What I do with my kids' artwork and papers?

My daughter loves drawing, and I mean loves it. Every picture she sketches or colours in is special to her. Being the daughter of a professional organizer means she knows she needs to set limits for herself. She cannot keep every one of her creations or she will soon be drowning in her own artwork.

The way I deal with her projects is quite simple and it still allows her to make her own choices.

I allow her one space, just one space. It can be one drawer, one storage container, or even one file folder.

She is allowed to keep anything and everything that fits that one designated space.

Once things start becoming too full, we pull out her papers and it is time to assess. She then sorts through and separates her favourites from the ones she is ready to let go of. Letting go of the item doesn’t decrease its value, in fact it just makes the ones that she keeps a little extra special.

Any paperwork that is ready to be stored longterm: report cards, school awards, and special crafts all go in my clear storage container. It has hanging file folders that I use to separate per grade.