Simple Solutions

How to Organize Children’s Artwork and School Projects

Written by: Sarah Giller Nelson

As the school year winds down, one thing is sure to come with it: a year’s worth of class projects and artwork. While covering your refrigerator with all those “paintings” might be good for your child’s self-esteem, there are ways to show your child how proud you are and keep your home clutter-free.

The most important thing to remember when organizing artwork is that you don’t have to keep everything. By being selective you are actually honoring your child’s creative impulses, not denying them. When everything is special, nothing is special.

So, how do you determine what makes the cut? Here are some ideas about what to keep:

•Artwork that reveals important milestones, like the first time your daughter writes her name

•A self-portrait that really bears a resemblance your child

•Projects in good condition that provide insights into your child’s personality at that point in time, like a report on his favorite book.

You should also encourage your child to help you decide which projects are worth keeping. After providing the requisite “oohs” and “ahhs,” and ask your child which ones are her favorites, and which ones she doesn’t like as much. When she is not home, toss the ones she doesn’t like. (Again, don’t feel guilty if it is not important to her, it does not need to be to you.) Empowering children to make decisions like this gets them invested in the organizing process and teaches them valuable lessons about managing their things.

One of the best ways to store the “keepers” is in a lidded, plastic, under bed storage box. This container is both large enough to hold over-sized pieces of paper and compact enough to prevent your collection from adding to the clutter.

Now, here is the key to the system: when the container fills up, resist the urge to buy more containers. Instead, edit the contents.  With the passage of time, certain projects will no longer seem as important as they once did and letting them go to make space for other things will make more sense.

Good luck – and happy summer organizing with your Kiddos!