How to save and display kid’s artwork was a real dilemma for me and was creating quite a bit of clutter in our home.
Every single day my kids would bring home a piece of artwork they were so proud to show me. Every single day I would battle the mom guilt of not knowing what to do with their precious creations.
Let’s be real. I really did not care about saving more than half of my child’s artwork. Yet, I could not bring myself to crush their little souls by immediately putting artwork in the recycle bin. They were so proud!
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Artwork clutter
What did we do with the kid artwork? We let it sit in piles on our dining room table, where things were placed after walking into the door.
It was awful. I hated that table, and I hated the mess on top of it.
Eventually, once a week or so, I would recycle the stuff with scribbles and crayons, but the cute little masterpieces with handprints and footprints were the hardest for me to decide what to do with next.
I admittedly used a combination of ways to display my kids’ artwork, depending on the quality and memories from a certain project.
I hope you find these ideas helpful, and maybe, just maybe, you can let go of some of that mom guilt when you help a “creation” make its way to the recycling bin.
Here are my favorite ways to display kid’s artwork:
1 – Curated artwork on a metal board with magnets
If you are going to save or display your child’s artwork, create a curated artwork display. Kids are incredibly proud of their work, so give them a way to showcase it.
My absolute favorite way to curate my child’s artwork is with a metal board and cute little magnets.
The board works well because if it gets full, your kids get to be the ones to decide what gets recycled before the next piece gets hung.
Sometimes, artwork is hanging two deep on my kid’s board. That’s fine. It is their little show space. They can curate it however they like, so long as it fits there and isn’t on the floor or a table somewhere.
2 – Frames that showcase artwork
You can hang frames on the wall and their sole purpose is to display artwork created by your child.
These frames are a bit like a shadowbox, with opening front covers. Open the front cover and stick in the most recent masterpiece!
3 – Frames without panes hanging on the wall
If you like, you can hang frames on the wall, and then use tape or clothespins to hang up a photo inside of the permanent frame.
When a piece needs to be replaced, remove the paper and trade it out with a new creation.
What’s great about this project is you can buy thrift store frames and paint them whatever color you like.
Find a tutorial to make an art gallery wall on Caterpillar Years.
4 – Cork boards
You can hang cork board tiles on the wall, and then use pins to display kid artwork. The cork boards are still attractive if empty.
5 – Turn kid artwork into a canvas print
If you get an exceptionally good piece of artwork from your child, you can turn it into a canvas print.
There are a ton of services that can help you do this, including Shutterfly, Snapfish and other companies I’ve found before on Groupon.
6 – Collage frames
Collage frames work great for displaying several pieces of kid artwork at one time. You could snap a picture with your phone, and then you could print them at 4×6 or 5×7 sizes for your collage frame.
7 – Display wires
Hang up wires from one side of a wall to another. Then use clips to hang up your child’s artwork. Once they run out of space, they have to decide what gets recycled and what makes the cut to be displayed.
8 – Vertical hanging
Like display wires you hang horizontally, you can do the same thing vertically. This method allows you to curate your child’s artwork in a small space.
9 – Create an artbook
Some parents will save the absolute best pieces of art and at the end of the school year (or two), and then turn it into an artbook that can be saved for years to come.
You can create artbooks with apps like Shutterfly, Keepy, and Snapfish.
10 – Digital photo frames
Take a photo of your child’s artwork and add it to a digital photo frame. Then your child can proudly display their artwork anywhere in the home and see their pieces regularly cycle through the digital frame.
11 – Go old school with a photo album
Go old school. Take pictures of your child’s artwork, have them printed out and then store them in a regular photo album. It’s easy, cheap, and simple.
You can also use a scrapbook album.
12 – Use a shelf to display artwork
Install a shelf with simple, 8×11” frames. Use the shelf to display your child’s artwork. This set up also allows for easy rotation of the masterpieces.
You can find a useful tutorial on how to put together this look for a playroom art gallery wall on Centsational Girl.
13 – Use hanging clipboards
Pick up some colorful clipboards and nail them to the wall. Then it is super easy to let your child display and interchange their artwork whenever they bring something new home.
Related posts:
- Managing Toy Clutter (without the guilt)
- The Benefits of Being a Minimalist Family
- Benefits of Minimalism for Moms
Get creative!
Get creative when your child brings home their artwork. You can come up with a solution that is right for your home, and a solution that helps control the kid artwork clutter. Don’t fall victim to mom guilt. Help them find a solution that lets them proudly display their artwork for all to see!
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