What You Need to Know About Saving Memories

Written by: Melanie Gardner

BLOG - What You Need to Know About Saving Memories (2)

Building Your Memory-Keeping Toolkit:  Best Ways to Save Your Memories

Last week, I had a wonderful visit with my cousin.  In college, we were lucky enough to be roommates!  We reminisced about odd suitors, parties we threw, and what our mutual friends were doing these days.  What really struck me about this day of connection was how many shared memories we had that we remembered in such different ways. And isn’t it incredible how our memories can be so poignant but also SO fleeting!  

We’ve got to do something to save those most important and formative memories before they flee from our brains.

Why memories matter

Memories are something each of us experiences with our senses. We see, hear, smell, taste, or touch something, and these formative experiences are often the key to who a person becomes. Memories can help us

  • Learn from past mistakes
  • Foster a desire to recreate past successes
  • Have an opportunity to relive precious past experiences
  • Create paths and opportunities for change

 

The sad truth

Memories fade without preservation.  Even your best-laid-brain-plans to simply remember those moments lose value, impact, and effectiveness when not captured and saved appropriately.

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You will find downloadable resources to help you connect more with family past and present.

Where do you start? 

To make it easy, simple, and even fun, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite tools in this Saving Memories Toolbox. 

Use Prompting Technology Tools 

No need to reinvent the memory saving wheel.  There are many apps and online tools ready for you to use. Prompts are one of the easiest ways to get started on your memory-keeping journey.  Easily capture a life story or just gather random memories from your memory or a loved one’s.  

Our favorite examples are:


Games

Make a game of it. Try some of these games virtually or in person. Consider recording or making a movie of the whole event as people answer questions about their life.  

Our favorite examples are: 

  • FCE Interview Game
  • Dinner Conversations Game
  • The Newlywed Game
  • Roots & Branches
  • 20 Questions

 

Notebooks, Journals, Calendars

Sometimes writing our memories is one of the best ways to draw out emotion and feelings.  In writing things down, our memory recall is enhanced.  Paper or digital versions of notes and calendars can be accessed the very moment you remember them.  

 

Face-to-Face and Take Note

Ready to ask some questions to your relatives?  Be sure to record or video.  Getting together with your family and friends is a wonderful way to spark memories.  Let the memories flow and take note! 

  • Reunions are an excellent time to capture family memories. Check out Family Connections Experiments, Modernized Family Reunion plan full of amazing resources for experiencing and capturing your reunion memories.
  • FamilySearch Memories app: be sure to whip out your app to record the conversation or take notes as you ask questions and gather memories.

 

Don’t run the risk of memories being lost permanently; with that loss goes the lessons learned, the successes earned, and shared experiences. Make it easy on yourself by adding these memory keeping ideas to your toolbox!

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Complement your 21day experiment with Your DNA Guide—the Book. It takes you step-by-step through the various ways of using DNA to answer questions about your origins.

 

Make My Where Am I From Meme

Celebrate your heritage by making a pie chart showing where your family is from.  You can use the results of DNA testing or FamilySearch’s Where Am I From activity.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Enter Your Information

You can enter information for up to 8 countries.  If you have less than that, that’s okay too.  Just enter what you have.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

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Make My Relative Meme

Check our relativefinder.org and see if you’re related to any famous people.  If you join our group (Connections-Experiment) you might some cousins among our other participants.  Grab a picture of you and your relative and you can make a meme to celebrate the relationship.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Choose a background for your meme

Step 2: Tell us about your relative

Step 3: Upload a photo of your relative

Step 3: Upload a photo of yourself

Don’t love your meme?  You can make any changes you want and then click Create Meme again to see your new meme.  Once it’s perfect, you can download and share.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

 

Make My Celebrate An Ancestor Meme

Visit this FamilySearch page to see important dates in the lives our your ancestors.  Make a note of the person’s name, a birthday or anniversary and their relationship to you.  Then make a meme to celebrate the special day.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Choose your template

Step 2: Tell Us About the Ancestor You're Celebrating







Step 3: Upload your photo

Don’t love your meme?  You can make any changes you want and then click Create Meme again to see your new meme.  Once it’s perfect, you can download and share.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

Make My Chinese New Year Meme

In honor of the Chinese New Year, find out which animal is associated with the year you were born in.  We’ll create a meme for you with the animal and some characteristics associated with that animal.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Tell us the year you were born

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

Make My Heirloom Story Meme

Do you have a cherished heirloom?  You can create a meme to celebrate the item and the story behind it.  You just need a picture and then you can follow our easy steps.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Choose the background for your meme

Step 2: Tell us about your heirloom item




Step 3: Upload your photo

Don’t love your meme?  You can make any changes you want and then click Create Meme again to see your new meme.  Once it’s perfect, you can download and share.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

Make My Down Memory Lane Meme

Take a walk down memory lane by creating a meme from a photo of your childhood home.  You could also commemorate other locations that are special to you.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Pick Your Background

Step 2: Upload a photo of the house where you grew up

Step 3: Enter a phrase to describe your house

It can be as simple as, “My Childhood Home” or you can include dates or any other description you would like.

Don’t love your meme?  You can make any changes you want and then click Create Meme again to see your new meme.  Once it’s perfect, you can download and share.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

Make My Couples Meme

Create your own shareable graphic to celebrate the milestones in your relationship with your significant other.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Choose your template

Step 2: Tell us a few details about your relationship with your significant other











Step 3: Upload a photo of the two of you

Don’t love your meme?  You can make any changes you want and then click Create Meme again to see your new meme.  Once it’s perfect, you can download and share.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

Make My Remember When Meme

Recreate an old photo and then create your own meme to show it off. 

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Pick Your Background

Step 2: Upload your photos and tell us what year they are from






Step 3: Choose a phrase for your meme

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #21dayexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

Make My Heirloom Meme

Do you have an item that has special family meaning?  Creating a meme to celebrate it is easy.  Just take a picture and follow these steps.

**Please remember this is a family friendly project and we request that all content produced using this tool be appropriate for all audiences.

Step 1: Tell us about your heirloom item

Step 2: Upload Photo

Don’t love your meme?  You can make any changes you want and then click Create Meme again to see your new meme.  Once it’s perfect, you can download and share.

We’d love to see your creations so please share on social media and tag us using #connectionsexperiment.

**21 Day Family Connections Experiment is not responsible or liable for any content that is produced using this tool.

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