Don’t Toss That Masterpiece: Five Things to do with your kids’ artwork other than trashing it!
We’ve all done it, waited until our little one was sleeping or their head was turned and threw that paint drenched, smudged; we have no idea what it is; they said it was a butterfly painting away. Then it happens, the guilt creeps in and weighs us down until we either dig it out of the trash and stash it with the other guilt-kept crafts, or we fight back and walk away because enough is enough! As a mom of adult children, that paint-drenched, smudged butterfly will one day be one of your prize possessions. But we can’t just keep filling up the boxes and tubs with artwork, so here are five things you can do with your little ones’ masterpieces!
Create a photo book!
Take a photo of the masterpiece and create a photo book. Photo books are a great way to keep your kids artwork because you will have the artwork, and you can also tell a story to go along with it. With a photo book, you can add key details along with the picture, such as their age, why they drew it, your first impression, what you thought it was vs. what they said it was, and any other fun details around the artwork or craft. This is a great way to look back on your child’s artwork and remember the stick people they drew and what was going on in their life and your life during that time.
Create a storybook!
Much like a photo book, you can snap pictures of your child’s artwork and have them create a story about each piece. This is a great way to see into and capture their tiny thoughts. Story books can be used over and over again as bedtime stories or family heirlooms. Can you imagine the joy of your child listening to a story they wrote with pictures of their actual artwork?
Let your kids create a scrapbook!
Photo books and story books are a great way to trash the artwork without feeling guilty and clearing out that box you have. Scrapbooks are a great way to keep your kids creating arts and crafts by creating mega arts and crafts out of their already arts and crafts. Instead of handing your kids another sheet of paper and crayons, let them craft some of their already-made pieces. This will fulfill their need to be creative while saving you another guilty moment with the trashcan. Not only will these scrapbooks keep them busy, but they will also be great keepsakes to have for years to come.
Create a gallery wall in their room!
That’s right, hang up all those art pieces on a wall in their room! Once the wall is covered, you can do two things. A. Let them choose a piece to remove or replace with a new piece. This will let them have a decision in deciding which pieces mean the most to them. Then, you can either trash that piece or do one of the other 4 ideas with it. B. Once the wall is filled, allow your child to choose 1 to 3 of their favorite pieces and frame them! Then, start over again. I promise there won’t be a gallery wall in their room one day, or maybe there will be!
5. Frame it!
Have you ever wondered if Picasso’s mom kept his first drawing? Can you imagine if she did? As a lover of art, I realized that I have an artist right in my home, creating masterpieces for free but worth millions, well, worth millions to me. Instead of purchasing art pieces, frame your kids’ artwork and hang it around your house. Give them a canvas and allow them to create a large piece of art to hang on the wall. Not only will this be your most valuable piece, but the personal details and touches will mean more to you in the future than any other piece of artwork unless, of course, you have Picasso’s first drawing.
There, you have five ways to save yourself from going to battle with your trashcan and ridding yourself of at least one guilt session. Don’t worry; we will work on those other sessions. Until then, join us for arts and crafts at Jumpin’ Jellybeans!
