Every parent knows the moment: the school bag opens and another avalanche of paper slides out. Painted pasta pictures, a self-portrait with extra-large teeth, a worksheet covered in stickers. You love all of it. You have nowhere to put any of it.
The good news is that storing kids' artwork does not need a spare room or a weekend of sorting. It needs a simple system, a few materials that will not damage the paper, and permission to keep less than you think. Here are nine ideas that work, in the order most families need them.
Start by sorting, not storing
Storage only works if you store the right amount. Before you buy a single box, make three piles: keep, photograph then release, and let go. Be gentle with yourself; this is the hardest step and it gets easier. Our guide to deciding what kids' artwork to keep has a simple set of questions to help.
1. One box per child
Give each child a single, labelled, flat box. A box has a clear limit, which is the point: when it is full, you choose what earns its place. Pick a size that fits the largest paper your child uses most (A3 works for many families) and store it flat.
2. Art portfolios for the school year
A zip-up portfolio folder per child per year is cheap and quick. Drop the keepers straight in as they come home, then at the end of the year, edit it down to the best pieces and move them into the box. It stops piles forming on the kitchen counter.
3. Use materials that will not damage the paper
Ordinary cardboard, sticky tape and cheap plastic sleeves slowly harm paper. For anything you want to last:
- Choose acid-free, lignin-free boxes and folders (sold as archival).
- Interleave thickly painted pieces with acid-free tissue or glassine so the paint does not stick to the next page.
- Use polypropylene or polyester sleeves, not PVC (vinyl), which can give off chemicals.
- Never use tape, glue or rubber bands on the artwork itself.
4. Keep it cool, dry and dark
Sunlight fades felt-tip pens quickly, and damp invites mould. A wardrobe shelf or under the bed is a far better home than an attic, garage or damp basement, where temperature swings and humidity do the damage.
5. Photograph everything, then decide
Digitising turns the avalanche into something manageable. Photograph each piece before the clear-out, and you can release the physical copy without losing the memory. You do not need a scanner: your phone is enough, and our guide to scanning with your phone shows how.
Keep your child's artwork safe
Join the waitlist and we will email you once, when the app is ready.
An app such as Squiglet takes this further: it straightens each photo, files it under the right child, keeps the original untouched and lets the grandparents see it too.
6. Turn a year into a book
A book is storage you actually enjoy. Choose the best 30 to 60 pieces from the year, add captions in your child's own words, and have it printed. It sits on the shelf, it survives a house move, and it becomes the thing your child pulls out when they are grown. Our step-by-step guide to making a children's artwork book covers every stage.
7. Rotate a display
Not everything needs to be hidden away. A string with pegs, a corkboard or a few frames with changeable pictures give this month's favourites some wall time, and the previous month's go into the box or the book. See 17 ways to display kids' artwork for ideas.
8. Plan for 3D art and giant paintings
Clay models, cardboard robots and metre-wide paintings do not fit in a box. Photograph them from a few angles, keep the very best, and give yourself permission to release the rest. More in our guide to 3D art and big paintings.
9. Label everything
A pencil note on the back is gold: the child's name, their age, the date and what they said about it. "Max, 5. 'This is Biscuit flying to the moon.'" Without a label, a drawing is only a picture. With one, it is a story. Use soft pencil on the back, never pen, and not on the drawing itself.
Which method suits your family?
| Method | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| One box per child | The best physical pieces | Needs an annual edit |
| Portfolio folder | Keeping up with the school year | Bulky if never sorted |
| Digital library | Everything, searchable and shareable | Back it up, and name things |
| Yearly photo book | A keepsake you will open | Takes an afternoon to design |
| Wall display | Enjoying work now | Rotating it regularly |
A routine that takes five minutes
Make it a habit and it never builds up. Weekly: unpack the school bag, photograph what is worth it, and drop the keepers in the portfolio. Termly: a ten-minute sort. Yearly: choose the final box contents and order the book. That is all.
What to do with the artwork you do not keep
Choosing what to release is only half the job; the other half is doing it kindly and quickly, so the pile does not come back.
- Photograph it first. Then the memory is safe and the paper is free to go.
- Recycle it with a little ceremony. Some families let the child put it in the recycling themselves, which often feels better than a parent doing it in secret.
- Give it a second life. Wrapping paper, bookmarks, greeting cards and collage material are all good uses for the pieces that were fun to make but are not keepers.
- Send it on. A grandparent, godparent or neighbour will often love a drawing more than you expect.
Thick paint, glitter and glue
Heavily painted or glued pieces need extra care because they stick to whatever is next to them.
- Let paint dry completely, for at least a day, before you stack anything on top.
- Put a sheet of acid-free tissue, glassine or baking parchment between thick pieces.
- Store glittery and collaged pieces flat and on their own, not in the middle of a pile.
- Do not use cling film, newspaper or ordinary plastic bags. Newsprint is acidic and plastic traps moisture.
A simple shopping list
You do not need much, and none of it is expensive.
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| One archival (acid-free, lignin-free) flat box per child | The long-term home for the keepers |
| A pack of acid-free tissue or glassine sheets | To separate thick or messy pieces |
| An art portfolio folder per child | For the current school year |
| A soft pencil | For labelling the back |
| Low-tack tape | For photographing and displaying, never for storing |
Mistakes that quietly ruin artwork
- Storing it in the loft or garage. Heat and damp are the biggest enemies of paper.
- Using sticky tape, glue or rubber bands on the artwork itself.
- Keeping it in direct sunlight. Felt-tip dyes can fade in weeks.
- Stacking wet or thickly painted pieces. They fuse together.
- Putting it in a cardboard box that is not archival. Over years, ordinary cardboard gives off acids.
- Never labelling it. A drawing with no name or date loses half its meaning.
Questions people ask
What is the best way to store kids' artwork?
Keep a small selection of the best pieces flat in one acid-free box per child, and photograph everything else before you let it go. Add a yearly photo book and you have a physical keepsake, a digital archive and a clear-out routine.
How do I stop felt-tip and crayon drawings from fading?
Keep them out of direct sunlight, which fades felt-tip pen dyes quickly, and store them in a cool, dry, dark place such as a cupboard or under a bed. Avoid attics, garages and damp basements.
How long should I keep children's artwork?
There is no rule. Many families keep a box for each school year and a photograph of the rest, then review the box once a year. What matters is that what you keep is what you love.
