A memory book for grandparents, made by the whole family
A memory book for grandparents is a keepsake book filled with photographs and memories from the people who love them most. With Lovingly Kept, you start with one photograph and send private links to children and grandchildren. Each person adds what they remember, in their own words, and it all becomes one book.
Your grandparents have heard every family story more than once. This time, the family tells theirs.
How do you make a memory book for grandparents together?
- Start with one photograph. Sunday dinners, a caravan holiday, the garden Grandad was so proud of. Add a few lines about what you remember.
- Send private invite links. Each person gets their own link, by text, WhatsApp or email. There is no app to download and no account to make.
- Everyone adds their memory. A few lines, a photograph or a voice note, from their own phone and in their own time.
- Download the book. The memories are laid out as an 8 by 8 inch book, ready to share as a PDF or print at home.
Every grandchild can take part
Older grandchildren can write a few lines. Younger ones can record a voice note, or a parent can write their words down for them. A great-grandchild's drawing can go in as a photograph.
Grandparents can add their own memories too. Send them their own invite link and they can tell their side of the story, in writing or as a voice note.
Their words, kept as they wrote them
We never rewrite or polish anyone's memories. What a relative sends is what goes in the book. If Nan and Auntie Jean remember the same day differently, both versions stay, side by side. Families often find that is the part they enjoy most.
Hear their voices in the book
Voice notes appear in the book with a code beside them. Point a phone camera at the page and hear the person who recorded it: Grandad telling the story about the bus in the snow, or Nan singing the song she always sang.
Ideas for a grandmother memory book, or one for Grandad
- Their wedding day, told by the people who were there.
- The house everyone remembers, room by room.
- What they taught you: recipes, sayings, card games.
- Grandad's chair, Nan's kitchen, the walk to the shop.
- A milestone birthday or a golden wedding anniversary.
Take a moment to consider who in your family has the photographs, and who remembers the stories behind them. Those are the first two people to invite.
Frequently asked questions
Can grandparents add their own memories to the book?
Yes. Send each grandparent their own private invite link. They can type a memory, add a photograph or record a voice note on a phone or tablet. Their name appears beside what they add, so the book shows their side of the story alongside the family's.
Do relatives need an account or an app?
No. Relatives open the link you send them and add their memory in the browser. There is nothing to download and no password to remember, which makes it easier for older relatives and younger grandchildren to join in.
How much does a memory book for grandparents cost?
Lovingly Kept is free during early access. Each project is deleted 14 days after it is started, and you can add 14 more days once, so please download your book as a PDF before then. The PDF is yours to keep, but the voice codes inside it stop working when the project is deleted. Printed hardcover books are coming soon.
Start with one photograph
A memory book for grandparents does not need to be finished in one sitting. Choose one photograph today, write two lines about it, and send one invite link to the person who was there.
More from the blog
Family and dementia
Keeping the family's memories when a parent has dementia
Why I started Lovingly Kept, and how to gather the family's stories while they are still close.
Remembering loved ones
A memorial book, made by everyone who loved them
Bring together the memories of family and friends after someone dies, in their own words.