10 Ways To Deal With All Of Your Kid’s Artwork

When my kids started daycare, they were bringing home artwork left and right. At first, I obsessively saved every single thing they made marveling at their obvious artistic talent and hanging it all over the house. It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that I would have to weed through the barrage of masterpieces being sent home each week or else my home would be covered in paper. My kids have been in daycare or school for the last four years so I have had a while to find ways to handle all of my kid’s artwork. Here, I will share with you the tips I have learned along the way in hopes of helping you preserve your child’s self-esteem and your neat and tidy home:

1. Throw It Out While They Sleep

dumpster

Duh. This is the obvious choice but sometimes, it feels too cruel. I reserve it for when we are at Artwork Critical Mass and I simply need to clear space.

2. Give It Away To Family Members

gifts

HERE GRANDMA! HAVE SOME PICTURES!” The guilt works every time.

3. Let The Kids Put It Through The Paper Shredder

tree

See, this let’s them know things are being thrown away so you don’t feel deceitful but what kid doesn’t want a chance to play with the paper shredder? I’m 32 and hell, I think it’s a blast.

4. “It’s Going To Work With Daddy!”

lying

Where he can then toss it in his office recycling bin!

5. Turn It Into Wrapping Paper

wrapping paper

This is another cute way to foist your kid’s artwork on your family instead of letting it clutter your house.

6. Let Them Pick What To Keep

decisions

Tell them you will display a certain number of their creations each week. This way, each new one they want to keep means they have to ditch an old one.

7. Tell Them It’s Going In The “Memory Box”

liar

Ah, the mystical memory box. I do have one but about 87% of what I tell my kids is going in there ends up in the garbage at 10 pm. I have no regrets.

8. Take Pictures Of It

picture

I have heard about parents doing this but I am not organized enough to have tried it. You can take pictures of their works of art and then have an album dedicated to the pictures. However, all of my pictures from the last six months are still living in my phone so….yeah. You would have to actually print them out for this to be successful.

9. Let Them Show It Off In Their Own Room

art proud

I bought these nifty doo-hickeys from Target last Christmas. They hang over their bedroom doorway and display four works of art at a time behind clear plastic. Gets it out of my way and they are excited to show it off. Win-win.

10. Set It On Fire

fire

Just kidding. Mostly. Only if you’re desperate.

(All GIF’s: Giphy)

(Image: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock)

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