How to Read a Child a Story When You're Not There: a treasured gift idea

You have never seen a gift idea like this before, and I'm so excited to share it!  I have done this "audiobook for kids"-type of recording, but a friend came up with this absolutely genius QR code idea that takes it to the next level.

And makes an incredible gift. 

If you have a child in your life, you are going to love this amazing gift idea!

It's ideal for grandparents with faraway grandkids, but it's also ideal if they live in the same town.  And there are other possibilities, too, like a church class, someone you work with, or even a neighbor child. 

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.  If you're new to Forever and open your free account here to give it a try, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon.  Although everything mentioned in this post is free, you can secure all your digital memories for your lifetime + 100 years with a purchase of additional FOREVER Cloud Storage.

What You'll Do

I'll give you some step-by-step directions on the best way to do this below, but here in a nutshell is this wonderful gift idea for kids:

• Choose a book you want to gift to a child (or multiple children).  I'm a Dr. Seuss lover, but there are so many wonderful books out there for kids.  Choose a fairy tale, an early reader, or one special to your family.  
• Using your smartphone, record yourself reading the story as an audio file (not video).  Read in a clear voice with good pacing (not too fast, not too slow).  It's extra fun if you have a bell you can ring when it's time for the child to turn the page, but it's not necessary.
• Upload the voice recording file to your (free) FOREVER account so that you can create a QR code (again, free) that goes directly to your storybook recording.  The reader can scan your QR code and listen to you read them a story!
• You'll print the QR code on sticker paper, cut out the code, and place the sticker in the front cover of the book.
• Wrap the book and include a note about where the QR code is located, telling your recipient to scan it to hear you reading the story to them!  (Or, tell them there's a fun surprise at the QR code.  Your call!)

Again, I'm giving specific instructions below, so if any of these steps made you say, "Cool, but I don't know how to do that," don't worry.  I've gotcha.

Scan the QR code here to hear my mom
reading the story!  She passed on in 2015, but
her grandkids (and now great-grands) can still 
hear her read to them.

How You'll Do It

Here are the specifics to make this incredible idea both possible and easy for you.  Your little recipients are about to receive an absolute treasure.  You're literally making an heirloom.

STEP 1

Choose a children's book, and choose your recipient(s).  This would make a fun gift for one special child, your church class, or all the grandchildren.  Purchase the book, or multiple copies of the book.  Or, use an heirloom book if you have one to share!

STEP 2

Next, you'll read the book aloud.  Read in a clear voice with good pacing that's understandable.  Using your phone, record yourself reading the story.  If you haven't made an audio recording on your phone before, here are the instructions for iPhone and the instructions for Android. 

If you want to practice it first before recording, that's fine, but I'll caution you to not think about perfection.  If a kiddo were sitting on your lap reading this book right now, you might trip over a word, and it will 100% not matter at all.  Just be human.  😉

Note:  After recording your story, it will automatically be named "New Recording," but you will probably want to change it to the name of the story.  (This is especially important if you are making more than one storybook recording.)  To change the name, tap on the completed recording.  You'll see 3 dots at the right.  Tap those dots and there will be an option to rename your recording.

STEP 3

Next, you'll need to put that audio recording into a secure, private, but shareable space.  This particular space will also allow you to make a QR code linking directly to the audio recording.  

To do this, set up a free, private FOREVER account here.  That's our safe, shareable space.  While there is a FOREVER app (also free) for your phone to simplify the process of uploading photos and videos, it's limited to just those things.  So, for audio files like your recorded stories, you'll need to record using your phone and then utilize email to get those files to your computer.

Here's what that looks like on an iPhone.  Once you have recorded your story, tap the "Select" button at the upper right (which I've circled in purple).

Then, tap the circles at the left (which I've circled in red) to place a checkmark on all the stories you want to preserve and share.  

Last, tap the "Upload" button (a square with an arrow coming out of it, which I have highlighted in yellow).  You'll be given options to email the selected file(s) to yourself.  Follow the process and send the email.

