Your Child’s Artwork

Last year, my mother gave me my old schoolwork.  I remember thinking, “What am I going to do with it?”  It didn’t hold any value to me.  I haven’t looked at my artwork or writing in over 15 years.  Why do I need it now? Then it dawned on me.

I’m doing the same thing with my daughter’s schoolwork by making her a School Keepsake Binder.

I purchased one 3″ Binder to hold 12 years of school work and it’s already full.

She just started first grade.

Do I buy even more binders to hold her artwork and school progression just for her to turn 30 years old to think, “Why do I need this?”

I don’t want to burden her in her adult life with too much stuff.  I do feel I’m good about only keeping the pieces we like and recycling or throwing away the scribbles, but I don’t want to give her boxes of paper.  I will try my best to keep her School Keepsake Binder to a minimum.  It’s likely that 12 years will not fit into one binder so I’m thinking 2 binders will be the goal.  One for grades Preschool thru 6th and the other for 7th thru 12th.  I’ve made a rule that I can only have 20 pages per grade.  This may be too much in the long run so adjustments might be made.

Do you have a hard time letting go of your child’s schoolwork?

I’d like to share an excerpt from an article I recently read, “8 Tips on How to Declutter and Let Go of Sentimental Items” by Kara G. Morrison of The Arizona Republic.

“McGivney suggests buying an artists’ portfolio case at an art-supply store such as Aaron Brothers to store kids’ artwork by date, then periodically sorting it and keeping the best. Steill helps clients make memory boxes for kids’ treasures.

For her own household, Steill takes photos of her daughter holding her artwork and school presentations, and prints them in a photo book. She said the photo is a better memory of her daughter’s age and lasts much longer than glitter glue on poster board.”

“You also should take a digital photo of the artwork itself. Digitizing your child’s artwork allows you to showcase his or her creativity in clever ways. Turn it into greeting cards and stickers…” (Steill)

If you don’t have a scanner, no worries.  There’s an app for that!  Archive your little one’s artwork simply by using your phone.  You can read the review of “4 Awesome Apps for Preserving Your Kids’ Artwork“.  I haven’t personally used these apps, but if you have, please share your experience with our network of mamas in the comment section below.

The school year is almost over, just two more months.  Your child(ren) have been bringing home their master pieces for several months.  What will you do with them?  Keep or toss?  Display or pile-up?  Digital or hard-copy?

Share your storage solutions!