Smilebox Blog

It’s that time of year again.  Summer’s over and the kids will soon be back in school.  As your family embarks on a new school year, our content manager Joanne Phillips shares her tips for capturing those first-day-of-school memories.  You’ll only have one chance to get just the right shots.  Make sure you’re ready so you can share the moment with friends, family and yourself for years to come.

1. Be prepared.  Take a nod from the Boy Scouts and have all your gear ready the night before so you can get through the missed alarms, spills and tears that will inevitably impact your morning’s schedule.  Find your camera(s), charge your batteries, and make sure there’s ample space on your memory cards.
2. Get the prep.  The lead-up to the first day of school can be as memorable as the morning itself.  Shopping for the perfect outfit, getting the new hair cut and waiting for the class lists to be posted — all great photo opportunities to better tell the back-to-school story.
3. In their words.  The movie-mode of your pocket camera makes it easy to capture quick video memories.  The first day of school is a perfect time to ask your child what he’s most looking forward to, her favorite subjects and what they want to be when they grow up.  Someday you’ll look back warmly at your precocious 2^nd grader who wanted to be an astronaut.
4. Document the traditions.  When I was growing up, Dad always made us chocolate chip pancakes on the first day of school.   It’s a tradition I now carry on with my children.  Make sure you snap some photos of the special meal, prayer or ritual that makes your family unique.
5. On the move.  Just getting to school makes for some great photo moments…on the bus, at the crosswalk and by the school sign.  Bus drivers and crossing guards also make interesting and colorful additions to your photos. 
6. Don’t forget the friends.  Of course, for you the day’s all about your child.  But don’t forget to snap some photos of their friends.  Their moms will thank you and your children will love looking back at how their friends have changed.
7. It’s a sign.  My girlfriend takes a photo each year of her son holding a handmade sign stating the grade he is entering, much like a crafty time stamp.  She now has a beautiful collection of photos throughout the years as he’s grown (and his handwriting has improved!).  And, looking back years later there will be no mistaking how old he was in the photo.
8. Get the extras.  Sometimes it’s not just the people that make the photos in scrapbooks sing.  The backpacks ready by the front door, the new clothes laid carefully on the bed, even the wheels on the bus all add dimension to your back-to-school scrapbooks.
9. Teacher’s pet.  It’s okay to be teacher’s pet on the first day.  Get a picture of your favorite student with his or her new teacher.  Better yet - snap them in front of the sign on the teacher’s door and they’ll never forget the name of their 4^th grade teacher.
10. Get in the picture.  Hand your camera over and make sure you get in the shot.  Twenty years from now, you and your child will be glad you did.

Of course, there’s no easier way than Smilebox to share those back to school photos and videos with friends and family both near and far.  Your family will appreciate the update of your rapidly growing kids and your friends will be amazed, and maybe even a little envious, at how creative (and quickly!) you’ve assembled your back-to-school scrapbooks.  Check out these designs in our catalog to display your first-day photographs:  Making the Grade; My Class; School Spirit; Slide and On the Playground.