NOTE:  The app recognizes photo and videos, so you can upload those straight from your phone, but audio files can only be uploaded from a computer, so that's why we are doing it this way.

Open the email you sent yourself and save your audio file(s) to your computer.

STEP 4

Now it gets exciting because you're ready to get that storybook recording privately shareable so your recipient can easily access it.  FOREVER is designed as a permanent home for photos, etc., so there's a host of organizational tools available.  However, for your storybook purposes, you don't have to set up an organizational system (Albums, mentioned below) unless you want to.  

Just follow these simple steps.

Congratulations!  You're almost ready to share your storybook!

STEP 5

Now that you've completed Step 4, you can listen to your storybook reading, which is so cool.  But here's where it gets even cooler.  Next, you'll create a QR code for this recording.  This is what's going to make your storybook reading accessible from anywhere.

QR code stands for "quick response code."  It's basically a readable barcode that will take you directly to a website or other online location when scanned.  You can get a QR code reader app on your phone, but newer smartphones have the capability to read QR codes right from the camera app and take you to the online location from there.

My digital business card has a QR code.

Here's how you create the QR code for your audio file you've saved in your private FOREVER Cloud Storage.

First, you'll need to get to a computer or tablet and login to your FOREVER account.  There's a lot you can do with just the app, but you get "full service" on your audio file (and photos and videos) from the website.  So, login.  Click "Gallery" at the left, then double-click your audio file so it opens.  It will look something like this: 

Now, click the "share" icon at the upper right, which I've highlighted in yellow (above).

That "description" section over at the right is editable, so I definitely suggest including details (the name of the book and who's reading it) and even a personal message.

Next, you'll see several options for sharing this audio file.  You'll want to select "QR code," which I've highlighted in yellow (below).

After clicking "QR code," this is what you'll see:

FOREVER has generated a QR code for your audio file!  See?!  How cool is that?!  You'll need to click the little "click to download" underneath it, which I've highlighted in yellow (above).  

The QR code downloads as an image, just like a picture.  So you'll save it to your computer.  Just be sure you save it in a place where you can find it again.  😁

STEP 6

Now you'll need a computer program such as Word (I use Publisher) where you can create a document so you can print the QR code onto sticker paper to put inside the book.  This is what's going to make your accessible-from-anywhere storybook reading conveniently located right in the book!

Create the document and insert the QR code image file you just saved to your computer, with the QR code being no smaller than 1 inch so that it's easily scannable.

I highly recommend not only the QR code in the book but also a note or description about what the QR code leads to.  In the future, people may not know that it's you reading the story (because QR codes are on everything these days).  This could be part of the sticker (as I did above), or just a handwritten note in the book.

OPTIONAL:  You can see in the photo above that I have the name of the book and a "read by so-and-so" note on a cute, designed image.  With FOREVER, you can organize and preserve video, audio, photo, and PDF files into Albums (like folders on a computer) and Nested Albums (like subfolders)--and they have this awesome capability of creating an Album Cover (the thumbnail image you first see)!  So I did that for all the stories in my family story collection.  (If you'd like to do that, you can see how it works here.)  Then I downloaded those Album Cover thumbnails to include them on my stickers.  Reach out to me if you have questions on how to do this.

Now, print your document where you've put the QR code(s) on sticker paper.  I typically use Avery full-sheet sticker paper.

STEP 7

You're almost done!  And this step is easy.  Just cut out the QR code with description/message, peel off the back, and stick it in the front of the book!

Gifting Your Storybook

Be sure you include a card with a message that points out the QR code.  It may be easy to overlook if the recipients don't know it's there.  

You can certainly giftwrap it to your liking, but since this is such a special gift (an heirloom, really!), you might want to get some ideas for really special, beautiful wrapping from Stephanie over at Crazy Little Lovebirds!

Share this idea with a parent, favorite aunt/uncle, or grandparent you know!  Make connections with a little one through story, even when you're not there! 

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Maybe Your Photo Project Isn't as Big as You Think It Is

It works.  My 10 Minutes Daily Plan really works.

