There’s always a constant flow or papers coming home from school, but we tend to get a deluge coming home as the end of the school year nears.
Triage Immediately
Make a practice of having your child empty their bag when they get home from school each day and sort through their papers. Three main categories you’ll find are:
- Important Information – field trips, events, announcements should be set aside for you to address or save.
- School Work – Work with your child to decide what work sheets and educational hand outs are important to them.
- Art Work – this tends to be the hardest to tackle because it comes in all shapes and sizes. Some small artists may be attached to every tiny item, while others could ditch it all and be fine.
Assign Spaces
Once you’ve recycled or trashed what you don’t want, you’ll need spots to keep the keepers. Below are some ideas, but customize or combine them to make sure they work well for you and your family.
- Art Archive – make a keepers box for those super special pieces of art that can’t be parted with. Note that in general, the further removed from creation your child (and you!) get, the less important pieces may become. So make sure to set a review time to clean things up, often the end of the year is a good one.
- School Work Folders – file school memories, important school work and report cards away by either calendar year, child age or school year.
- Work in Progress – you will likely need a temporary storage spot for things that are incomplete or art that probably won’t pass the test of time. This can be an area where the kids can access the papers, complete their drawing or finish that work sheet. A good place for this is often wherever the art supplies are kept.
- Display – kids LOVE showing off their pieces – it makes them feel good! The fridge is a typical spot, but bulletin boards, clothes pins or other display spots work too.
Tools
There are tons of options out there for containment, but here are some recommendations to get you thinking:
- Document Box – lots of color choices and an easy place to stash art as it comes in. Divide the box as papers pile in, either using a dividing page with a label or using a folder to group papers from a set time period together.
- Document Case – a great way to separate out into time frames, classes or events and a good way to contain the more 3D-type projects
- Hanging Folder Box – easy to move, easy to label
- Fun, Colorful Folders – no need for internal folders, just use the hanging ones!
- Paper Sorter – for those works in progress
- Art Frame – this one is great because you can store art in it and very easily swap out the art shown.
- Multi-Frames – with super easy slots on the sides
- Clip Hanger – for the prolific artist
Another great option for kid art is in the digital world. There are apps like Artkive, Canvasly and Keepy where you can photograph the pieces and even have printed books made later.
Let’s work together to all get more done. Contact us for home organizing help if you’d like a partner to get you going in your kitchen.