Easy Ways to Save and Store Kid's Artwork

Nothing is more precious and hard to part with than kid's artwork, even for me. I love to declutter and have no problem donating or tossing items, but when it comes to artwork my kids have made, it's a totally different story.

Just the thought of tossing your little one's masterpieces they worked so hard on and are so proud of can really pull on the heart strings. But, if we don't weed through and eliminate some of their work, it can quickly overwhelm us.

Below are some painless quick tips that I have used over the years to control the overwhelming amount of artwork that has made its way home.

If you're short on time, display it on the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, then transfer it to an under the bed storage box and go through at a later date. Just make sure not to store any artwork with edible stuff on it like dry beans or dry pasta.

I've found clear plastic under the bed storage boxes work best for this. I used to use art portfolios, but these just didn't stand up and the art started to get damaged.

My "go through at a later date" happens when I can't get anything else in the box! I then make time to weed through and decide what stays and goes. If it's ripped and can't be repaired, it goes. For the rest, read on for tricks to help with the really tough job of deciding what stays and what goes.

Take pictures. Take pictures of their artwork and store in individual photo albums for them.

Make a gallery and frame your favorites. Buy inexpensive picture frames and frame your kid's art. Swap out the artwork in the frames every so often.

Scan it. Scan your kid's handiwork on the computer and save it electronically. You can then print it out anytime you want.

Use it for stationary. Make simple note cards out of the smaller pieces to write on.

Give it as gifts. Grandma and grandpa would love a framed art piece from your little ones for Christmas to warm up their home.

These are just a few tricks that I have used over the years to deal with my kid's artwork. Use your imagination and the sky is the limit for your kid's artwork.

back to top of page

Return from Kid's Artwork to Organize Kids

Return to Life Organize It