Life books are important to children in placement. Children in care often experience gaps or “blind spots” in their life experiences, primarily due to the traumas they have had to deal with. A Well-done life book does an excellent job of helping children maintain connections or links with their past as well as carry memories of their time spent with your family to their new, and hopefully, permanent placement. Life books may also provide helpful information to the new caregiver, whether it is another foster family, an adoptive family or the birth parents. 

A life book may consist of a simple compilation of dates, milestones, photos, and memorabilia that have been placed in an inexpensive folder or it may be an elaborately done album that has been carefully and creatively constructed by the foster parents. Either way, these books serve an important function in helping the child view his or her life as meaningful and provide a sense of connectedness and self-worth.

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