by: jannalabarriePosted on:

The 4-step strategy I use to organize my kid’s daycare & preschool art and minimize clutter

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases on paid links in this post.

Every week, my toddler comes home with a fresh batch of new artwork from daycare. Another adorable handprint tree, footprint animal, or pom pom craft makes its way into our home… and ends up in a large pile on the dining table.

Like many other sentimental mamas, I just don’t have the heart to throw it all away. I imagine him hard at work, toiling away, creating – in his mind – a Met-worthy masterpiece.

To me, those little drawings are snippets of a time in his life that I will never get back. That handprint won’t be so tiny a few years from now!

But here’s the thing – while I adore my child’s art, I don’t like a cluttered home. It makes me unfocused and stressed out. Tossing all of it in the trash is an option, but I have a hard time with that. Where’s the middle ground? 

The 4-step strategy I use to organize my kids’ daycare & preschool art and minimize clutter

1. KEEP OR TRASH

This is the hardest part. As much as I want to, we just cannot keep every single project that my son brings home. It’s adorable, I know, but… if we want to keep our homes clutter-free and our sanity intact, some of it must inevitably make its way off the dining table and out of sight.

Truthfully, throwing our kids’ artwork away is probably a lot harder on us than on them. My son has never once asked me for an old project that I had already tossed out. 

At the end of the month, I go through all the artwork and organize it into either a  “keep” or “trash” pile. It’s easier to wait until the end of the month because we can compare and keep the ones we really like.

Just because it’s in the ‘trash’ pile doesn’t just mean I’m automatically throwing it in the trash – it just means it’s getting out of my house one way or another. Here are a couple options:

  • Give it to grandparents and family members: Apart from us, is there anybody who loves our children’s art more than their grandparents? Grandparents and other family members love having little remnants of their grandkids around the house.
  • Recycle it: Choosing to recycle our kids’ artwork is the nicer and more conservative alternative to throwing it in the trash. Plus, now more than ever, it’s important to teach our kids about recycling and environmental awareness. We can talk about what kinds of materials can be recycled, the types of things that can be made from recycled paper, and why recycling is beneficial for the environment. 

2. ORGANIZE & STORE

Once I’ve thrown out some (most) of my son’s artwork, I can organize and figure out what to do with the rest of it so it’s not creating excess clutter. 

  • Store in a container or box: I store the ‘keep’ pieces in a box or clear plastic container (that is out of sight, obviously) until I figure out what to do with them. This keeps them off the dining table/ staircase until I have a plan for them. 
  • Store in an expanding folder: Expanding file folders also work great for neatly storing all my son’s artwork for the month.

3. DISPLAY 

Once I’ve organized all the ‘keeps’, then I can choose some pieces to display on the walls. I can do that in a couple different ways. 

  • Use a kids art frame: I love kids’ art frames. They are a great way to display artwork and they double as a storage space. I just have to open it up, put my son’s latest project in the front, and slide the old one in the back (or in the trash). These little frames can hold a surprising amount of paper.

Americanflat Kids Artwork Frame (Amazon paid link)

  • Make an art wall with rotating pieces: Dedicating a wall to our child’s creative endeavors is the tried-and-true way to display their work. My favorite thing about plastering my kid’s art on the walls is that he’s always so proud to see it up there. We rotate the pieces once there’s no more wall space and toss the old ones out.  

4. DIGITIZE & CREATE 

After we’ve displayed the pieces we want, now comes the fun part – creating new ones! I have a lot of fun with this during holidays and observances throughout the year.

The first step is to organize them digitally and take pictures on my phone (after which they are promptly tossed in the trash). These pictures can then be uploaded and turned into magnets, virtual cards, calendars, printed onto mugs or socks… the possibilities are endless.

  • Photo albums: Most of us store and share our photos digitally, but physical albums are making a comeback these days. A photo album of our child’s art is a timeless, tangible keepsake that can be passed down through generations or gifted to family members.
  • Cards: Store-bought cards are cool and all, but personally crafted cards? Way better. There are many occasions throughout the year that are appropriate for cards – Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Grandparents Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving… you get it.
  • Fridge magnets: Have a particular piece of artwork that makes you especially proud? Turn it into a magnet! Personally I can never have enough magnets – there’s always a piece of mail I need to keep track of.
  • Mugs: I have a thing with collecting coffee mugs. It drives my husband crazy. But nothing brings me more joy than drinking coffee out of a cup with my son’s artwork on it.
  • Calendars: A yearly calendar is a great way to create something new and functional from some of the old projects.
  • Socks and shirts: Making clothing with prints of our child’s artwork is a creative way to make use of some of their cherished artwork. Father’s Day gift idea?
  • Other novelty items: Did you know you can turn your child’s art into an actual stuffed animal? Or wrapping paper? Or even jewelry?

I’m not a super-crafty person – I have neither the time nor the skills – but luckily, there are a lot of services out there that create beautifully- designed products from uploaded photos (or even from originals). Some options are:

  • Shutterfly – a printing giant, does pretty much everything
  • Zazzle – another printing giant, does pretty much everything
  • Artkive – art books, mosaics, cards
  • Scribble – art books, gift wrap, calendars
  • Childs Own – custom stuffed toys
  • 4everbound – turn kids’ art into professional artwork
  • Keepy – store, organize, and share for free; you can also create magnets, coasters, framed photos, photobooks and more from the Keepy store
  • Print Art Kids – notebooks, notecards, labels, puzzles, postcards, calendars and more
  • Forever Drawn – custom jewelry

Moms like myself who are a bit on the sentimental side may have a hard time letting go of all the arts and crafts our kids bring home from daycare and preschool. At the same time, having a lot of clutter at home can be stressful. Following a strategy to deal with all of it helps me get the best of both worlds – a way to keep my home just a little less messy while preserving the precious memories of toddlerhood.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *