How to Keep Children’s Drawings From Clumping

Around his fourth birthday, the boy I raised began painting what he called “ghost families.” He couldn’t draw people, but he could draw something that looked like ghosts, and they were cute. After settling on his art major, he lingered there for a while – that is, stacks of colored colored paper with the ghost family behind the ghost family began to pile up. I could hardly bring myself to part with one of them, knowing that he would be in my life only temporarily. Everyone felt special, and yet … how many photos of a ghost family does one woman need?

(Apparently eleven. I’ve just counted, and obviously this woman needs eleven ghost families.)

It might seem like every preschool project, finger painting masterpiece, or self-portrait is too precious to part with. But in ten years of parenting, I’ve learned that these creations keep coming and going. The cute “figurine family portrait phase” eventually turns into “a confusing battle phase full of all kinds of creative weapons.” (No, just us?) You will love it all, and it will take your home – unless you can figure out a good way to preserve memories by letting most of the paper slip through your fingers. Here are some tips to try.

Save a representative sample

Over time, themes will appear in your child’s drawings. The goal is to capture a little (almost) of everything. Once they grow up and disappear, you’ll probably need a good selection to remind you of how they always drew giant-headed people in kindergarten or the year they really started making their own comics. What worked for me was trying to grab a sample of my favorites.

I do this by piling my son’s creations in a basement all year round. At the start of the new year (oh hey, it’s right now!) I go through them and clear them. With an entire year of art in front of me, I can see more clearly that I don’t need seven versions of virtually the same scene. Pick your favorite from each main category and place it in a dedicated storage.

I will also say that I do not keep in this heap everything that he does all year round. Not at all. My child is the type of person who — when times are normal and he’s in class all week — has a tendency to bring home fresh sketches, which he did almost every day, between work on class assignments. I can usually tell right away if it’s worth keeping forever. But if I am at a loss to answer, it goes to the bunch.

Send your originals to your family

Some kids get too attached to every piece of art they create and can’t bear the thought of breaking up with it, but there is officially not enough room in front of your refrigerator and you need to clean a few things. I bet my grandparents would like to receive original art in the mail, and giving it to someone they love is less painful than throwing it in the trash can.

Let your child choose a sample of their creations and send them to distant family and friends. (Just don’t send a bunch of things to other parents of young children if you don’t want the same in return.) These loved ones can decorate their refrigerator with it, keep it with their favorite items, or throw it away themselves; now it’s up to them as they please.

Take pictures

Do you know what’s easier to store than 100 original works of art? 100 photographs of this work of art. This is the method I used when my son was in early kindergarten and preschool age and seemed to come home every day with some kind of big project they had created.

In my memory, they were all done on very large thick thick paper with various accessories glued on from rice, cotton balls or pipe cleaners. Whether it’s a snowman with real chopsticks or shamrock paintings that have been soaked in gold glitter, I often ooo and aaa over them and then think, “How am I going to keep this?” They are awesome! I never want to forget them! If I keep all this, we’ll have to move to a bigger house!

To ease my guilt for parting with such beauties, I photographed them and added them to a special folder on my phone. You can also take it a step further and create a personal Instagram account for their artwork, which has the added bonus of being easy to turn into a small book of their creations later on.

Highlight your favorites in a big way

If you have space, we previously recommended that you either highlight your child’s artwork on a wall that is usually ignored , such as the walls of a basement staircase, hallway, or laundry room. Or let them decide what to display in their own bedroom using a magnetic primer .

But you can also take it up a notch by selecting a few of them to upgrade to Framed Status. You don’t have to go crazy creating every last photo they love – the point of cropping is that it is only for your absolute favorites. Add a couple here and there in spaces throughout your home, or create a small collage in your home office or playroom. It will make them feel special when their art is so highly prized and the rest you can pile up in the basement.

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