“Mom, look what I made!” is a common exclamation in my home. As a mom of three boys who love finger painting, drawing videos, and art class, I have become overwhelmed with my kids’ artwork. There are just too many paintings, collages, and papers covered in sketches! It’s a lot to deal with when you want a clean and organized house — and I feel guilty when all I want to do is recycle their masterpieces to keep our home clutter free.
When one too many piles had taken over our home, I decided to take action. And I discovered so many cool ideas to celebrate my kids’ creativity and honor their talents. Here are some ways to display or preserve those childhood masterpieces — without adding to the paper piles!
The classic art frame (with storage!)
I have my children pick their favorite pieces of art, and we use a shadow box art frame to display one piece of work from each child at a time. Not only are they proud to have their artwork displayed in the living room for everyone to see, the frame also stores their old artwork — no more art clutter on the counters! I purchased my frames on Amazon, but there are many other options out there, like Dynamic Frames or Wayfair.
Print a book of art
Companies like Artkive will send you a box for you to place all your kids’ artwork in, then after you ship it back to them, they take professional photos of each piece of art and create a beautiful, high-quality book. You can be involved in the process by adding captions or a custom cover, or you can leave it to the professionals.
Create an “artwork keeper” book
If you have a little more time for hole punching and organizing, you can make your own book! An artwork keeper is a great way to hold onto the original artwork. This is something to keep handy for when the grandparents visit. It’ll be your newest coffee table book!
Put together a calendar
This makes a great grandparent gift! Using services like Shutterfly, you can make a calendar with all your child’s favorite pieces. This involves taking pictures of the artwork, uploading them to Shutterfly’s website, then arranging your calendar. This can take some time, but just one calendar design can cover all your grandparent gifts during the holiday season!
Arrange a gallery wall with hanging clips or matching frames
What a bright and vibrant way to fill a wall with artwork! A gallery wall or hanging clips (for those who want something super low maintenance) are a nice way to decorate a child’s bedroom or family living space. Here are some great hanging clips or frames to make your house a home.
Design your own fabric for a blanket or pillow
Yes, you can custom print your own fabric! A pillow or blanket would be particularly stylish with one of your child’s abstract piece of art — and not tacky! Need inspiration? Check out this sweet fabric “designed” by a 2-year-old!
Create a stuffed “animal”
When it comes to preserving kids’ artwork, this idea is such fun! Artisans will make a personalized doll or stuffed “animal” of the artwork your child made! There are many artists to explore — check out Boston Moms writer Kristen Douthit’s Etsy page, Murph and Moose. What a fun way to remember a special piece of artwork!
Design a piece of jewelry!
What a stylish way to show off your child’s talents! Send your child’s artwork to an Etsy Shop like this one (there are other similar companies) and receive a piece of jewelry inspired by your child!
Host a “one-man” or “one-woman” show
Have friends and family over, serve some tea and cookies, and hang artwork on the walls. Guests can ask the artist (your child!) about how they made their work and which parts are his or her favorite! Your guests can take a piece of artwork with them — or you can recycle it all when the show is over.
This article was originally written in 2015 by Alexandra Etscovitz. It was updated in 2024 by Krystal Avila.
