Kids' artwork is one of those things that feels like it's multiplying while we sleep. How do they create so much? And why do teachers do this to us? We know arts and crafts are important, but do kids need to do so many arts and crafts? Well, this struggle won't be one any more thanks to these TikTok hacks for storing children's artwork.
TikTok is such a lifesaver for parents. Not only does it make us feel less alone because everyone is going through the same ups and downs, but it also comes with tons of hacks from parents who have been there, done that, and want to make the rest of our lives easier. These videos are all specifically about keeping art clutter to a minimum, and they're so handy. Now maybe you won't dread the holiday season and all the "gifts for mom and dad" that your little ones bring home from school.
Frame It Up
This mom chose to create a gallery wall of several frames worth of her children's art. She used frames with mats and everything to give it a polished look. Somehow the art looks way more manageable when it's neat and tidy like this. Sure, you can't frame everything your kids bring home, but this is a great way to highlight standout pieces. And with this display in your home, perhaps the kids will be willing to part with more knowing they're still represented on your walls.
Create an 'Art Museum'
For all those moms who know how to work a Cricut, this is the perfect hack. Create a label that says the kid's name and "art museum," (for instance, Mackenzie's Art Museum) and stick the label on a clear plastic bin. Now you can store your kid's art in the bin instead of all over your walls, and they'll think it's fun to put their work in a "museum." If you don't have a Cricut you can buy letter stickers and make the label that way.
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Take It Digital
Turn your kids' art digital with this hack. Simply take pictures of the items and add to a shared Google Photos album. Then you can email the album to an address you set up for your child. As a bonus, she'll be able to keep the photos as she gets older, and even into adulthood. We wish some of our early projects could have been archived like this.
What To Keep & What To Toss
It feels like children bring home a mountain of paperwork every day. This TikTok shows how parents can decide which to keep and which to throw out. This mama keeps anything her child clearly spent a lot of time on, work that shows off his abilities, or sentimental notes. (And she keeps it in a see-through folder, so she knows exactly what's in there.) You can decide for your own child which criteria art needs to pass to stick around, but it should help cut down on clutter.
Handy Picture Frame
Condense the art clutter with these handy picture frames from Amazon. As this TikTok mom discovered, they display one photo and can hold dozens more of pieces of art in a secret storage slot. You can buy one for each child and cut down on clutter. This mom didn't love that she had to rotate out the art herself, but it's still a great hack.
Let the Child Choose
A lot of kids' artwork looks the same to us, but the children have such a specific vision of why they painted or drew things in a certain way. So this TikTok parent lets the children lead the way. Use the same frame that lets you store extra photos and the child picks which one is displayed at the front. When the frame gets full, parent and child sort through together and anything the kid agrees to get rid of, they spread on the floor and take a photo of the art with the child in it. Then recycle the art and save the photo. So cute!
Share to a Private Instagram
This mom had the brilliant idea to take photos of her children's art and then post to a private Instagram account. You could just stop there, but the TikTok hack goes further. She subscribed to Chatbooks, which sends you photo albums using pictures from Instagram. That way they keep the memories of the art in way less space. And, as she pointed out, taking photos is a great way to hang onto art that's 3D or too big to put on the fridge.
Customized Photo Album
Similar to the Chatbooks method, this TikTok hack encourages parents to toss the child's art, but take photos to upload to Mixbook. It works somewhat like Chatbooks, but you have a little more creative control over how the album turns out. And if that's too much work, just stick to the first half of the video. Take photos of the art and leave it in a digital photo album on your phone that you and your little one can scroll through sometimes.
Make Magnets
This is another Cricut hack. Take photos or scan your kids' art into the computer, size them smaller, and use the Cricut to cut them out onto magnetic paper. If you don't have a Cricut, you can buy magnetic printer paper and just print the images out. Now you can have smaller versions of your child's best art on the fridge, but in a less chaotic way.
Shadow Boxes
This hack is especially great if you have more than one child, so each can have his or her own display box. Buy these shadow box frames that have hinged glass doors. They can display a few pieces of art at a time and your child will feel so special having her pictures framed on the wall. After a period of time, have your child choose new art and recycle the old. Saving the planet and your fridge space at the same time.
Mixed Media
If you have a working knowledge of Photoshop, this hack is for you. This parent takes their child's art and edits it onto pictures of the kid. For instance, if he drew a rainbow, she'd add it to a picture of the kid playing outside. It's a really creative way to keep the art around and also make sure everyone knows exactly who made it. If you don't know Photoshop, you can do it the old-fashioned way by printing out photos and gluing them together.
The Corkboard Method
This clever mama has one designated space for art in her house. The kids get free reign of a medium-sized bulletin board, and they can put whatever they want on it. But at the end of every month, they clear it off and the kids can each pick one piece of art that they want to save. By the end of a month, chances are kids will be bored of the stuff anyway, so it will be easier to recycle it.
Kids' Room Gallery Wall
Keep the clutter to one area of the house by creating a floor-to-ceiling gallery wall in your child's bedroom or playroom. Sure, it'll be a lot to look at, but at least the chaos is only in one room of your home instead of spread all throughout it. And playrooms aren't meant to be perfect-looking anyway.
Send the Art to Someone Else
This TikToker actually asked her friends to have their kids create art for her own fridge. If you have friends or family members without children, they may be missing a little splash of children's clutter in their lives. Gather up your kids' old art and send it on to a better home. It's a great way to teach the little ones about sharing.
At the End of the Day, This Will Still Probably Be Us
We love this video because it perfectly highlights a specific parenting struggle. People without kids probably wouldn't think twice about what you do when your child brings home artwork every day, but we know all too well what that's like. And, hey, even if you do try these storage methods, know that it's OK if your house ends up looking like this a week later. It's just part of being a parent.
