What to Do With Your Kids' Creations

Knowing how to manage all the wonderful artwork your kids create is certainly a challenge for any parent. You want to treat the art and the artist as special, but the new creations just keep coming in on a daily basis. Most families come to the conclusion that it's just not possible or practical to save it all. Some rely on refrigerator or wall space to give each piece its moment in the spotlight, but then what do you do with it all?! The key is to set up a system for saving a select number of pieces to treasure for the long-term. The pieces may be chosen to represent an age, a subject or a type of art, or simply the favorites. If the concept of a rotating gallery or special selections book is introduced early, it will become part of the natural routine. Here are some different approaches to displaying and preserving treasured works of art.


1) Hanging Art Gallery - Using a curtain rod with clips or a simple wire/cord attached to the wall, you can create a gallery space where favorites are displayed and then switched out for newer works periodically. The selection and easy switch process can be done by or with your children, allowing them to take ownership of the gallery. And if you still want to save one or all of the pieces that come down, you can keep a special box for this or follow up with the binder or photo book ideas below. Here are some great examples of galleries from Ohdeedoh.com and MakesandTakes.com. If you don't have a curtain rod with clips, you can simply use ribbon or string to tie clips or clothes pins to the rod. You can see my friend Melissa's simple and cute creation for her daughter's room in the picture above. 


2) Framed Gallery - Along the same lines as the hanging art gallery, you can use frames that are easy to switch pieces in and out of, such as those shown by MakesandTakes.com or Unclutterer.com. You can also use simple acrylic frames from an office supply store - either free-standing or magnetic. And speaking of magnetic, another great idea for a gallery pictured in the Makes and Takes post is to paint a wall section with magnetic paint - I love this one too because it would be super easy to switch and rearrange differently-sized works of art. 


3) Special Selections Book - Another idea especially good for 8.5 x 11 or smaller works of art is a simple binder with sheet protectors. You can use a fun, decorative binder, such as those available at Target, rather than an office-supply version. This is an easy way to preserve items for each child and can also be combined with special school projects for a year-long memory book. 


4) Photo Book - Another great way to preserve more in less space and with a "professional" look and feel is to take photographs of the works of art and create a photo book using any of the online photo sites (i.e. Shutterfly, Snapfish, Kodak Gallery). This is especially good for 3-dimensional works that are harder to display on a wall. Talk about a great way to make an artist feel special! This could be your first step or a follow up step from the gallery ideas above. Simply take photos of your rotating gallery art (to be included in a photo book) before it's taken down to make room for the next round.


Bottom Line: Don't let your child's artwork become a source of clutter and stress. Try out the above ideas for enjoying and treasuring their creations - a win-win situation for you, your artist and your home!


Photo Credit: Thanks to Melissa for sharing her art gallery inspiration!