This has been a problem at our house for years. The guilt I feel about having to keep (or not keep) my child’s art work. When it comes to my kids crafts, school papers, and artwork, sometimes I don’t know what to do with it all! It gets piled up on the counter or it’s littering the front of the fridge with every magnet we own. Do I have to save it all forever? I don’t want to make them feel bad if I ditch it, but I really don’t need to keep every little thing they do.
What to do with your child’s artwork
We can let go of the “mom” guilt and follow some of these helpful tips. Yes, a few ways to manage it all and everybody is happy!
5 Tips for Kids Artwork:
1. First, decide what to save.
I suggest sitting down with your child to go through each of their projects and papers. You want to discuss this with them so they can feel validated for the work they put into each project or paper. Really decide what has meaning to them, because maybe they don’t know or even remember some of what you might feel ready to get rid of.
2. Make a few piles.
Create a few piles as you go through each project. Make a save, recycle, and trash pile. Have your child really think about each piece of artwork and what could be done with it.
3. Take a photo.
If your child is having a hard time sending something to the recycle bin or the trash, simply take a photo of the piece. This can be very satisfying to the child, feeling like their hard work has been saved. There are some great programs for saving your child’s artwork. Juxio is a company that creates photo posters from your child’s artwork to hang as a collaboration on their wall, all in one nice and easy spot. Or there are some great digital scrapbooking/memory keeping software that can save it all on files or in books.
4. Store it away.
I have a plastic tub that I purchased for each of my children. I go through their papers and decide what is really meaningful to me or what they might want to have as memorabilia when they are older. I place it all in a clear plastic tub with their name on it and store it under their bed or on a shelf in their closet.
5. Tossing it out.
Even though it might be hard to do, it’s okay to send some of their work to the trash. We do a lot of crafts at our house and there is no way we can save it all. Once it’s been displayed for a time, like during a holiday, then we break it down and either put it back in supplies, place it in the recycle bin, or send it to the trash. My kids know that we will always have the chance to make it again or create something new.
Hopefully these tips will help. You don’t have to feel guilty about keeping it all. It’s all about talking with your child and organizing it in a way that works for everyone!
*originally posted at babycenter.com
*Image by Aaron Burden
