How to Write a Family Newsletter

To write an annual family newsletter requires focus, organization and planning. Involving other family members will more likely ensure its success, especially if the children have had some part in the process.

For our newsletter, I interviewed each of the grandchildren. The older ones wrote their own article with a byline and had their picture beside it. With the younger children, I asked them questions and incorporated their answers into articles. They also got their own bylines with pictures too. They were all thrilled with the opportunity to tell how their year had gone and to have their picture in the newsletter.

For my own children I wrote a summary about what each family unit had done in the past year with accompanying pictures of things I had done with each of the grandchildren. Most of the pictures were ones no one had seen before which made it more interesting for everyone. There was a section also on holidays each had taken including relevant pictures. The last section of the newsletter was mainly pictures of family events such as birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities. I included comments on different things that had been said, or that the children had done; the types of things that although humorous at the time become quickly forgotten during a busy year of further happenings.

The newsletter was eight pages long but need not be. A shorter newsletter can be just as entertaining and exciting for family members. Because I have five children with their spouses and seven grandchildren with an abundance of events going on throughout the year, I found it was difficult to do anything smaller.

The organization that is required is making sure that pictures are taken throughout the year of everything that would be interesting to include in the newsletter. It is important also to keep notes of all events, holidays and anything else of interest that happens during the year so that these can all be included. Funny quotes from the children can be humorous inclusions too.

One example of this was on one recent family vacation, the four year old, being last into the pool, jumped in complete with his armament (water wing armbands) yelling, "A soldier never leaves a good man behind." Those type of memories of children are often forgotten but can be recalled later when re-reading the annual family newsletter.

Another was a poem I included written by my six year old grandson. 'Mean, mad, muddy skeleton, Dangerous, dark, dripping Dracula, Horrible, haunted, hungry bats.' It was a Hallowe'en assignment in grade one. By the time he's in grade four, would anyone remember his great little poem if not for the newsletter?

The planning that is necessary is typing the newsletter. I did mine in a two column format. It was necessary to do some cut and pasting to get the pictures where I wanted them. (I realize with better computer skills, this would have been unnecessary).

Following each of the children's articles I included an Editor's Note adding to what they had said. Another aspect of planning a newsletter is compiling the various pictures necessary to tell the story of a year in the ife of your family. When my newsletter was complete, I photocopied the required amount of copies. At the last birthday celebration of the year, each family member received their own copy of our annual newsletter.

Every year famlies have things that happen that are forgotten. Why not include them in your own newsletter? it is also a time to laugh together and to remember the meaning of family. It has been a hit in my family. Why not yours?