If you ask my kids what I do with their art they will tell you throw it away without skipping a beat.  In reality they are only half way right.  No, I do not keep everything.  It is far too much for me to keep every single thing they come home with.  I pick out what I really like and what they say is special and then the rest goes in the trash.  I also really prefer to keep the things they make at home.

I am certain that one day this will be topics for them to discuss with their therapists one day. {joke}

The school year is coming to a close which means all of that precious art they have been making at school is now coming how to your house.  The boys schools are really good about sending it home a little at a time but it never fails at the end of the year I am still hit with a stack.

I do know that a lot of parents struggle with what to do with art.  Not everyone can throw is away and I get that so I wanted to come up with some creative ideas of what to do with all of that creativity…

Art Boxes.  I made one for Peyton when he came to live with us just to keep important papers and other documents in.  Over the years it has changed a lot and I have added files to accommodate all of his things from school.  The boxes I use are large file storage boxes and they can be purchased from Office Depot or Walmart.

I like to use the hanging file folders for this project because they are easier to see and move plus they are sturdier than the thin file folders.  Some of the files I made are grades from Pre K until 8th grade, Ages, sports, holidays, evaluations, doctor print outs and so on.  Occasionally I have added as I have seen a need such as separate files for sports.

Because I picked large boxes there is room in the back for things like monogrammed outfits I wanted to keep or their coming home from the hospital gowns.  It keeps me accountable to file things when they come in the house but it also limits me to how much I can keep.  Another bonus is because I keep them in the boys closets we can take them down and look through them with the boys from time to time.

One last thing.  This is my go to option because it is easy for me to store all the things they bring home from school that I want to keep.  It’s not just about the art with these boxes.

Picture Album.  I have never made these but it’s on my list to do for the boys grandparents sometime soon.  One of the things I really like about this is that you could do it in a variety of ways and price points.  If you are wanting to do something to just keep and look at then you can take pictures and have them printed out (Shutterfly is always doing a 100 free prints sale) and then slide them into a pocket photo album.  If you are looking to do something a little more special than you can make a printed photo book.  Places like Shutterfly also offer these at great prices.

Frames.  This last idea is a project I am putting on my list for the summer when I redo the boys playroom.  I have seen galleries in playrooms, kids rooms, hallways and bathrooms that display your kids art in frames or other wall hangings.  On in particular that I saw and loved was clipboards so that the art can be changed out quickly and often.  I think this would be a great option and an easy way for the boys to be involved with the project.