My Awesome Life -- The LSSI Lifebook

"My Awesome Life" is Lutheran Social Services of Illinois' (LSSI) brand-new Lifebook. A Lifebook is like a scrapbook in that it celebrates the child's life through photos, drawings and memories, but different from a scrapbook in that it includes journal pages that explore the child's thoughts and feelings.

The LSSI Lifebook

  • "My Awesome Life" is available for purchase to use with any child. Lifebooks celebrate children's strengths and plans for the future, while also helping children make sense of loss, trauma or change. Lifebooks are of particular benefit for children in foster care and those who have been adopted. (See sample pages below.)
  • Every package includes over 50 unique pages in heavy stock (with additional sections available based on each child's needs) and an instruction booklet, all packaged and ready to insert into your own 3-ring binder.

"My Awesome Life" has five sections. Click on each thumbnail to enlarge and view more sample pages from each section:

LB

Section 1 - About Me --

This section is all about the child -- favorites, activities, likes, dislikes, as well as dreams and goals for the future.








Section 2 - My Family --

This section celebrates the child's family -- honoring every child's need to know about his/her origins. For children not living with their original families, this section will help them learn about and maintain family connections.





Section 3 - Where I've Been...Where I'm Going --

This section is specifically for the child living with a foster family or relative. This section provides concrete, visual tools that can assist children in understanding their past and reasons for separation from their parent(s).





Section 4 - Going Home --

This section should be added when the child is transitioning from foster placement to the home of their parent(s).








Section 5 - Getting Adopted --

For children who are preparing to be adopted, Section 5 is used to celebrate their adoption stories and explore what it's like to have birth and adoptive families.