World Book Day (which falls on the 2nd of March this year) encourages children to pick up a book and read every day of the year. The first World Book Day took place in 1995. The day was started by the United Nations, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and also honours and highlights the imaginative authors and illustrators engaging children through literature. Struggling to get your own child off of screens or video games and interested in reading? Luckily we’ve got a really original idea for parents, guardians and older siblings taking on the task! You could make a custom photo ‘storybook’ for the child in question, or even get the kids involved in creating and writing their own storybook. Find out how below.
Encourage kids to read by helping them create their own storybook with our photo book templates, using photos of them and their friends, their family, or even scans or photos of their own drawings and paintings. This is a lovely and engaging activity for you and the kids that can easily be done in one weekend or afternoon! (Why not have even more fun and encourage the children and family members to wear fancy dress for their assigned book characters?)
Useful Tips for Creating the Perfect Photo Book ‘Storybook’
1) Choose your cover photo carefully
Your photo book cover should make a strong impression since it will hint at what’s inside so take the time to find the best photo among the batch. If you’re not able to find something that adequately expresses the content, you can opt for a classy, high-quality material finish for your cover. Give your book a title using the text option and embellish it with some of our unique clip art.
2) Set the stage
Start your story with a strong introduction to lay the groundwork for what the viewer is going to see inside. Customisable front and back photo book covers can be used to write something poetic, funny or inspiring. You can also make the most of Snapfish’s layflat photo book binding to display a dramatic photo as soon as the cover is opened.
3) Narrate through captions
Get your kids involved when it comes to outlining the plot and writing the storytelling text for every page of the book.
4) Showcase your showstoppers
Snapfish’s layflat photo book binding means that open pages are perfectly flat, giving you the opportunity to present an image across an entire double-page spread for maximum impact. Alternatively, you can use a photo as a background to support and enhance other images or text.
5) Keep it simple
Don’t go overboard with fonts. Try to stick to a single font family, and exploit its variations and aspects in order to tell your story. This way you can create a subtle visual language that pairs well with your photos.
One last tip…
Just as you put a lot of thought into the front cover and inside front cover, take advantage of the last page to close with one final message or end your story with a poignant photograph. Just like with a feature film, the ending really matters, whether you’re using words (or a single word), images (or a single image) or other elements. Oh, and don’t forget to have some fun with it! This is your child’s time to shine.
Now it’s time to have a look at our beautiful range of photo books so you can start telling your child’s unique story!
Need some photo gift inspiration? Check out our GiftFinder. Simply indicate your budget, how much time you have and how many photos you’d like to use and we’ll suggest the ideal photo product for you or the person you want to surprise!
Snapfish + Macmillan are working in partnership to raise vital funds. For every greeting card or flat card set sold, Macmillan receive up to 15p.
We can’t wait to see your photo storybooks!
What did you create on Snapfish? Share it with us on social media! You can tag us with @snapfishuk in your photos on Instagram or Facebook or use the hashtag #snapfishuk. Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube , Twitter and Pinterest, too. We love seeing what you create.