Painting and drawing are essential activities for children from a very early age, and it’s one of the first chances they get to receive praise for their efforts. But there comes a time when every parent must become an art critic and cull those little treasures. Here are some ideas on how to reuse them before you bin them:
The important thing to remember about your children’s artwork is it is, and always will be, very special to them. Each and every piece. So don’t think it’s a good idea to include your child in any selection process. It’s best to do this on your own after they’ve gone to bed.
If you can’t bear to throw any artwork out, then simply get some waterproof, plastic containers and file them year by year. You can stack the boxes in the attic for when they become famous and you can sell each piece off for thousands of dollars.
Get out the camera and catalogue each picture before throwing it away, by photographing each one and putting it on a USB or disc to be stored. You could also turn the collection into a slide show on your computer at work.
Consider using the art in a different way. Big pictures can make wonderful wrapping paper for presents, book covers and drawer liners.
You can cut large works up into smaller pieces and use them for Christmas or birthday cards throughout the year.
There are websites where you can get photos of the art made into coasters, mugs, bookmarks, notepads or even luggage tags.
Turn the artwork into beautiful calendars to give away to friends.
Consider removing the art from the fridge and taking it seriously. Is there a wall in the house that can become the children’s art wall? This way it doesn’t take over the whole house, and you can constantly update it when new art is created. Your children will also be proud to show the wall to visitors.
Some parents set up a clothesline system in one of the family rooms, where artwork can be pegged to lines strung along the walls. This makes it a lot easier to rotate and refresh the art on show without damaging your walls.
There are some websites that will help you make a book of your child’s art. I found www.blurb.com easy to use – they deliver to New Zealand and you can order just a few copies at a time.
For a more homemade job you can buy large scrapbooks and stick the art in there and leave them on your coffee table for friends and family to browse through.or you can file them away in a box for a presentation at your child’s 21st.
Make table mats out of the artwork by laminating or gluing them to a backing and varnishing them.
Get a frame that can hold up to 50 works and is front-opening, so that you can put in a new picture whenever one arrives. You can buy them online at www.dynamicframes.com but beware that shipping these to New Zealand can be expensive.
If all else fails, give the art away. oost family members love a picture from a little one, so pop one or two in with gifts at Christmas or birthdays. They might get home and throw them away, but it’s the thought that counts.
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