Okay, all you moms and dads, we made it to April. For many of us, that brings about past memories of cleaning out the cobwebs, right? While time-consuming, the ritual of “spring-cleaning” I find to be liberating. However, this year, with a four-year-old and a newborn, any time for cleaning has been very elusive. That said, I have been craving decluttering one area of my house, my pre-schooler’s artwork bins. (Yes, I said bins. He is only four and has amassed more papers than in my four years of college.)
If you are like I am, you probably have a couple boxes of “artwork,” too. These precious pieces are of lines and squiggles, first attempts with a paintbrush, zillions of copies of your kid’s attempts at writing their name, the various class “cut and glue” holiday projects, and so on.
When you are presented with these “masterpieces” by your kiddos, you savor them and keep them. Maybe you plan to display them later or save each and every page your child touches because they are amazing and memorable. Heck, maybe you have no clue what to do with them, and you stash them somewhere because you want your kid to feel special. Whatever the reason, we all have these boxes. What to do with them? I only have a preschooler. Left untouched, I may need to invest in a storage pod. Nope! I need to Spring-clean.
So, what to do? Well, like any item that needs organizing, we need to sort the items into groups of Keep, Pass on, and Get rid of.
The first pass is an assessment of what you need to slyly get rid of. Depending on your child’s age, you will probably do this alone. It may seem harsh, but you can only appreciate the true gems if the clutter is decreased. Take this time to get rid of the items that are just scraps of paper, repetitive in nature, hold no meaning, or items that you can’t even recall the who, what, when, or where of it.
Your next pass through the bin can be done with your child and be a fun activity for you. Make two piles: one for the artwork to keep, and the other, for artwork to share or give to family members to have. You will be surprised at how easy it is to let go of some of the pages when you know you will not be throwing them out. Also, grandparents love their grandkids’ artwork, and they may even create a revolving display for your kids to see when they come visit.
As for the last pass, now that you know what you are keeping, how should you store it? Well, the quickest and easiest option is to use the box we just emptied and either put the “keepers” back into the box as is, or in a more organized fashion. However, we want to avoid numerous boxes, right? You could buy an art port-folio. However, that has a similar problem.
If you want to continue to condense on the clutter, a great option that will also free up space is to make a book of your child’s artwork: take the originals and place them in a three-ring binder or turn to the digital realm and take pictures/scan the artwork to make a book of your child’s creations. Depending on the time you want to spend, you could make your own book with Shutterfly or a similar app, or use services such as Artsonia, Artkive, or Keepy to help you store, digitize, and print a keepsake photobook with minimal involvement. Once you digitize the artwork, you can freely “let-go” of the original.
Like all “Spring-cleaning,” processing your child’s artwork will take some time and energy, and may be a little emotional. However, in the end, you will have culled through a pile of random papers, picked out the true treasures, and saved them for your child to have in years to come.
As an added bonus, you will also have created a one-of-a-kind, art-filled coffee table book. Enjoy the decluttering and God Bless!
By Cheryl Thode