What the Hell Do You Do With All Those Children's Drawings?!

All those precious drawings your little beauties have created at home, nursery and school…

What the hell do you actually do with them all?!

If you're anything like me, you've probably got piles of artwork tucked into drawers, bags, cupboards and random places around the house because throwing them away feels like throwing away a little piece of your child.

But let's be honest…

You cannot keep them all.

And you don't need to feel guilty about that.

Here are a few things that have helped me keep the memories while keeping the amount of “stuff” realistic and manageable.

Think memories, not mountains

For me, it's about creating a timeline of your child's development rather than keeping every single piece of artwork they have ever produced.

Children are learning constantly. They practise the same skills over and over again — including drawing the same picture!

So rather than keeping 50 pictures of the same house, family or rainbow, look for the ones that show something new.

Perhaps it's the first recognisable person they drew.

Maybe they've suddenly started writing their name.

Their drawing has become more detailed.

They've tried something completely different.

Or they've created something that really shows their personality.

These are the things that tell their story.

You don't need every version along the way.

Give the memories a home

I like using memory boxes for important stages and life events.

Personally, I use a memory box for each five-year period. When you look at the whole of your child's life, that's actually not a huge amount of storage space.

Unless you've got a billion children, obviously!

You could also use scrapbooks or folders for photographs and smaller pieces of artwork.

The important thing is that there is a limit.

Having a designated amount of space means you're making decisions based on what genuinely deserves to be kept, rather than allowing the collection to grow indefinitely.

And please don't feel guilty

This is the bit I really want to say.

You are allowed to throw away the identical picture your little Johnny or Jane has brought home for the 50th time.

Honestly.

You aren't throwing away your child.

You're not throwing away the memory.

You're making a decision about a piece of paper that has served its purpose.

Take a photo if you want to remember it, then let it go.

Your child will continue creating.

And creating.

And creating…

You need somewhere to put it all!

Keep the things that really mean something

When you're deciding what deserves a place in the memory box, ask yourself:

Is this a memory or simply an item?

A favourite toy that your child absolutely adored?

Keep it. ❤️

A special piece of clothing they wore constantly and loved?

Keep it.

Something that reminds you of a particular stage, achievement or part of their personality?

Keep it.

But that expensive outfit you bought because it was absolutely adorable and they wore it once before refusing to ever put it on again?

Let it go.

If they didn't particularly love it, use it or have a meaningful connection to it, it's probably an item rather than a memory.

And that's an important distinction.

Keep the story, not everything in the story

I think that's really what decluttering children's belongings comes down to.

You're not trying to erase their childhood.

You're trying to capture the important parts of it without allowing the physical belongings to take over your home.

Keep the firsts.

Keep the favourites.

Keep the things that make you smile.

Keep the things that tell their story.

And let the rest go.

Because one day, you don't want to have 14 boxes of nursery artwork to sort through.

You want to open one little memory box and think:

“Look how tiny they were.”

And actually be able to enjoy the memories.

House of Calm

Keep the memories. Let go of the guilt.

Your home doesn't need to hold onto everything for you to remember what matters.