10 Fun Things to Do With All Those Family Photos on Your Phone

I take a ridiculous amount of photos. Days out, holidays, birthdays, the boys, Barney, things we’ve baked, random things that make me laugh… you name it, there’s probably a photo of it somewhere on my phone.
The problem is, that’s usually where they stay.

I have thousands of photos sitting on my camera roll, and although I love being able to scroll back through them, I do sometimes miss having actual photographs around. When we were younger, photos went into albums, frames and boxes that we’d pull out every now and then. Now I can take 50 photos on one day out and there’s a good chance I’ll never look at most of them again!
So, I’ve been thinking about some fun ways to get more of our family photos off our phones and actually do something with them.

1. Create a Family Gallery Wall

I love a gallery wall, and this is probably one of the first things I’d do with a good selection of family photos.
You don’t have to make everything perfectly match either. I’d mix different-sized frames with photos from holidays, birthdays, days out and some of those completely random everyday pictures that make you smile.
You could go for all black and white photos if you want everything to look a little more coordinated, or just embrace the colour and mix everything together.
The best bit is that you can keep changing it. As the boys get older and we take new favourites, I can swap a few photographs rather than the wall staying exactly the same for years.

2. Make a Scrapbook With the Kids

This is one I think the kids could really get stuck into.
Get some photos printed, grab a scrapbook and bring out the craft supplies. They can choose their own pictures, add stickers, write little notes, draw around them and stick in tickets or other bits we’ve collected from days out.
And I wouldn’t worry about making it look perfect. Wonky writing, random stickers and things stuck in at slightly questionable angles are all part of it. That’s what will make it fun to look back through in years to come.

3. Make a Photo Christmas Tree

I love the idea of a Photo Christmas Tree, and it’s a fun way to bring out some of those family photos that would otherwise stay hidden away on your phone.

Get a selection of your favourite snaps printed and arrange them on a wall or large board in the shape of a Christmas tree. You could start with a wider row at the bottom and gradually make each row smaller as you work your way up, then finish it off with a little star at the top.

I’d use a mixture of photos from over the years rather than just Christmas ones, holidays, birthdays, days out and plenty of funny everyday moments. You could even add some little battery-powered lights around the outside to make it look extra festive.
The best bit is choosing the photos together. Everyone could pick a few of their favourites to add, so you end up with a Christmas tree full of family memories.

4. Make a Giant Photo Number for a Birthday

This is such a fun idea for a birthday, especially a milestone one. I actually did this for Jayden’s 16th, and it looked fab!

I printed a selection of favourite photos from over the years and arranged them into the shape of a giant 16. You can stick them onto a large piece of card or foam board, then prop it up as part of the birthday decorations.
It’s lovely going back through all those old photos too. Birthdays, holidays, days out, funny moments and plenty of random everyday pictures that you might otherwise have forgotten about.

You can get everyone involved in choosing their favourites as well.

5. Make Your Own Family Photo Memory Game

This could be a really fun rainy-day activity, especially for younger children.
Choose a selection of family photos and order two copies of each. You could use pictures of family members, pets, favourite places or funny moments you’ve captured over the years.
Cut some card to the same size, stick a photograph onto each piece and you’ve got your own personalised matching game.
Turn them all face down and take turns trying to find the pairs. You could even laminate them afterwards if they’re going to get lots of use. We all know anything involving kids and pieces of card generally has a fairly limited life expectancy otherwise!

6. Change Your Photos With the Seasons

I change bits and pieces around our home with the seasons anyway, so I love the idea of doing the same with family photos.

Autumn could mean bringing out pictures from pumpkin picking, woodland walks and all those gorgeous colourful days out. At Christmas, swap them for festive photos, then bring back holidays, beaches and sunny days when summer comes around.
You don’t need to change every frame in the house either. Just have one or two frames that you switch throughout the year. Considering how many years we’ve been pumpkin picking, I think I’m already sorted for autumn!

7. Take a Family Christmas Photo Every Year

This is such a simple one, but it could become a really lovely family tradition. Take one proper family photo every Christmas. It doesn’t need to involve matching pyjamas, a professional backdrop or everyone sitting perfectly still. Just get everyone together in front of the tree, pile onto the sofa or head outside if we ever manage to get that elusive white Christmas.

Print one each year and, over time, you’d have a collection showing just how much everyone has changed.
You could bring the older ones out every Christmas, add them to a special album or send copies to relatives with their Christmas cards.
Although getting everyone looking in roughly the same direction at the same time is always interesting!

8. Create a Family Travel Map

If you love family days out and travelling, this would be such a fun display to build up over time. Start with a large map and add a small printed photo beside some of the places you’ve visited. You could use a UK map for family days out or a world map if you want to include holidays abroad too.
Add little pins, dates or notes about where you’ve been and keep adding to it whenever you visit somewhere new.
It would be a lovely way for the kids to see all the places they’ve explored too, and probably a good excuse to start talking about where we’d like to go next!

9. Recreate an Old Family Photo

I can imagine this being absolutely hilarious with the right photo.
Dig out an old picture and try to recreate it years later. Head back to the same place if you can, copy the poses and, if you’re feeling adventurous, try to recreate the outfits too.

You could do it with a photo of the kids when they were little, an old holiday picture or even dig much further back and recreate one from your own childhood.
Then print the original and the new version and put them side by side. The more awkward the original photo, the better!

10. Make Personalised Photo Gifts

Printed photos can make really nice gifts too, particularly when the kids get involved.
You could frame a favourite photograph, make photo bookmarks, add pictures to handmade cards or create a little bundle of prints for someone special.

The kids could decorate frames themselves or choose which pictures they want to give. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive or elaborate either. Sometimes a favourite photograph is much more personal than something you’ve grabbed from a shop because you didn’t know what else to buy.

Getting Those Photos Off Your Phone

Of course, all of these ideas require me to do the bit I’m particularly bad at, actually getting the photos printed!

I’m not even going to attempt to sort through my entire camera roll. That sounds like a job I’d start enthusiastically and regret about 20 minutes later.
Instead, picking out a small batch of favourites every so often feels much more doable. You can order your prints online through Photo Zone, choosing the photos you actually want to do something with, rather than leaving them sitting amongst the thousands already on your phone.

I’d also write the date and perhaps a quick note on the back of some of them. It’s amazing how convinced you are that you’ll always remember where a photo was taken, only to look at it years later and have absolutely no idea!

I don’t think I’ll ever be completely organised with our family photos, but I’d definitely like to get more of them off my phone. Now I just need to make a start!