by Heather Lambie

“Mommy, you’re not going to throw that away are you? I made that just for youuuuuuu!”

We’ve all heard it. Sometimes it’s a tiny toddler plea, other times it’s our own mother’s guilt. It can be hard to let go of anything created by our little nuggets. But face facts:  You simply cannot keep everything your child brings home. As a certified professional home organizer, I’m here to give you permission to let go of (almost) all of your child’s artwork via a fun solution with a hidden lesson. You can thank me later.

CONTAIN THE ART
No, I don’t expect you to throw away everything (though I applaud you if you do!). I do expect you to have boundaries, however. Having one 30-quart plastic memory container per child is setting a boundary. When that container is full, it’s not time to buy another container. It’s time to purge.

In the case of artwork, throughout the school year, whenever your child brings home something that looks like it took a little time, drop it in the container. NOTE: Do not keep every worksheet or paper with scribble on it.  Do not feel bad about not keeping it. Praise the “work” then throw it out when your child isn’t looking.

EDIT THE ART (Great early-summer project!)

At the end of the school year, bring out the art/memory container and go through it with your child. Use a Flip or some other device to record him or her holding up each piece of art and talking about it. Who was their art teacher? What inspired them to paint a purple, cross-eyed elephant driving a dump truck? These are the things that we really wish we could preserve, not the actual art. We want to hold on to their squeaky, little voices and sweet, twisted minds.

After going through everything in the bin, have your child select his or her ten (and ONLY TEN or fewer) favorite pieces of artwork. These ten pieces will be the ones you keep forever in this same bin. If you are thinking that ten doesn’t sound like a lot, imagine you have two kids, and keep 10 pieces per kid per year from PreK – Grade 12. That’s 280 handprints, paper mache penguins and canvas self-portraits to store!

It’s important to have the child be a part of this selection and editing process. Oftentimes, my mommy clients keep their favorite pieces that a child has created. If the pieces are displayed in a frame or shadowbox in the home, bravo! But too many times I find these “keepsakes” shoved in multiple plastic tubs or shoeboxes in the garage. I have to ask, “Why?”  If the client tells me she’s keeping it to give back to the child one day when he or she is an adult, then shouldn’t the child have a say in which pieces they might want back one day? What if you keep a piece he or she is not particularly proud of or that was done mostly by a friend?

Having your child be a part of the editing process also helps teach an important lesson:  You Can’t Keep Everything. Prioritizing and editing are valuable life skills that will carry them through college and adult life.

CELEBRATE THE ART

Now the fun part! Send out an evite to your friends, your child’s friends, neighbors, local family members and even your child’s art teacher inviting everyone to an Art Show at your home.

Put your child’s ten best pieces (the ones previously selected) on display in one room you’ll call The Gallery. These are for viewing only. Put the remaining pieces on display in another room where they will be for sale. That’s right, For Sale! Use sticky tack to post art on windows and walls without damaging either. Have your child price his or her art (use small Post-Its) anywhere from .5 cents to $5.00.  Be sure to have plenty of lower-priced items so little kids who attend the show can make some purchases. And yes, if you simply must have a piece your child gave up, you can purchase one or two for yourself, but you must properly frame and display these pieces if you love them that much! Don’t throw them back in the bin. Serve wine for the adults (any excuse for wine!) and sparkling cider for the children.

Purging art, what was once a dreaded chore, is now a great opportunity for you to host a fun summer party, and for your child to feel important, get a little well-deserved praise and earn some summer spending money.

RELEASE THE ART

After the art show, any pieces that did not sell get rolled up into tubes and mailed to family members who could not attend the show. Larger pieces on construction paper or made from paper bags can be repurposed as wrapping paper.

Voila! You’ve just gotten rid of most of your child’s art, guilt-free!

Here’s the part where you can thank me. Feel free to write to me at heather@yourhomeeditor.com if you like this idea, or if you have another better one. I’m always on the lookout for fresh organizing tips to share on my Your Home Editor facebook and twitter pages.

*To read Heather’s bio and see her beautiful family click here. Thanks, Heather!*

Related Posts

• No Related Post

Written by Heather Lambie • Leave a comment