Having photos of your family up where everyone can see them day to day lets your family know they are loved and connected to each other. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but a wall of photos can be a fun way to decorate your home and have a profound impact on your family. Let them see parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, the living and the dead! You bring history to life with images and stories of family heritage. A photo wall brings life to your living room, hallway, or staircase. Really any room in your house can be warmed by photos of family members. You might not think that passing those photos each day will do anything, but studies show they have a profound effect, especially on children.
Here are some examples from simple to elaborate:
The stairs are a great place to put photos!
Don’t forget to change things up a bit from time to time. Get a new family portrait taken every few years and add it to the wall. Hallways and staircases can be great areas to show children growing up. Choose frames that let you change the photos as time goes by. Vary the frame sizes and how many photos they hold for interest and focal points. Black and white photos give you a different, timeless feel that can be a nice change. Action photos that showcase vacations, sports, or other activities your family is engaged in are another possible collection for your walls.
Don’t forget just setting photos on desks and tables! You may not have that much wall space, but I’m sure there are flat surfaces to put photos so your family can see them every day in your home. We have pictures on the top of the media center in our living room. My son noticed one was face down and asked why? He wanted it up again so he could see the photo. Now my children may be somewhat trained to notice photos, but I dare say that most children really will pick up on having family pictures visible and the relationships they represent and strengthen.
So put some photos on your walls and say, “I love you” all the time! I’ll talk about how to get them up on your wall next time. For now start looking at what you have and what you might like to put up.
