The Essential 7 Family Photos Every Family Should Take This Year

Why These Family Photos Matter

Think of the photos on your phone right now. Hundreds, maybe thousands. Birthday cakes, blurry selfies, school events, random sunsets. But if someone asked you, “Which pictures tell the story of our family?”—how many would leap out?

The truth is, memory is slippery. We think we’ll remember the funny bedtime story or how small the kids looked standing on the front steps—but time smooths out those details. That’s where intentional family photos come in. These aren’t about perfect outfits or polished backgrounds. They’re about capturing the moments that matter most over the years—the family photos you’ll look back on and say, that was us.

This post gives you seven quick family photo ideas that reliably spark memory. They’re a one-week family photos challenge—a small, fun push—not a definition of your family or a limit on what belongs in your journal. Keep capturing everything you want to remember (swim meets, school plays, road trips, lazy Sundays) and let these seven sit alongside them as a tiny time-capsule you’ll be proud to revisit in the My Memories of You app.

How To Do The Challenge

1. Capture all 7 within the next 7 days (double up on a day if life gets busy).
2. Add one line or a 20-second voice note to each photo in the My Memories of You app using the prompts provided.

How It Works in the My Memories of You app

If you haven’t already, open the My Memories of You app and create a Family Journal. (We’ll show you exactly how and why in this post.

• Add each of the 7 photos to the Family Journal.

• Then share each entry with every child’s journal. That way, the entire 7-Photo Challenge lives in the Family Journal and becomes part of each child’s personal record.

Use the MMOY Title Sparks ✨ as your entry titles. They’re short, fun, and make flipping back through a joy.

1) Then/Now Re-Creation

Every family has an old photo everyone teases about—a crooked fringe, a holiday outfit, a wonky pose. Re-creating that picture today is a fast, funny way to feel time. It doesn’t just show that kids grew taller; it spotlights the shared jokes and tenderness that survived a dozen seasons.

Don’t chase perfection. If the original had messy hair or an awkward location, lean in. The charm is in the echoes and the differences—the way a stance changed, who stands in the middle now, how a smile shifted from shy to confident. Years from today, this side-by-side will deliver laughs first and gratitude second.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “Then & Now: Same Smile, New Season”

• “We Tried the Old Photo Again (Chaos Ensued)”

2) “Carry Me While You Can” (or the Hug Span)

There’s a short window when you can scoop a child up without thinking about it… and then one day, you can’t. That’s why a yearly “lift” photo is pure gold. Parent holding child on the hip, piggyback, or a goofy carry — it freezes that stage forever.

But what if the kids are already too big? Switch to the Hug Span. Stand facing each other and stretch your arms wide to see who can reach around whom. Or go back-to-back with arms linked — it shows size, growth, and closeness without a lift. Another favorite is the forehead-to-forehead press (no age limit, works even with teens).

Why it matters: Whether carried or simply pressed close, these photos are about physical closeness before it shifts. Side-by-side over the years, you’ll watch kids outgrow arms but never outgrow connection.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “Carry Me While You Can” (if younger)

• “The Hug Span” (if bigger)

• “Close Enough to Measure” (for back-to-back)

3) Front-of-House Time Capsule (Our Home)

Homes change the way people do: paint fades, gardens climb, scooters appear on the stoep, a new tree throws shade where there was none. A yearly (or seasonal) photo in front of the house turns the building into a character in your family story. Ten years from now, this series will hit hard—you’ll see growth not just in faces, but in brick and leaf and light.

Pick a fixed spot across the street or at the edge of the driveway. Shoot wide enough to include the door, number, and a little sky/ground. Repeat from the same angle each time. If renovations happen, grab an extra “milestone” shot—scaffolding up, paint half-done, new tree planted. Even an apartment lobby or balcony view works beautifully.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “Our House This Season: ___”

• “Front-Step Story: Paint, Plants & People”

4) Kid + Obsession Portrait (What They Loving Right Now)

Every child goes through “eras”—dinosaurs, a favorite book series, the purple tutu, building forts, soccer, drawing dragons. In the moment it feels endless, but looking back you realize those obsessions were short seasons that defined their childhood. Capturing a simple portrait of your child with the thing they can’t get enough of right now freezes that passion in time.

Keep it simple: sit them on the bed, couch, or porch with their “thing” in hand. Don’t force a smile—let them beam or sulk however they feel. Multiple kids? Line them up with their chosen item and take one group photo, then a quick individual for each.

These portraits become anchors to memory. Years later, you’ll stumble across the “Spiderman phase” picture or the “piano-with-stickers” shot and instantly recall the soundtrack of that season.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “The ___ Era (and Why We Loved It)”

• “Right Now, It’s All About ___”

5) Generations’ Hands (or Just Our Hands)

Faces smile for the camera; hands tell on us. Wrinkles, ink stains, chipped nail polish, flour dust, grass stains—hands hold history. An overhead shot of stacked or side-by-side hands is a simple, moving portrait. If grandparents are around, include them. If not, parents and kids still make a powerful image.

This photo tends to bypass the brain and hit the heart. You’ll remember who kneads the dough, who tightens the bike chain, who braids hair, who holds the book steady at bedtime. Years later it can bring tears faster than any posed portrait because it quietly says: we care for one another.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “Hands That Hold Us”

• “What These Hands Do”

6) Our Shoes Line-Up (Growth You Can Hold)

There’s a reason old baby booties make everyone melt: size tells a story. A simple line-up of everyone’s current everyday shoes captures growth, personality, and season in one frame—tiny sneakers next to muddy rugby boots, mom’s running shoes beside granny’s comfy slip-ons. It’s low-effort, face-optional, and works for every family shape (include grandparents, blended families, even the dog’s leash).

How to shoot: Clear a strip of floor by the front door (or a consistent spot you’ll reuse). Line shoes toe-to-wall, smallest to biggest (or in a circle if that fits your space). Shoot straight down from chest height or straight on from floor level; keep the angle the same each time. Do it once per season or twice a year. Optional: pop a small card with the month + year in the corner, or have everyone stand barefoot behind their pair for a fun “shoe + shadow” combo.

Why it matters: In a few years this becomes a flipbook of family change—sizes leap, styles shift, hobbies appear (ballet flats → football studs → hiking boots). It’s also wonderfully inclusive for camera-shy kids and a privacy-friendly way to share the challenge online if you’re cautious about faces.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “At Our Door: ___ Season Footprints”

• “Small to Tall: Our Shoe Line-Up”

7) Back-to-Back Height Check (The Growth Wall)

Growth sneaks up until—surprise!—someone’s taller than someone else. Capture it deliberately: two people stand back-to-back against a wall or doorframe; hold a sticky note with the date; shoot straight-on. Repeat a few times a year or at least annually.

These frames become an instant flipbook of time. Siblings love the friendly rivalry; parents quietly measure the bittersweet. Stack them in MMOY and the story writes itself: one day the little one catches up, and everybody cheers.

MMOY Title Spark ✨

• “Height Report: ___ vs ___”

• “Growing Taller (Measured & Celebrated)”

Start Your Family Photos Challenge Today

The truth is, memories fade, but photographs help us hold on. These 7 essential family photos are more than just images—they’re milestones in your family’s story. Start your own family photos challenge today: pick one idea from the list, gather your loved ones, and take the shot. Before long, you’ll have a collection that feels less like pictures and more like a legacy—one your children will treasure for years to come.