What Should Go in Your Child’s Life Book?

When a child enters foster care, their journey often includes changes in homes, schools, caregivers, and routines. But amid all this change, every child deserves one constant: their story. From baby photos to school memories and letters from loved ones, a lifebook is a meaningful way to honor a child’s journey and help them form a sense of identity through their past. Whether you’re a foster parent, caseworker, or family member, creating a lifebook can be a healing and empowering experience for the child you support. If you’re not sure what should go in a lifebook, start by thinking about the moments, big and small, that shape identity.

And if you want to make it easier than ever, check out Ella, the first secure digital lifebook app made for children in foster care.

What Is a Life Book?

A lifebook is a personalized collection of memories and records that helps a child remember their past and feel ownership of their story. Unlike baby books that focus only on early milestones, lifebooks for children in foster care span their entire journey, including the people, places, and experiences that shaped them.

What to Include in a Foster Care LifeBook

Here are some ideas on what should go in a lifebook to help guide you:

• Baby and Childhood Photos: Even if not all early years are documented, include any photos you can find or recreate early memories through drawings or notes.
• Family Tree and Connections: A visual map of biological, foster, and chosen family members helps children understand their relationships.
• Favorite Things: Include favorites at different ages: favorite foods, colors, books, songs, and toys. These change over time and are fun to revisit.
• School Memories: Photos, awards, report cards, or even class rosters show academic milestones and friendships.
• Placements and Homes: Record the homes where the child has lived, with photos or descriptions of rooms, pets, and caregivers. This helps preserve a sense of continuity.
• Letters and Messages: Personal notes from foster parents, teachers, caseworkers, and friends show the child how loved and supported they’ve been.
• Milestones and Firsts: First bike ride, first birthday party, first trip to the beach—every memory matters.
• Medical and Legal Records: Important records like immunization forms, court dates, or medical notes provide a full picture of their journey.
• Sibling Reunions or Special Events: Include photos and details from impactful moments like reunions at Disney Days or holidays spent together.

Each page of a lifebook tells a part of their story and every story deserves to be kept safe.

Make It Digital: Ella is the First Foster Care LifeBook App

Traditional paper lifebooks are meaningful, but they can also be lost or damaged during moves and transitions. That’s why we helped create Ella—a digital lifebook app designed especially for foster youth.

Ella is a safe, secure, and easy-to-use app that lets caregivers and children preserve memories, upload important records, and document life events in one protected place.

With Ella, lifebooks for children in foster care become more accessible and lasting than ever before.

Why Ella Matters

The inspiration for Ella came from a moment of heartbreak—a young boy lost the only photo he had of himself and his siblings after a joyful reunion at a Foster Love Disney Days event. That one missing photo became the spark for something bigger: creating a digital space where no child’s memory could ever be lost again.

Ella isn’t just a digital app. It’s a promise that a child’s memories—no matter where they go or who they’re with—can grow with them.

Try Ella and Preserve Their Story

A lifebook gives a child the power to own their narrative. With every photo, note, and memory, they’re reminded: You matter. Your story matters. Whether you use paper or go digital with Ella, the most important thing is to start.

If you’re supporting a child in care, you can start building their lifebook today using Ella. It’s free to agencies and caregivers thanks to Foster Love and our generous donors.

Schedule a Free Demo to see how Ella can work for your agency or foster family.