My heart swells when my son pulls out his work from school. He is so excited to share his projects with us and we love seeing them! We love looking at his letters, numbers, drawings, hand prints, homemade presents, and everything else which comes home in his backpack. But, then what? I can’t just keep adding to the pile on the shelf in our closet each school year, can I?
I learned very quickly, and by mistake, that it is not fair to him to place any of his projects in the recycle bin without his consent (or at least without burying them under other items to be recycled!) – nor do I want to get rid of everything. I think it’s important to keep the special examples of my children’s creativity … but, what to do with it? As you know, the piles GROW! Kids bring home their “projects” each school day – we can’t keep everything! So, in an effort to preserve my little guy’s creativity, here are some of the ways I’ve stored and displayed his works of art (and some ways I hope to in the future!):
- Frame the beautiful work of art: Modern art is totally in. DIY canvases splattered with paint are all over my Pinterest feed. So, why not frame your little one’s DIY masterpiece? Not everything needs to be matted and framed, but pieces with a lot of color and/or special meaning are perfect for something like this! The one below features my son’s hand print from when he was 3 years old. His sweet little hand will never be that size again! (Plus, I love how it works with the color of my kitchen walls!) We also have a painting, created by our son, in our daughter’s bedroom. She loves her little framed flower and he loves knowing that something he made is in his sister’s room.
- Have an art gallery: We have a hanging art gallery, like this one, in our kids’ play area. The clear pockets are easy for little hands to change artwork out whenever they feel like it!
- Make a DIY hanging art gallery: If you don’t want to buy an art display, there are several great ways you can hang artwork in kids’ bedrooms and play areas with a simple piece of fun twine or ribbon, some nails or hooks, and clothes pins. Or you could do something similar to this great idea from Mandi at Vintage Revivals!
- Create a kids’ art bunting banner: Another great idea is to create a DIY Art Bunting Banner, like this cute idea from the Honest to Nod blog.
- Scan their work: Scan the work of your little Picasso and create your own art, like this adorable idea. This could be a nice addition to your home, or to give as a gift (remember, Mother’s Day is coming up … Grandma would love it!). Or, create a coffee table book full of their beautiful illustrations!
- Store a couple of items: I do think it’s important to keep a few favorite projects or pieces from each year. Right now, I just have a pile (see the picture above) but I DO have good intentions of keeping a bin for each child’s important schoolwork throughout the coming years.
There are so many ideas out there. Just like anything, I have great intentions – but for now, I have to keep my ideas simple and manageable. I’d love to know what you do with your little one’s masterpieces! Or, do you have piles like me? 😉 Happy hanging!
