Artwork: you know you love it. All of those hand-lettered drawings with beautiful, colorful pictures. The problem is, you may be drowning in it! What can you do with all of your kids’ creative inspirations?
Create an Original Art Gallery
I love original art, and what better original art than your kids’ masterpieces? The floor that houses our bedrooms is almost entirely populated by kid art, all framed in frames that I picked up at garage sales.
Take it to Work
I also have a gallery at work. I enjoy looking at my daughter’s artwork when I am missing her during the day.
Scrapbook It
We have a scrapbook holding area for art work. This is for those school projects or very special pieces that my daughter really wants to keep.
Make it Into a Book
Every year, my daughter makes a book with a story and illustrations. This is her Christmas gift. Can you digitize your child’s art and put it on the shelf?
Use it as Wrapping Paper
Yes, we use art as wrapping paper. This is especially good for those big pieces of painted paper that you can’t store or display. Ask first, of course!
Get Some 3D Inspiration
One of the more amazing ideas I’ve seen is the stuffie made out of a child’s artwork. The creator takes the child’s monster, princess, or other creature and transforms it into a 3D stuffed animal. Amazing!
Get the Kids to Sort Their Art
While I’d like to respect every piece that she does, I know that I can’t keep each and every one. We keep her art for a while, and then I ask her to sort. What art will go into the scrapbook? Are there any particularly special pieces? Which ones does she not really care about any more?
Sometimes, art is much more about the process of making things. While it’s tempting to succumb to parental guilt about recycling kids’ art, often my daughter has no attachment whatsoever to the art that she made a week ago, and she’s more than happy to write or draw on the back of it.
What do you do with your children’s artistic creations?
Image Credit: Robinfensom / CC by 2.0