When I was young, my mom had the foresight to ask my grandparents to fill out a memory book for me. Now an heirloom, the book captured the details of their childhoods and their lives — those precious memories that only they knew of — recording them for the future and posterity’s sake.
Thirty years later, I’m so grateful that she did. I now have a book full of anecdotes and facts that I wouldn’t have known, and that I get to enjoy in my grandparents’ distinctive handwriting and voice.
While the memory book I have is from the good ol’ ’90s, I’ve picked out some great options for grandparents and parents to preserve your memories and legacy for your loved ones in the future. You really can’t go wrong with whatever you select, though: The real importance is in your own story, which only you can tell.
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As one Amazon reviewer wrote, this option is a “beautiful quality book for created for a beautiful purpose.” We agree. With an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon, this thoughtful heirloom book has 96 pages of guided prompts for grandma or grandpa to record the details of their lives throughout the years, including traditions, life lessons and family stories. It also has a handy family tree for them to fill in and a sturdy back pocket for storing photos and other mementos.
This memory book was designed by an artist to make it a particularly special keepsake. Its gold-foil and linen cover and acid-free, archival-quality paper ensure that it’s not only elegant, but will also stand the test of time. The keepsake’s carefully designed prompts cover grandma or grandpa’s early childhood, work, values, words of wisdom and more — including the best advice they ever received and what they might’ve done differently if given the chance.
The books are also available at Target (Grandma for $16 and Grandpa for $19.50) and at Etsy (Grandma for $29 and Grandpa for $29).
Also available in styles for dads and moms, this artist-designed gold foil memory book is beautiful enough to warrant its heirloom status, especially once it’s filled out with all your special memories.
Remento’s memory books aim to make recording your story easy. For folks who prefer speaking their story over writing it down, Remento allows you to do just that — the brand sends you a prompt via email or text each week, and you can just record your answer to the question on the spot, on any device. Remento will transcribe your reflection; then, you can make any adjustments you want to ensure it’s how you want it.
The real magic comes when your book is all ready — your loved ones will be able to enjoy your reflections on paper, plus they’ll be able to hear your voice recording of each prompt when they scan the QR code on the page. The result is a special archive that blends print with digital.
This grandparents’ keepsake book has over 200 journal prompts, separated into short and detailed questions, to cover every important piece of your life. In addition to the standard important stuff, some of these prompts are delightfully designed to be quirkier than usual, asking about your favorite number, your favorite way to spend a Sunday or unwind after a hard day, your favorite movie snack, etc.
The brand also offers memory books designed for moms and dads; their Dad’s life story version in particular is a bestseller.
Each book contains over 200 questions that dig into your parent’s wisdom, life lessons and personality. The keepsake makes a great present — many reviewers report gifting the special journal to a parent — or for forward-thinking parents to acquire for a head start on recording their lives for future generations.
Designed to feel like a conversation between storytellers and their family, Storyworth’s memory books come together over the course of a year as family members send prompts to grandparents to fill out each week. (You can choose a prompt from Storyworth’s library or write your own guided questions.) After a year, your loved one’s answers are compiled into a beautiful book.
If you prefer speaking over writing when recounting stories, the person filling out the book can choose to voice record their answers, and Storyworth will transcribe their reflections into the book.
This linen hardback is designed to situate your legacy within the context of the generations that came before you (like your own parents!) and after, like your children, making it an especially meaningful pick to provide to your family. The legacy journal covers all areas of your life, plus includes a section for detailing adventures and advice. The book also includes a handy table of contents, an area for you to write in your family tree and blank pages at the back for additional thoughts and notes.
This sweet keepsake journal includes 120 pages of guided prompts to record the big and small moments in your life for your grandchild. The book is equipped with archival acid-free paper, a back pocket for additional photos, lay-flat binding and an attached elastic band to hold everything secure (so none of your precious work escapes)!
This colorful book of memories highlights life stories and nuggets of wisdom, with questions about grandparents’ schooldays, experience raising a family and more, plus the impact that resilience, gratitude and courage has had in their life. It has 100 questions in total and sports a flat-lay design for easy writing.
In addition to your memories, this cloth-covered, silver foil-stamped hardcover book asks about everything from your nuclear family’s genealogy (your grandchild’s great- and great-great-grandparents) to what was happening in the news during your youth, including how much things cost (which is sure to really trip them out). This memory book is addressed simply to a grandchild without specifying whether it’s from grandma or grandpa, which some might appreciate.
Combining the best of photo albums and written memory books, this elegant hardback has dedicated space for you to add photos of a given occasion, and then explain the details of the photo and memories associated with it.