Kids Work and Art projects...What to Keep?

When my oldest was little I saved EVERYTHING then about 1st grade I learned that was just not going to happen anymore. I save reports from Parent teacher, report cards, special projects- Christmas, valentines, stuff like that it is still a lot with two kids. They each have their own " keepsake box" for their birthday cards and things they want to keep also.

My son is in 1st grade and I do keep a few homework pages ~ the ones he is very proud of and can't wait to take them out of his backpack and show me. I hang it on the fridge.....until the next one comes along and it gets replaced. It could be the next day or maybe a week. Special art projects I keep in a big plastic sweater box under my bed. I only keep the "special" ones that bring tears to my eyes when he gives them to me or makes me giggle or whatever. And about every 3 or 4 months we look through them.

I don't keep worksheets. I do keep artwork (most of it). I keep some good tests.

I asked a similar question recently, as far as art and projects, most agreed, they pick and choose, and many things get pitched. However, for my 1st grader, I keep ALL of his school papers, not that I will keep them forever, but for the school year. Just the other week his math teacher sent a paper home saying he hadn't completed an assignment and that he had to do it or would get a zero, I went to my folder, pulled out the completed AND graded paper, and sent it to school with him the next day. She sent a not home saying she was sorry she missed it, and thanked me for being organized enough be able to return the original! So at the end of the year, I will probably only keep a few things, but for now, it stays :)

years ago I started with binders to keep a "portfolio" of DS best work. Now, in recent years I have begun scanning items. i create a file or CD for each grade with his best acomplishments/art work. it works wonders and keeps your home clean!

I still keep the ocassional project to hang on the fridge or whatever for bragging rights :)

I throw all of the homework away but as far as the artwork, I only keep what is extremely meaningful such as mothers day artwork or fathers day or things made for holidays. My youngest made me a hippo with marshmallows for the teeth and as cute as it is, it's going in the trash because I don't want any bugs to find the marshmallows. What my daughters teacher told me to do once was frame the most important stuff and hang it up in her room.

We also throw all homework away. We have a creative kid so I have displayed art work in those portfolios sold at a craft store or Micheals, hobby lobby. It is simple and stores about 50 pieces . It is flat to put under a bed ect... I also have an art wall in my home that I display for a period of time and then we take it down and toss it and then put up the new grade ones. I have also took photos of art work too big to keep but we scrapbook a page of it for a keepsake.

It is so hard to manage I know.

I agree with what others say - and add in authentic writing samples - stories, sentences, etc. Any work - art, projects, writing, that shows your child's personality - I would secretly toss worksheets when your child is not looking.

I think the older they get, the less there is to keep anyway. My son is in 3rd now and there is hardly anything worth keeping - some art projects/drawings and a couple of papers/stories/poems that he has written. I don't keep worksheets and stuff like that.

My daughter is only in Kindergarten. In preschool, I kept artwork that had a footprint or handprint. Any other items I thought were cool, I took pictures of.

For Kindergarten, she doesn't come home with a lot of art projects as she does work pages. I don't keep the work pages, art projects I have saved so far. And writing pages that is coming home with I plan on keeping. At the end of the year, I'll go through it all and take pictures and/or keep a few things.

That's how I plan on doing the years to come.

I make a scrapbook for every year of school and then im done with it, cant keep it all.

You can start a portfolio, save one school years worth at a time, then at the end of the school year have your child pick their favorite 2 art projects and you pick one example of good schoolwork, and add to it each year. This will give you something to do together after school is over for the year, and memories to look through in years to come without it getting overwhelming.

You can also have a "photo-frame" on your fridge.... cut out a posterboard to fit 2 8X10 papers in it... make one side for artwork, the other for good school work... and only allow one thing at a time to go on the fridge, when they want to put something new up, the old one comes down and goes into the "year-end" box.

We keep a little of all...now our children are not yet in full school but...we save everything until the end of the year as to avoid (I liked that) then at the end of the year after the kiddos are in bed my hubby and I go through the work/art and choose a file folder or so worth of work to keep, has to fit in the file folder sometimes the folder is expanded but that is our limit, has worked well. We choose the mroe significant items, usually a project from each season also.

My son (now 15) always takes it very personally when I've thrown anything away in the past! Especially when it comes to artwork. He is a serious artist and plans on going to art school after HS. Obviously, saving 15 years' worth of projects isn't possible, so I bought him a couple of large portfolios to save the best ones, now that he is trying to compile a real collection of his work. From the younger grades, I've typically chosen just 2 or 3 things to save from each year that are special, and I've taken photographs of other pieces that we don't have room to keep (photos take up alot less space!) As far as schoolwork, I usually keep a folder with the current grade's work for him to refer back to, as well as handouts, etc. At the end of each year, we go through it and decide what to keep and what to toss.

Totally understand what you are saying, I'm more of the hoarder mother and want to keep everything... I still have my stuff from grade school. Now depending on how organize you are keep the big projects and then weed through them 2 times a year. Or start a box for them, I keep saying I will do it and have started several boxes for each of the children but in all our moves they get put together. Every once in a blue moon I'll go through stuff and actually throw it out, but I'll keep it for years first.

OMG! I'm totally going through this right now and my kids are still in pre-school! I've decided to keep stuff based on the following criteria:

1. Anything with a hand or foot print. I think it will be fun to compare as they grow older.
2. Anything with thier pictures on it. I feel like I don't take enough pictures as it is so I'm grateful for any pics.
3. Special cards made for mom and day (mother's day, father's day, x-mas, etc.)

Sometimes i'll keep other stuff just because it's special - like a drawing my 4 year old did of her parents and "all the sisters she wanted" (which was like 17!), but mostly I stick to the criteria. Otherwise it just gets too crazy too fast.