As the school year comes to a close or a new term begins, it’s the perfect time to declutter your child’s school supplies and organize their space.
As a parent, clutter is the biggest thing I fear and the one thing that shifts my mood from Zen mode to a volcano of emotions! I am not alone, am I?!
With an influx of artwork and projects, finding creative ways to display their masterpieces can help manage the clutter while celebrating their achievements.
There are some ground rules to any of the ideas you apply below:
- Remember to appreciate your child’s art work, however simple or odd or funny it appears to you! One day you are going to wish, they stayed that small!
- When they show you, ask them to narrate what they drew, The stories are often more interesting and there’s more to those scribbles on the paper!
- Do not declutter or dispose your child’s artwork in their presence. Especially the younger ones. They will feel hurt and come on, it’s not fair to them!
- Once you decorate or preserve using the ideas below, do a grand reveal to your children to help the feel special! It’s after all their hard work and masterpieces at the end of the day!
Scan & Save Digitally
The Notes app on your iPhone scans documents with perfect precision and clarity. Upload them on drive and save them for eternity. You can label them age wise to see how your children’s masterpieces have improved the years.
Mail Them To Your Child At The End Of An Academic Year
In a continuation of the previous idea, once you scan them, make sure you organise them in the right folders, according to year and at the end of each year, mail them to your children, so they can see how their drawings have improved over the years plus serve as a great way for them to check later when they grow up. Mushy memories beware!
Print Them As Scrap Book
This is my favourite idea. Choose the best ones and print them as a coffee table book or as a scrap book. There are numerous options available online and this way, the book can proudly sit on your child’s bookshelf too!
Laminate Selected Pieces
The biggest hurdle is in keeping the pages from crumpling away in your drawers or organisers. And when they are of different sizes, the challenges are aplenty! Sort our the ones that are really special and laminate them so you know you don’t risk crumpling of the edges or spilling over coffee on it, or any such thing that will upset your little ones!
Frame Decor For Child’s Room
We love these frame options and how they add character to the child’s room. Each of them can hold upto 30-50 sheets that gives you ample opportunities to store and shuffle so you display the best ones in the walls!
Hang Them In Your Child’s Room
Add some fun element to your child’s room that you can replace or change once in a few weeks. Get creative by using a colorful garland and sparkly pegs to display your kids’ artwork. If you have the space, add multiple rows in your children’s room, or cover your walls with cork tiles or pegboard to create an ever-changing pin-up gallery.
Use A Portfolio Binder
Use a binder with clear plastic sleeves to store and protect each piece. This keeps the artwork organized and easily accessible.
Create An Archive Box
I know it sounds difficult to toss away what your child painstakingly did for hours. And if they see it too, especially the younger ones, they aren’t going to like it. We loved these ideas shared on this YouTube video, that we wanted to share with you. Temporarily store them, and choose a day, once in a few months or twice a year, to sift through them, pick what you choose and like (you can involve your child in this process) and store them in proper boxes labelled with your child’s grade and age. So you know you save a handful of them!
Convert Them To Wearables
We loved these ideas we came across, that helps you convert your child’s best art work to unique wearables. What a simple and creative way to show your children you care and appreciate their work!
Mosaics For Home Decor
Combine some of the best work of your children to create colourful mosaics that double up as home or room decor, validating your children’s artistic talent!
https://www.artkiveapp.com/keepsakes/kids-art-frames
Personalised Money Envelopes:
A great way to showcase you truly care and to personalise gifting options. Of course in the digital era, it isn’t used much, but when you do, will really stand out from the other routine envelopes!
Personalised Laptop Sleeves
From phone cases to laptop sleeves, you can get everything personalised and printed in today’s times. Instead of opting for something in sports or movies or quotes, give life to your children’s artwork by making it your laptop sleeve or phone case. They are going to love it!
Do you have any more innovative ideas to store your child’s artwork? Share them in the comments below!
Devangini Karkhanis
Janani S Koushik
Kanishka Pariani
Mansi Zaveri
