Organizing Kids' Memorabilia
Every mom struggles with what to keep from the tidal wave of papers that kids bring home. Like all memorabilia, you can’t and shouldn’t try to keep everything. There’s papers that you WANT to keep and the ones you want to TRASH. Sometimes the latter is best done in an empty house. 😉
You need a system for storing the paperwork that you want actually want to keep. It should be attractive and, most important, easy to access. It’s not a good system if it’s too hard to use!
Some examples of papers from your kids that you might want to keep are:
progress reports
report cards
samples of school work (emphasis on the word “sample“)
certificates of activity and sports participation
school play, dance, or concert programs
important letters and cards from confirmation or kindergarten graduation
party invitations
class and team photos
mentions in newspapers
samples showing their handwriting and how it progresses
pictures they’ve drawn of their family
These are the steps to organize all of their memorabilia so it’s easy to put away and stay organized:
Get a file box for each child. One with a lid is not required but it can help if you are stacking these or want to keep dust out. An open top file bin works, too, if you’re storing it in a cabinet.
Insert hanging files for each school year. You may want to include folders for Pre-School and Kindergarten. Get a different color of hanging files for each child.
Create labels for each school year/ grade and put them in the box.
As these papers come in and you identify the ones you want to keep , file them in the appropriate year. As your child grows you’ll be able to give them this responsibility and eventually the whole box!
Store larger artwork pieces in a boot box. You can roll larger paper creations to store inside. Make sure artwork is dated.
Just so you know....
there is no set rule for what you should keep
you're not a bad parent if you throw some things away
not everything is a treasure worth keeping
Happy organizing!