The school year is wrapping up soon and that means there is probably a bunch of STUFF coming home with your kids - leftover supplies, report cards, all the art.
Take some time ONCE to set-up a paper keepsake bin for EACH kiddo and you won’t have to reinvent the wheel when everything piles up. The prolific art stage for many kids is also brief, so setting this up early will make maintaining this system moving forward a breeze.
You’ll need:
Plastic File Boxes - one per kid
12+ Hanging File Folders - Label one folder per year or for a particular season. I like having one for the “baby” years, one for “toddler” years, one per school year through 5th grade, and then one for “middle” and one for “high school” when less fingerpainting is coming home.
Assemble your bin
Label your folder + add each kids name to the front.
Sort your piles of artwork by kid and then review to keep only you VERY favorite pieces that showcase their personality during that time. If there are 20 rainbows, choose the top 3. I also include report cards, awards, school pictures, performance programs or other special programs.
Store these bins on the upper shelf of your kids closet, a hall closet or master bedroom closet for easy access.
BUT, guess what. If this is too detailed for you, you can just grab the plastic file box for each kiddo, without folders, and throw things in for each kid and that TOTALLY WORKS TOO.
One mistake I see clients make sometimes is starting with a bin that is too small or flimsy, like an accordion file or fabric box. This type of solution won’t function over the long haul and will be less likely to be used. Additionally, make sure you have a catch-all bin for things to land when they come in the door until you have time to file away in your keepsake bins. With teenagers I only need to do this about once a year now, but when they were younger I just did it when the basket was full (sometimes monthly!)
Sometimes I’m asked about larger items that do not fit. My two cents is it’s okay to fold! OR frame and display art or sculptures in your home on the walls and bookshelves to make you smile OR take a photo of your child holding their artwork.
If you can be ruthless to only keep your very most favorite paper keepsakes, you may have room to store a few other items in these keepsake bins. We like to include the outfit they wore home from the hospital when they were born, a favorite toddler board book we read on repeat, small favorite toys (the spiderman minifigure or Lightning McQueen car).
Lastly, I will say my kids also have “treasure” bins or drawers in their bedrooms for whatever their current fancy is (stickers, rocks, keychains, a prize from school, etc) and once it’s full they have to make some choices. Sometimes they ask me to add something to their keepsake bin.
Hope this helps you set yourself up for long-term success throughout your kids school days!