Grandma journal: a tell me your story memory book with 150 questions

This grandma journal helps her write down the story of her life, in her own voice, for her children and grandchildren to keep. Its 40 undated pages hold 150 questions across ten chapters, plus a family tree, pages for photo memories, a favorite family recipe and a letter to her grandchildren. You receive it as an instant PDF download in US Letter and A4, and nothing is shipped.

It makes a heartfelt gift, and an even better reason to sit together and talk.

How this grandma journal gently draws out her life story

The questions follow her life from beginning to now: her first memories, school, love and marriage, raising children, work, home and cooking, family traditions and the lessons she hopes to hand down. Every question gets its own box with four generous lines, so a few words or a whole little story both fit, and she never stares at an empty page.

Pages for the family tree, the places she has lived and her favorites then and now hold on to the names, dates and small details that slip away so easily. The photo memories page keeps each picture next to the story behind it. Give the grandma journal for Mother's Day, her birthday or the holidays, or fill it in with her while she talks.

Who this grandmother memory book is for

• Grandmas and nanas who would love to leave their story behind for the family
• Grandkids and grown children searching for a meaningful Mother's Day, birthday or Christmas gift for Grandma
• Families hoping to save recipes, names and family history before they fade
• Grandchildren who want to interview her and write the answers down together
• Great-aunts, great-grandmothers and any older woman in the family who has decades of stories to tell

Design and printing

• Elegant and simple: white pages with soft blush pink details that use little ink
• Generous margins, so home printers never trim the edges
• Portrait pages in A4 (210 x 297 mm) and US Letter (8.5 x 11 in)
• Undated, so she can begin anytime and answer in whatever order she likes
• A larger question font and roomy lines that are easy to read and write on
• Keep it in a binder or on a clipboard, or have it spiral bound at a print shop

Inside the grandma journal: 40 pages

1. 1Cover with a page index, plus lines for whose story this is and who gave it
2. 2How to use this journal in 4 steps, 6 tips for Grandma and 6 for the family (each with 2 extra blank lines), and a small note for given to, given by, the occasion and the date
3. 3All about Grandma. A space to tape a photo, 9 basics (full name, name at birth, born where, born when, her parents, siblings, children, what the grandkids call her, where she lives now), three words that describe her, things she loves, hidden talents, something few people know and the words she lives by
4. 4Our family tree, from her four grandparents and her parents to Grandma and her partner (name, birth, where from or the wedding date), a 6 row chart for her children with birth dates, partners and their own children, plus great-grandchildren and family notes
5. 5 to 7Childhood (chapter 1) with questions 1 to 15, five on each lined page, about things like the first thing she can remember, her childhood home, pets, games and chores
6. 8 to 10School days (chapter 2) with questions 16 to 30, five on each lined page, about teachers she loved, lunches, friends, high school and prom
7. 11 to 13Growing up (chapter 3) with questions 31 to 45, five on each lined page, covering her first car and first job, role models, world events and prices she still recalls
8. 14 to 16Love and marriage (chapter 4) with questions 46 to 60, five on each lined page, about how she met Grandpa or the great love of her life, being proposed to, her wedding day and the secret to a love that lasts
9. 17 to 19Motherhood (chapter 5) with questions 61 to 75, five on each lined page, about the birth of her first child, picking names, lullabies and stories of your mom or dad when they were little
10. 20 to 22Work and purpose (chapter 6) with questions 76 to 90, five on each lined page, about her jobs, the first paycheck, juggling family and work, and life once she retired
11. 23 to 25Home and recipes (chapter 7) with questions 91 to 105, five on each lined page, about who taught her to cook, her signature dish, her garden, things she made by hand and heirlooms
12. 26 to 28Traditions (chapter 8) with questions 106 to 120, five on each lined page, on birthdays and holidays, favorite trips, family roots, songs and sayings
13. 29 to 31Life lessons (chapter 9) with questions 121 to 135, five on each lined page, about what she is most thankful for, her hardest season and what got her through, the best advice she received and how she hopes to be remembered
14. 32 to 34For my grandchildren (chapter 10) with questions 136 to 150, five on each lined page, about becoming a grandmother, holding you for the first time, her hopes for you and what she wants to tell you today
15. 35Favorites then and now. A 16 row chart with columns for when I was young and today (flower, color, singer or band, song, book, movie, TV or radio show, dessert, meal, drink, holiday, season, hobby, a place to go, scent, how to spend a Sunday), plus a favorite quote and a song that makes her smile
16. 36Favorite family recipe with its name, from the kitchen of, servings, prep and cook times, oven setting, 14 lines for ingredients, 14 numbered steps, the story behind the dish and Grandma's secret tip
17. 37Photo memories, 4 spots to tape in pictures, each with when, who and the story
18. 38Places I have lived. A 12 row chart for the years, the town or city, the home and who shared it, plus the home she loved most and the farthest she has traveled
19. 39Letter to my grandchildren, with lined space, a line to sign and prompts for what to say
20. 40Questions from my grandchildren, 4 boxes noting who asked, the date, the question and Grandma's reply

Your download includes

• Grandma Tell Me Your Story Journal, US Letter PDF (40 pages)
• Grandma Tell Me Your Story Journal, A4 PDF (40 pages)
• Read Me First, a short printing guide (PDF)
• Tip: print extra copies of the photo and recipe pages if she would like more

How to download and print

• Check out with PayPal, a debit or credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your download page opens as soon as the payment goes through.
• We email the same private download links to you, so you can download your files again later.
• Open the PDF in a free reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and print at 100% or Actual size.
• Print only the pages you need, as often as you like, for your own personal use.

Good to know

• It is a print-ready PDF rather than a hyperlinked digital planner. You can still open it in most note taking apps and fill it in on screen.
• You get a digital download only. Nothing physical arrives in the mail.
• Printed colors may look slightly different from your screen.
• Made for personal use. Sharing, reselling or redistributing the files is not allowed.
• Digital files are not returnable. If one will not open or print properly, email us and we will help right away.

How this was made

Designed and written by PetiteDiary. AI tools helped draft parts of the text, and some background scenes in the preview images were created with AI. Every page was designed, reviewed and checked before release.

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