Photo books are such a game-changer for bringing your best memories to life. Not only can you keep a timeline of family moments, but you can also use them for other thoughtful endeavors. Want to keep all those finger paintings cataloged? Done. Keeping Great Aunt Agnes’s famous apple pie recipe preserved for generations to come? Brilliant. Get creative this holiday season and whip up a photo book that isn’t just pictures, but other treasured memories and keepsakes that deserve to be remembered. Here are creative photo book ideas the whole family can appreciate. (Scroll down to see our cut-off dates for holiday delivery!)
1. Pull together a family recipe book
If you love to cook, you’ve probably got recipes handed down from relatives that you’ve treasured over the years. By creating a “food” photo book that includes everything from Nana’s handwritten recipe for lasagna to your kids’ favorite go-to comfort foods that you’ve perfected over the years, you’ll not only be organizing your own life but creating a sweet taste of history you can share with your kids for years to come.
2. Publish their POV
You know all those photos of the ground, selfies so close you can see up their nose, or a random flower in the park? Yup, the masterpieces taken while your kid has commandeered your device can be used to create a special photo book quite unlike anything else because these memories will be from their point of view, which, in many ways, is even better than the posed moments we parents tend to capture.
3. Make a coffee table book with your kid’s artwork
When it comes to organizing kids’ artwork, the struggle is real. Create little galleries using photo books: Scan your favorite pieces and put together a book that can be a coffee table book, tucked away on your kids’ bookshelf, or even given to family members as a gift. The fact that making art books will cut down on the sheer amount of paper, paint, and glitter that you keep in your home is a huge bonus.
4. Create a milestone scrapbook
Scrapbooking, but make it modern. If you love to keep their awards, report cards, birthday cards, photos from extracurricular activities, and all the other little things that come with raising a child, create a yearbook of sorts that you can keep for yourself or give to your kids when they leave the nest.
5. Write and print a family picture book
This might be one of the most unique photo book ideas we’ve seen. Pick out photos of your family, the kids, and even the pets, and create a story to accompany each photo. Before you know it, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind picture book that tells the story of you and yours. Alternatively, you can come up with a storybook idea and take pictures that illustrate pivotal moments of the story, creating your own board book.
6. Display the before & after
Another one of our favorite photo book ideas is to create a “before and after” of a home project. Carefully document the beginning, middle, and end stages—whether it’s an outdoor garden, your tween’s room glow-up, or another renovated space in your home (hello new reading nook!)—so you can look back on your DIY accomplishments.
7. Track your family tree
Keeping generational history alive is important. Using a photo book template is a great way to create a family tree that you can share with the kids when they grow up. It’s also a great opportunity to have grandparents share stories about loved ones who have passed on.
8. Never forget their favorite toys
There are always going to be certain toys that get more love than others. You can create an adorable tribute to your kids’ favorite in a few ways. You can add captions to pictures that will remind kids where they played with them or if they traveled to Grandma’s house. You can do a before-and-after session, which’ll show how loved each toy was. You can write down things your kids said about each toy (“teddy loves to eat cookies in the sunshine”) and add that as a caption, which is sure to elicit a laugh or two.
Cut-off dates for holiday delivery
Android and web store:
USA: December 8, 2025
Canada: December 8, 2025
UK: December 8, 2025
Australia/New Zealand: December 8, 2025
Rest of Europe: December 8, 2025
CSAM: December 1, 2025
Asia / Pacific Rim: December 8, 2025
Middle East: December 8, 2025
Africa: December 1, 2025
iOs:
US: December 8, 2025
UK: December 11, 2025
Canada: December 9, 2025
Australia: December 10, 2025
France: December 12, 2025
Germany: December 11, 2025
Italy: December 9, 2025
Ireland: December 11, 2025
Belgium: December 10, 2025
NL: December 12, 2025
NZ: December 10, 2025 (photo books only)
CH: December 19, 2025 (photo books only)
Rest of Europe: December 10, 2025 (photo books only)
UAE: December 1, 2025 (photo books only)
MX: December 17, 2025 (photo books only)
