We’ve been huge fans over the years of Shutterfly‘s photobooks which make affordable gifts guaranteed to bring the tears (in a good way). And now they’re getting the word out about the ability to turn the photobooks into make-your-own photo learning books for the kids, which is totally cool when you think about it.
I think anything that gets kids excited about books is just super, and it’s hard to go wrong when the book is entirely customized just for them around their own individual learning stage. Top that, Borders!
It would be great to photograph elements of the classroom to get a first-timer excited for preschool, or for a younger child, snap numbers adorning neighborhood signs and doorways to create a counting photobook. You can even get your kid in on the action by bringing them around with you to spot the numbers before taking the picture.
As for me, I managed to turn a 20-page photobook into a most excellent preschool-ready book on birds, if I do say so myself. (Even if the title, Birds, is admittedly kind of lame.)
I raided my own mom’s photo library for the ostriches and flamingos and puffins and cardinals she’s spent years photographing on travels, then added captions: All birds have feathers/Where are this bird’s feathers? Some birds can’t fly./ Why do you think this bird can’t fly? And before you’re like um, birds? What? Let me just say my kids can stare out Grandma’s picture window at the jays and woodpeckers on the bird feeder as if it were the greatest episode of Dora ever made.
Proof? Holy cow did my girls love this book. Especially the part where the cover–and the spine (nice touch, Shutterfly)–had their very own names on it.
The process couldn’t have been easier and even a techie neophyte or a scrapbook-dropout (hi there!) will find it intuitive to drag and drop the pictures, then click to change layouts, backgrounds, typefaces and borders. I’d say it took me less than an hour and that includes going back and forth between the cranes and the flamingos for the hilarious ending.
And by hilarious of course I mean funny to me. –Liz
Make your own educational photo books at Shutterfly – then email us and tell us what you made! We’d love to hear it.
Congrats to the 12 winners of the photo books from our sponsor Shutterfly:
Grand prize winner Suzanne B, plus Sherry P, Ellen C, Kyla, Kathy D, Jenny G, Kim E, Jill W, Allison R, Michaela S, Kellie E, and Katie L. Find all of their creative entry ideas here.
