Five Ways to Display and Save Your Kid’s Art

You have to have art if you have children. My kids often come home from school with their backpacks full of creativity, including paint, cut paper, and the dreaded glitter. The beautiful piles of their creations grow over the school year and sometimes double in volume during the summer. It can become overwhelming. There is no perfect solution to this problem. Here are some ways you can tackle the kid-made art mountain.

Self-Purge

First, you can do it now. Explain to your children that you are taking over the chore of cleaning up art and asking them to choose which pieces they would like to keep or toss. You help them realize that not all art is equal. Although you can offer to help, it is ultimately their decision. You don’t have to throw away your handmade art. Contact your local family shelters and children’s hospitals to find out if they accept “decor” donations. Then, ask your kids to designate pieces to donate.

Digital

For your children to take digital photos of their art, set up a flat surface that is well lit. You can store their digital art for as long as you like and print it out in many different ways. (See below).

Photo books once

Your artwork has been digitalized (which can take some time), there are many photo book options that you can use to organize your home. Shutterflychatbooks, and Artifact Uprising all have companies that can assist.

Live Online

A Tumblr account is one of my favourite ways to digitally scrapbook. Upload photos of your digital scrapbooking art to the blog. Then, you can choose a template to show the digital art to friends and family. If you are sharing personal photos, your Tumblr URL can be kept private.

Print

Digital printing is now possible. Print your favorite photos using a Shutterfly service or local Walgreens. How to display them?

Photo Wall

Photo walls require a lot of art purging in order to select the best pieces for display. For the best mix, choose colorful art from different generations. You can also visit Pinterest to find many ways to design and organize a photo wall. My favorite way to organize a photo wall is to buy a set of simple matching frames in different sizes. Once you have printed your images, place them on the ground, and then attach to the wall with the same design.

Magnets

Photo magnets are a great way to showcase your children’s art in a smaller and more enjoyable manner. These photo magnets are available from Social Print Studio and a variety of other companies. After choosing the images that you want to print, your kids can have some fun with it, arranging them on their fridge and reminiscing about the experience.

Wire and String

A wire hanging kit is a clean and simple way to display your freshly-made art. This is the method we use in our home. These can be purchased on Amazon. Clip your child’s favorite artwork to it and hang them in rows. The kids can decide to remove artwork they don’t like or prioritize them when they run out of room. It’s a great time to take a digital picture and say goodbye.

 

Vivian D. Craven

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