10 Creative Ways to Organize Kids’ Art and Schoolwork
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1. Store your kids’ art and schoolwork in binders.
Use sheet protectors to hold the art and schoolwork and organize them with tabbed sheet protectors. This tutorial uses one binder for each child and divides the papers by grade/year, but you could organize your binders in any way you prefer. The important thing is that you edit the papers to choose the most important and/or memorable ones to save.
2. Organize your kids’ schoolwork and art in a file box.
If you feel that a binder couldn’t possibly hold all the art and schoolwork that you want to keep, an alternative is to use a file box. Create an organized file box with labels and a coversheet complete with your kids’ school picture for each year. Check out the great tutorial for free downloads.
3. Take photos of the artwork and schoolwork to make a photo book.
Save your kids’ artwork and schoolwork in a box and take photos of them or scan them when you have time, then discard them. Compile all of your photos and scans into a photo book and print one for every school year.
4. Have your kids give their artwork to their loved ones who live far away.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other loved ones always want to hear updates about your kids. Why not make their day and reduce your paper clutter at the same time by having your kids pick from their artwork collection and mailing it for birthdays and other special days? Your kids’ art and schoolwork could also be turned into homemade cards with a bit of creativity.
5. Put the best of your kids’ art and schoolwork in a sleek portfolio.
This idea for how to organize kids’ art and schoolwork is very similar to the binder method, but a thin, black portfolio for every school year looks very nice and feels professional. Choose a portfolio that’s archival safe and you can be sure that your kids’ priceless paper treasures will last for a long time.
6. Use an app to save photos of your kids’ work and share with others.
With a smartphone, you can take a photo of your kids’ schoolwork and artwork as soon as you see them and save them with an app. You can easily share your kids’ creations with family and friends. And then when you’re ready, you can quickly turn all of the photos into a book. Try these two apps: Artkive and Keepy.
7. Make a photo collage of your kids’ creations.
You can turn a large collection of art and schoolwork into one beautiful artwork that you and your kids will be proud to display in your home. This grid collage is neat and modern and looks great in the kids’ bedroom, while this large collage adds color to a dining room.
8. Save seasonal art for the next year as seasonal decor.
Do your kids bring home beautiful seasonal art… just when that holiday season is about to end? Instead of displaying your kids’ artwork and schoolwork for only a few days, store them in boxes labeled with the season or holiday (e.g. Thanksgiving) and put them up as decor for the next year. You and your kids will enjoy the memories and they’ll stay up on display for a longer period of time. Then afterwards, you can decide whether to trash them or to keep them for another year.
9. Take a photo of your child with all of their favorite artwork and schoolwork at the end of the school year.
Keep everything that your kids bring home in a box and have your kids choose their favorites when the school year ends. Put up the artwork and schoolwork on a wall and have your kid stand proudly with their creations. Take a photo and you’ve just reduced a whole pile of paper to one photo. This is also a great way to capture how your kid looked when they made their masterpieces.
10. Create an art wall for your kids.
Instead of displaying your kids’ artwork on the fridge, designate a wall in your home to act as a mini art gallery. Hang up their creations throughout the year and make it an important part of your home’s decor.
How do you organize and store your kids’ art and schoolwork?
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I’m Elisa and I live in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two little girls. I used to teach reading and writing, but now I stay at home with my two kiddos and read and write in my spare time. I also love to undertake DIY projects, find new recipes on Pinterest, and dream about someday finally completing our home. Above all, I love to learn about new things and sharing my new-found knowledge with others.