I know it works for other people because they've told me, but to be honest with you, I had never tried it myself because I'm so consistent at saving my photos to the cloud and to my computer (2 digital versions like photo experts recommend) as well as saving them in print (as photo experts also recommend) due to my, well, addiction to digital scrapbooking with Artisan by FOREVER.

When I came up with my 10 Minutes Daily Plan in late 2023, I knew it was a good idea, for all the reasons I mention in the plan, but I didn't realize that it would also work for me!

Here's My Story

My photo preservation habits were only lacking one thing when I met FOREVER in 2021:  a trustworthy cloud backup that could serve as a digital legacy (something I could pass down).  

I already preserved my photos in scrapbook pages along with the memories that go with them, and I already preserved them on my computer with a backup on an external hard drive because I know computers can crash without warning.

But I will never forget the day that I finished backing up my photos onto the external hard drive and placed it in the basket where it goes.  Right next to my computer monitor.

And I realized:  If something happens to THIS ROOM (water leak, fire, anything), all my digital photos are gone.  GONE.

If something happens to my house (since that's where my scrapbooks are), ALL my photos in any form are gone.  COMPLETELY GONE.

It's a much longer story, but let's just say I'm incredibly thankful to have met Forever Cloud Storage through a friend. 

Since then, I back up all the photos on my computer to Forever Cloud instead of an external hard drive.  Photo experts recommend that the 2 ways you store digital photos (and videos) are onsite (at your house) and offsite (in the cloud).  So NOW I can really check that box. 

How I Used the 10 Minutes Daily Plan

But what about photos from 1997 and from my parents' wedding and my baby pictures?

From when I was a teenager in the 1980s until about 2007, I only took photos with a film camera.  I put them in paper-and-scissors scrapbook pages.  They were the only copies of them anywhere in existence.  No backup.  Except those awful negatives.  

So I set out to take my own advice and try my own plan!  I chose 7:00-7:10am every day (which I did almost every day).  I used my home scanner in my office and got to work scanning these beauties.

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.  If you're new to Forever and open your free account here to give it a try, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon towards anything mentioned in this post.

What I Learned That I Want You to Know

I was actually a little surprised at what I learned and how much it impacted me.  I know how important our photos really are to our hearts and souls.  So, this is something I really want you to know:

I had been dragging my feet a little about starting all that scanning because I thought it was such a huge project.  Dread kept me from starting.  

But it was the most delightful and enjoyable project!  I looked forward to it every day.  I saw little faces I haven't seen for 20 years (because they're older now), remembered special moments, re-lived and re-loved the memories of my life.

And one day while doing my scanning, I realized that it didn't feel like a big project any more.

Part of that feeling came, I'm sure, from the fact that I was only spending 10 minutes a day on it instead of reserving a whole weekend or something.  But I know, too, that part of that feeling came from how much fun I was having.  It didn't seem like a big deal because it was so fun.

Just Do It!  Please.

Whatever your photo project is, just do it.  Please.  🙏  You will be so happy that you did!  It will MATTER.  It will make a difference.

Get started by following the steps here, or come back next month on the first Friday for a new blog post with a comprehensive tutorial video that will help you with whatever photo project has been patiently waiting for you to make time for it.

Just start with one thing.  And see if that project isn't as big as you think!

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The Moose Story: my latest rule to live by

 I live by this rule: It doesn't exist unless it's saved in FOREVER.

This rule can best be summarized by a personal experience I call The Moose Story.

In July, I went to a really fun family reunion where we took a lot of pictures. Each night, I asked my husband to share his with me. (Yes, you can have two phones uploading to the same FOREVER Cloud account!) I realized I was probably being a little annoying, asking this so consistently, so I explained my thinking:

Until it's safely backed up in Forever Storage, anything can happen to it! Phones can be dropped in a lake, after all. It's not safe unless it's in FOREVER where I can see, share, and download it later if I want.

The Moose Story

The next day (yes, the very next day), my husband, two of my nieces, and my niece's husband went kayaking. They had the best time ever. They even got to see a mama moose and a baby moose up close--they just walked out of the bushes right in front of our family kayakers! My niece's husband took a photo of the moose with his phone.

