Preserving Children's Artwork

by Nicole Humphrey | More from this Blogger

01 Apr 2006 04:58 PM

As a mother of two children in elementary school, I have become inundated with school papers and artwork. I hear from many parents, as well as scrapbookers, that they have the same issues. What do I keep, and what do I throw away? I'd like to offer up some suggestions on what you can do with all that "stuff" your children bring home each day.

There are three types of papers and artwork that my children seem to bring home from school on a regular basis:

1. Papers and artwork I know are "must keep" items
2. Things I feel can eventually be thrown away
3. Things that I'd really like to throw away but my children seem insistent that I keep

I wish I could tackle all three, but for scrapbooking purposes, we will discuss only the "must keep" items.

Here are a few ideas:

• For anything with important dates or reminders, purchase a calendar or organizer. I have a household notebook that I swear by and that's where I file everything that's important. You can throw them away after the date, but they are in a safe place until then.
• For anything small enough to fit in a scrapbook album and you want to use it, put the whole thing in.
• For anything you are concerned about the permanence (acidity level) of, like construction paper, color copy it and then put that in your album.
• For anything too big or 3D, take a picture of it, especially artwork. Then you can use the photos. Suggestion: Photograph your child with the item - this preserves not only the artwork but also your child's age.
• For worksheets, spelling tests or a particularly good grade on a paper, I scan them, reduce their size and then print them out. You can usually fit about 4-6 (or more depending on how small you made them) on a layout. This preserves those good grades and tests without filling your house to overflowing with papers.

You can create an entire theme album around their school year using these techniques.

I hope this provides some ideas on what to do with all that school and artwork. As we know, our children cherish their special papers and anything that they create themselves. These are just a few ways to make it easier to save and enjoy these items.

Learn more about Nicole Humphrey

Nicole Humphrey is a freelance writer, consultant for CTMH and a Sr. Blogger for families.com. She resides in St. Charles, Missouri with Mike and their five children and two furbabies.

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Lisa Andrews (1457) 02 Apr 2006 11:15 PM

Great ideas. I really like the idea of taking picture of the child with their artwork!

Carson Hopkins (790) 03 Apr 2006 02:35 AM

Preserving school artowrk will be a great thing for your kids when they are older.

Marily (836) 03 Apr 2006 03:37 PM

Thanks for the ideas. I like how you have thought of how to keep the memories without filling our homes with clutter!

Andrea M (2525) 04 Apr 2006 08:05 PM

I love the ideas!!! My kids have so much that they just don't want to give up! I will have to start taking pictures of them with their stuff! Thanks for the ideas.

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 12 Jun 2006 08:57 PM

Lisa it is a great way to commemorate your child at that age holding a special 3D piece that you might not otherwise be able to keep.

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 12 Jun 2006 08:58 PM

Marily, yes my goal is to avoid clutter at all costs! I used to be Queen Clutter, now I am just Queen Clutter Control! :) I have about 25 books all about clutter control and guess what? This tip is in several of them!

bouchette1 (5) 07 Aug 2008 11:34 AM

I scan nearly everything weekly (so that the scanning doesn't pile up into a major project!). The work is put into a digital folder on my computer with my child's age and grade. I subcategorize that folder into seasons, starting with fall (the beginning of the school year) so that I can track their progress that year. The next subcategories are: 1.) artwork 2.) math/science 3.) Language Arts (writing/reading/etc)...... etc. etc., depending on how detailed you want to get. Then, I copy the folders onto a CD monthly. I also put their photos that year on that same CD. They usually have one or two CDs for each year of their life. (CD Name: "Kaylie: 2nd Grade: 6-7 yrs old" or "Kaylie: 5th grade: 10-11 yrs old") I keep 3 copies of each CD. One is labeled: "Everyday Use" (this is the show-off CD for family/friends). The next is labeled: "Storage" and gets stored in my photo box in the house. The next is labeled: "Storage Outside House" and gets stored at my parents' house--or anywhere not in the house--so that if, God forbid, there should ever be a fire, we'll have a copy elsewhere. (I LOVE the idea of taking pics of the kids WITH the artwork.)

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 20 Aug 2008 09:16 AM

Wow! You are definitely organized. I love your ideas and will more than likely implement some of it in my own household. Five kids later, it can get a bit messy and disorganized. thanks for sharing all that!