How to Document Your Child's Educational Milestones

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Collect schoolwork and other memorabilia every day.

   Start collecting the schoolwork your child brings home in a secure place.
   
   Get a storage box, file organizer, or a bin with a lid for papers.
   
   You can store artwork and photos separately in photo or archival boxes.
   
   Report cards and notes from the teacher are also good documents to keep.
   
   Consider adding other documentation about your child’s school years to the collection.
   
   For example, you can clip announcements about your child from school and classroom newsletters, or local newspapers.
2. 2

   Step 2: Photograph and videotape your child.

   Photographs and videos are important keepsakes that provide a good visual record of your child’s school years.
   
   Take photos or videos of your child throughout the year during school events, including plays, sporting events, spelling bees, science fairs, etc.
   
   Also pose your child with special schoolwork and artwork, dioramas, and other school projects.
   
   You can also photograph close-ups of the projects you especially wish to remember.
   
   Mark every photo with the date and a note about the event or project depicted in the photo.
   
   Keep copies of class pictures and official school photos.
   
   Ask other parents for copies of photos and videos from school events. , Talking with your child about school helps you learn more about their experiences.
   
   You can record some of these conversations as interviews and keep the recordings with other documentation of school milestones.
   
   Choose a single topic for the interview and prepare your questions in advance.
   
   Let your child say whatever is on their mind.
   
   This will give you more information about what is important to your child.Topics can include the latest field trip they went on, who their friends are, or which subjects they like.
   
   You can find helpful sample questions online.Keep your questions simple.
   
   Open-ended or vague questions can be overwhelming.
   
   If you cannot video or audio tape the interview, write it down.
   
   Your child might write their answers and it will be fun to see their handwriting and spelling in future years. , Journaling is another way you can record milestones and achievements as they happen.
   
   You do not need to write a lot about each milestone.
   
   The important thing is to keep a written record you can look back on to remember those milestones.
   
   You can save report cards, notes from the teacher, etc. in a journal with pockets.
3. 3

   Step 3: Interview your child.

4. 4

   Step 4: Keep a written journal of your child’s milestones.

Detailed Guide

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