How to Create an Adoption Photo Book

An adoption photo book---also known as an adoption life book---tells the story of your child's life prior to being adopted and serves as a tool to help you talk to your child about how he became a member of your family. As children grow, they develop a natural curiosity regarding their birth and family history. An adoption photo book preserves the important details that will help you answer the question, "Where did I come from?" in a loving and honest way without hiding or minimizing the adoption aspect of your child's birth story.

Things You'll Need

  • Photos
  • Scrapbook album
  • Scrapbook pages
  • Adhesive photo corners, double-sided archival tape or acid-free glue sticks

Instructions

    • 1

      Determine what information you want to include in your adoption photo book. Some adoptive parents choose to include only photos, so that their child can "read" the book like a picture book. Other parents choose to include journal entries to verbalize the story. Once you've decided exactly what will be included, make yourself an outline of the "story." This will help you decide whether you want to tell the story chronologically or divide the photo book according to subtopics. For example, you may want a section entitled "Your Birth Parents" or "Where You Were Born."

    • 2

      Gather all of your pictures and any physical souvenirs you have from the adoption process. This includes plane tickets, adoption decrees, hospital paperwork and anything else that can be considered a physical memento of the process. If you plan to add journal entries to your photo book, this is a good time to make notes about the significance of the different pictures and souvenirs as well.

    • 3

      Use your outline to help you organize your photos, souvenirs, and journal entries. If you are organizing your story chronologically, it is helpful to number the photos, souvenirs and pieces of writing according to how you want to lay them out on a page. If you are organizing your story according to subtopics, label freezer bags with each subtopic and then collect every picture and souvenir regarding that topic into one freezer bag.

    • 4

      Place the blank scrapbook pages in a line on a large table or area of floor, and lay your photos and other souvenirs on the pages in the order you want them. If you plan to add journal entries, make sure you leave space to either neatly write your entries or paste in typed paragraphs. Review the layouts, reading the story out loud to make sure it flows. Rearrange photos as necessary.

    • 5

      Use the adhesive photo corners (or acid-free gluesticks or double-sided archival tape) to attach the photos and other souvenirs to the page. Consider making an attractive paper pocket or envelope to hold larger mementos or clippings. Attach the pocket to the front or back cover or on its own individual page.

    • 6

      Complete your child's photo book by personalizing the cover. For example, add a photo of your child to the cover with a title like "My Story," or create something more elaborate like a collage of newspaper stories from the day your child was born (or adopted) with a title like "On This Day..." Alternatively, leave the cover blank until your child is old enough to help you create the perfect cover for her story.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • Support Groups for Adult Adopted Children
      People who have been adopted may experience a range of emotions often experienced by adoptees, including identity issues, low self-esteem, feelings of abandonment and isolation. Adoptees deal with these experiences in different ways, sometimes culmin
    • Foster or Adopted Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused
      ​If you are parenting a child who has been removed from his or her family, you may not know for sure whether or not the child in your care has been sexually abused. Child welfare agencies usually share all known information about your child’s history
    • How to Adopt a Newborn Baby in Texas
      Adopting an infant in Texas is like adopting in most states. First, you need to find an agency with which to work. Whether you decide on a national or a state agency, you will be required to complete an extensive application and a home study. It is a