How to Organize Kids' Artwork
Kids are constantly creating art. If you’re a parent, you know it all too well. Years of finger paintings, school projects, and “gifts'' for mom and dad somehow find themselves all around the house in what seems like no time. Of course, there’s a sentimental attachment parents hold to their kids’ artwork, and I get that. The problem isn’t with keeping it, but rather, how you store it and how much you’re keeping. Even though the kids are mass-producing the stuff, it can still be hard for parents or caregivers to let it go. We worry:
It will hurt their feelings if they find out you threw it away
They put a part of themselves into their art
They made it “just for you”
They’re growing up too fast and these pieces represent a precious stage
They might want it someday (I’m just going to let you know that this is almost never true.)
Again, I understand why kids’ artwork is important to hold onto. To keep it under control, the trick is creating a system of organization for each kid. It’s super important that the systems make sense with the way you operate. Here are 4 options that you can try out for yourself to get your kiddos’ masterpieces organized once and for all:
Condense your collection
There’s really no other way to put it… you just can’t keep it all. If you do, you’ll be swimming in bins on top of bins that take up so much space, you’ll hardly ever even try to reminisce. Instead, condense your collection to one bin of your very favorite pieces. Taking a trip down memory lane will be easier and even more special. Promise.
Frame the neatest pieces
Again, this is only for some of the pieces, not all. If there’s any kids’ space in your home (or anywhere you want to add color or a playful vibe,) with whitespace on the walls, have at it! You might even make an adorable wall gallery out of them. The kids will be proud to see their pieces on display, too!
Use a service like Artkive
This is my favorite option, and that’s because Artkive takes professional photographs of the artwork and creates an archival-quality keepsake book with the images. Besides the physical space this saves, what I love most about this solution is that the final product–a piece of art itself–encourages you to actually sit down and look at it.
Create an art binder
If you like the idea of preserving pieces in a book, you can also opt to create an art binder with the best of the best work. You can either scan them and print them out so you can choose the size of each piece, or you can trim each piece down to the binder’s size. You’ll either have to punch holes in them, or print/trim them to fit into sheet protectors, so be mindful as you decide how to store them in your binder!
Paper-type problems and solutions tend to make up the bulk of the trouble spots in your home when it comes to organization. If you have kiddos, this is especially true. But with the right systems for your needs and lifestyle, you can conquer the clutter that inevitably exists in your daily life! For more on organizing mementos, check out our blog all about photo storage & organization here. For tips, tricks, product picks, and inspiration for home organization, make sure you grab your copy of Life in Jeneral if you haven’t yet and sign up for the LIJ Book Club! There’s a 70 page workbook with exercises to help you work through your emotional barriers and goals in relation to organizing, and of course, step-by-step guidance to do the work. For even more support and encouragement, follow along with the book club on our Instagram, too!