But this photo isn't it. (I found this photo online.) Because a few minutes later my niece's husband dropped his phone in the river.

Yup.

And that's The Moose Story, a rule to live by: It doesn't exist unless it's saved in FOREVER. Because if it isn't saved in FOREVER, it literally may not exist.

Maybe not the end of the world if you can find a similar photo online like I did here, but it certainly feels like the end of the world if those were videos of your baby's first steps or photos of the last time you saw your grandma.

FOREVER Cloud

I shared this story in my Photo & Story Treasures Facebook group where we learn and share things like this every weekday morning, so if you haven't had a daily dose and aren't familiar with FOREVER Cloud, here are the basics:

It's a Cloud storage system for your photos and videos, like Google or Dropbox (etc.), only very much not like Google and Dropbox (etc.) 😅 Your digital memories are private, for one thing, and are also guaranteed to be there for the next generation, and the one after that.

The security FOREVER puts in place for Forever Cloud Storage is unbeatable. 

 

It's better care for my photos and videos than I could possibly give them personally.  

You can learn more here--and you can open a FOREVER account for yourself, too, and get started preserving with 2 GB free.  If you want your photos to last a lot longer than the phone you took them with, this is definitely your solution!

What's Your Experience?

Has something like this ever happened to you? Have you lost a phone, dropped it in water, or otherwise found it unusable? Or, have you ever updated your phone's operating system only to have your photos disappear from it like poor Jordan? Tell me in the comments below!

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NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.  If you're new to Forever and open your free account here to give it a try, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon towards anything mentioned in this post.

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Be in the Pictures: "This isn't about you"

Last year, I took a lovely trip with my sister to one of her favorite places on earth.  Because it's a beach, it's automatically one of my favorite places, too, even though I'd never been there before.

One day, we were on a small ferry to an island where one of the ferry employees offered to take our picture.  We said, "Sure!" as we laughed a little about our very, very windblown hair.  

She took the picture and then told us a very short story that has become one of my favorite stories about pictures.

The Story:  This Isn't About You

She told us that her daughter recently wanted to take a photo of her, but she declined because she didn't think she look very good that day.  

Her daughter said, “This isn’t about you.  It’s about when you’re dead so that I have pictures of you to look at."

We laughed, mostly at the bluntness of the statement, but I really appreciated the reason behind the argument.  

Eventually, photos and videos and maybe even some audio recordings will be all we have left of someone special.

When we had this photo taken on the ferry, neither of us were trying to be a part of a beauty contest or have something airbrushed to make us look ten years younger.  (Why do we do that?!  Age is something to be proud of because we've earned it!)

We were just enjoying time together as sisters in a beautiful place where we had a completely delightful time.  Together.  And, hello, there were wild horses on that island behind us!! 

Just Do It

Just do it.  Be in the pictures.  Don't worry about if your hair is everywhere or you have wrinkles or gray hair ("sparkles") or if your eyelids are heavier than they used to be.  Guess what.  This is what I looked like at 52.  And this is something great that I did when I was 52.  So I should have some pictures of it!

It's about the moment, not about some ridiculous ideal that nobody can really live up to.  

I know it can be hard to get over ourselves in this world so focused on appearances, but to the people you matter the most to, they don't see anything but YOU.  The person they love.

The Two-Part Challenge

This is hard for most of us, I know.  This two-part challenge is for me too (although I've nailed part 2!)  

PART 1:  Look beyond appearances to the MOMENT and what's MEANINGFUL in a photo!  Look at the memories.  Begin to see something you'll cherish 5 or 25 years from now.  See something that those who love you will cherish even beyond that.

PART 2:  Celebrate memories.  Share your pictures.  Get them off your phone!  They don't get seen there.  Shared photos and memories and stories make life meaningful and have a whole host of personal and interpersonal benefits like these.

Then, get started preserving and sharing them in pages.  It doesn't have to be hard or complicated.  There are two different options at that link to fit your time and interest, and both of them are printed in highest quality bindings, papers, and inks to last generations.

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NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.

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