to start a mother's scrapbooking group. This way mother's who have the same problems as you do, can come over and spend the day scrapbooking. All of the kids can play together and this will be a distraction from your scrapbooking and give them something fun to do. Each mother can take turns hosting the party. If you have a lot of young ones and no older ones then you should consider hiring a teenager to supervise the play of the younger kids. This will allow all the mothers a chance to relax and scrapbook without the worry of their children. You can also share ideas, supplies, and tools this way!

Digital Scrapbooking.
Fairly new to the scrapbooking world is digital scrapbooking. It lets you keep all of your digital photos one the computer and put your scrapbook page together before you print out your page. This can be a lot of fun and easier to clean up. Plus it doesn't take up a lot of space in some closet somewhere and you don't have to worry about your kids getting a hold of your memory pages and writing on them or playing connect the dots with your pok-a-dot paper. While it certainly isn't for everyone it does add a lot of advantages over traditional scrapbooking and eliminates a lot of the problems that young kids can cause.

Scrapbooking is definitely a great hobby to have. Having kids often gives you more ideas and more subject matter. Don't let your kids make it too hard to continue, after all, these are memories you will cherish long after they are gone.