Mr. Toddler is off on his great adventure to preschool, and really enjoying it!  I am so glad that he is settling in to this routine, and making new friends.

I just came across this great idea on education.com, and thought this is to cute not to share!  After all, they grow so much in these first few years– to be able capture the progress is just GREAT!

The article below is from the education.com website.

By Danielle Wood

Kids love to hear about themselves. And reading about themselves is even better! This personal yearbook will help them gather and record all the important moments and facts about their lives, as they make the march towards kindergarten. Plus, it makes a great keepsake.

You may think you’ll always remember the first time your child writes her name, draws a picture with facial features, or counts to 20 unassisted, but although it may seem fresh in your mind now, with time, it’s easy to forget the details. As your child works on her yearbook, she’ll be practicing reading, writing, and math. And you’ll have something to look back on later when preschool is a distant memory.

What You Need:

• Markers and crayons
• Family pictures
• Blank book or scrapbook
• Glue
• Tape Measure

What You Do:

The great thing about this yearbook is the fact that it’s personal…it can include whatever strikes your child’s fancy. Start things off with a title page that includes your child’s name, age, photo, and signature. Then, consider these ideas for what follows:

1. Self portrait- Preschool brings a lot of change in drawing ability. Her pictures will likely move from cockeyed scribbles, to early human forms that look more like big blobs with matchstick legs, to pictures that are a lot more recognizable. At the beginning of the year, ask your child to draw a self-portrait. Leave a few of the following pages blank, so she can do the same thing at later points in the year. You’ll be surprised when you compare the pictures at year’s end!
2. Measurements- How tall is your child? Measure her height, record her weight, and write down her shoe size. For a fun twist, you can also write down more obscure data, like her arm span or the circumference of her head. Leave some room, either below each entry, or on a following page, for updates throughout the year.
3. Favorite Phrases and Expressions- Preschoolers say some pretty funny things. The next time your child comes up with a whopper, write it down on this page, with the date next to it. While, “No, I want to do it!” or “Burp-o-rama!” may not seem so charming now, it will be fun to know later that your child used to say these things a hundred times a day.
4. Favorites Page- What’s your child’s favorite number? His favorite color? His favorite book and his favorite toy? Who is his best friend? Write down all of the things that make him who he is as a preschooler.
5. When I Grow Up- Ask your child what he wants to be when he grows up, where he wants to live, and what he dreams his life will be like. Don’t question his reasoning, just record. If he says he wants to “live on a spaceship and you can come, too” write that down as is.
6. Gallery- Not sure what to do with all that art work your child brings home from school? Glue it in for a permanent record of how she expresses herself at preschool age.
7. Album- Be sure to include pictures of big events, whether a birthday party, your child’s first soccer practice, a special Valentine’s Day project, or whatever else is a big deal for your child and your family this year.
8. Words I Can Write- At the beginning of the year, have your child write down any words he can write, unassisted. This may include just his name, or just his initials, or it may include much more. That’s fine. Leave the next few pages blank. As the year progresses, try this again every 3 months or so.
9. Tell Me a Story- Early in the year, have your child tell you a story or a joke and write down verbatim what she says. Do this again several times over the course of the year. If she’d like, she can illustrate her story.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. What you decide to include is up to you, and as unlimited as your child’s imagination!

I am super excited to get started on this project with Mr. Toddler.  I think I am going to use a three ring binder with plastic inserts. Great way to store artwork, and other fun things he does throughout the year.