Do your children create a lot of art? So, what to do with kids’ art instead of throwing it away?
Kids create everything from finger-paint masterpieces to silly stick figures. It can be tough to decide what to keep and what to toss.
But before you throw anything away, consider that each piece holds memories, imagination, and a snapshot of your child’s growth.
Instead of the recycling bin, here are meaningful options that honor creativity and declutter your home.
Create a Rotating Display Wall
One of the simplest ways to celebrate your child’s artwork is to create a rotating gallery wall.
Pick a designated space in your home, like a hallway or family room, and hang art with easy-to-change frames, clips, or clothespin strings.
Each week or month, swap older pieces for new favorites.
This keeps the display fresh and shows your child that their work matters.
Digitize Artwork for Keepsakes
Digitizing art is a space-saving way to preserve memories without keeping piles of paper.
Photograph or scan each piece and organize the digital files by date or theme.
Once digitized, you can create photo books, slideshows, screensavers, or even printed books that make cherished keepsakes without the clutter.
Make Functional Gifts
Children’s art becomes even more meaningful when it’s turned into something useful.
Think custom calendars, mugs, tote bags, or stationery featuring your child’s creations.
These make thoughtful gifts for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and teachers, practical and full of heart.
Turn Art into Holiday Decorations
Seasonal artwork can be repurposed as holiday decorations.
Turn Thanksgiving drawings into table place cards, winter art into ornaments, and Valentine’s Day creations into cards for friends.
Repurposing art this way creates traditions and meaning tied to your family’s calendar.
Create a Memory Binder or Box
Not every piece needs to be on display, but some deserve a special place.
A large binder with sleeves or a decorative keepsake box can hold select favorites by year, age, or theme.
Pull it out on birthdays or special occasions and enjoy the memories together.
Five Amazon Products to Help You Preserve and Display Kids’ Art
Here are some tools and accessories that make managing kids’ artwork fun and functional:
Portable Photo Scanner
Description: Compact scanner for digitizing artwork and documents. Ideal for converting drawings into digital keepsakes without a desktop scanner.
A portable scanner quickly scans images or pictures. Scan without constraint at anytime.
Front-Opening Art Frames (Set of 2)
Description: Easy front-open frames for rotating art displays. Perfect for quickly swapping artwork on a gallery wall.
Place the artwork under an elastic band inside the kid's art picture frame for storage. This kids' art frame for children's art can holds 50 up to 150 pieces of artwork.
Photo Book Creation Kit
Description: Photo book templates and layouts. Helps design photo books filled with digitized kids’ art.
This scrapbook cover is 8.5x11 inches, and the inner page is 7x10.3 inches, with 30 sheets (60 pages) total.
Customizable Art Card Set
Description: Blank cards ready for kids’ art inserts. Great for turning drawings into personalized greeting cards or gifts.
Create dazzling cards with the bonus stamp kit, which includes an acrylic stamp block, three colored ink pads, and a fabulous collection of clear silicone stamps.
Art Storage Portfolio
Description: Large portfolio for storing original pieces safely. Perfect for preserving original artwork too special to digitize.
No more pieces of paper scattered throughout the house. Keep them all together with My Art Place Expandable Portfolio, the perfect storage solution for all your kids' artwork.
Finding Ways to Honor Your Children’s Art
Kids’ artwork is more than paper and color; it reflects growth, imagination, and joy.
By finding creative ways to keep, display, and repurpose it, you honor both the art and the artist.