Illustration of a raccoon sorting a pile of children's drawings into piles beside red, blue, and green baskets

What to Do With Kids' Artwork (Turn It Into a Storybook)

The fridge is full. The backpack comes home with three more paintings every Friday. There is a stack on the counter, a pile under the bed, and a growing worry that throwing any of it away makes you a terrible parent. If you are wondering what to do with all your kids' artwork, you are not alone, and you do not have to keep every single piece to honor it.

Animated illustration of a fox kit in front of a fridge covered in drawings, then holding a picture book made from them

From an overflowing fridge to one book they can hold.

Here is a simple plan for sorting, storing, displaying, and reusing kids' art, plus a way to turn the best of the pile into a storybook your child will actually reread.

Start with a simple sort: keep, photograph, let go

Illustration of a raccoon sorting a pile of children's drawings into piles beside red, blue, and green baskets

Three piles make every decision easier.

The secret to handling kids' artwork is deciding in batches instead of one piece at a time. Once a month (or at the end of each school term), spread everything out and make three piles:

  • Keep. Pieces that show something new: a first self portrait, a first try at writing their name, a drawing that tells a story, or anything your child points to as a favorite.
  • Photograph. Art that is sweet but bulky or repetitive. A good photo keeps the memory without the paper.
  • Let go. Worksheets, quick scribbles, and the tenth rainbow of the month. Recycle these quietly, out of sight.

Invite your child to choose their top few. Kids are often happy to let go of the rest when they know their favorites are safe.

What to do with kids' artwork from school

Illustration of a mouse on a kitchen table next to a red school backpack overflowing with children's art projects

The Friday backpack flood is real.

School art arrives fast and in every shape: paper plate masks, glued collages, finger paintings, and half finished worksheets. A few habits keep it under control:

  • Set one landing spot, like a basket or a tray by the door, where all school art goes first.
  • Look through it together after school and ask, "Tell me about this one." The conversation is often the best part.
  • Write the date and your child's age on the back of anything you keep, before you forget.
  • Save one piece from each big school project and photograph the rest.

How to store kids' artwork long term

Illustration of a hedgehog sliding a flat storage box of children's artwork and a tied portfolio under a bed

Flat, dry, and labeled by year.

Paper lasts longest when it stays flat, dry, and out of the sun. For the pieces you keep:

  • Use a large art portfolio or a flat under bed box, one per child.
  • Add a folder or divider for each school year so you can find things later.
  • Slip tissue paper between paintings and chalk or pastel drawings so they do not smudge.
  • Skip damp basements and hot attics, which can warp and fade paper.
  • Give each year a size limit, like one folder, so the box never takes over.

How to store kids' artwork digitally

Illustration of a bunny taking a phone picture of a child's sailboat drawing on the floor by a sunny window

Daylight, a flat surface, and a phone held straight above.

Photos are the easiest way to keep everything without keeping everything. For clear pictures:

  • Lay the art flat on the floor or a table near a window, in daylight.
  • Hold your phone straight above the drawing so the edges look square.
  • Turn off the flash, which adds glare and washes out crayon colors.
  • Make one photo album per child per year, and name it so you can find it later.

Once the art lives on your phone, you can make a photo book, a calendar for grandparents, or a storybook from it.

Turn kids' drawings into a book

A child's drawings laid out on the floor

A pile of drawings already holds a story.

A photo album keeps the art. A storybook gives it a reason to come back out. With Art Tales, you snap photos of 8 to 12 drawings your child already made, one drawing per photo, in any order. We pick a star character from their art, cut it out of their own drawing, and send it through their other pictures. Then we write a short story with a goal, a small worry, and a happy ending.

Art Tales sample page: all the characters together at the party

A sample page: every character came from the same pile of drawings.

Every picture is your child's own art. We never redraw, add, or generate pictures, and the cover says "Pictures by" with your child's name. It works with original hand drawn art only, so coloring pages, tracing, stickers, and characters from shows, movies, games, or books are left out. You can choose a printed paperback, a paperback plus Sing-Along, or a Digital Sing-Along, a video that sings the book's exact words as each page plays, plus a printable copy. You see a proof before anything prints.

If your child would rather draw a brand new story page by page, an As Drawn book publishes their drawings exactly as they made them.

What to do with kids' old artwork

Illustration of a badger wrapping a gift in a child's flower painting next to a card made from a child's cat drawing

Big paintings make the best wrapping paper.

Some art is perfect for a second life. Before a piece goes in the recycling bin, try one of these:

  • Wrap birthday and holiday gifts in large paintings. Grandparents love it.
  • Cut favorite bits into greeting cards, gift tags, or bookmarks.
  • Mail a drawing to a relative who lives far away, with a note on the back.
  • Use a long painting as a placemat by covering it with clear contact paper.

How to display kids' artwork

Display is where kids see that their work matters. Keep it simple and easy to change. A clothespin line in the hallway, a couple of front opening frames, or a single "art of the week" spot on the fridge lets new work rotate in while old work moves to the keep box or the photo album. When a frame is full, the piece that comes down goes through the same keep, photograph, or let go sort.

Common questions

Cover of the Art Tales sample book Kate the Cat's Party

Kate the Cat's Party, pictures by Cori Cartwheel.

Is it okay to throw away my child's artwork?

Yes. Keeping a few favorites from each year and photographing the rest still honors their work. Let your child pick what matters most, and recycle the rest out of sight.

What is the best way to store kids' artwork?

Flat, dry, and sorted by year. A portfolio or an under bed box with one folder per school year works well, with tissue paper between paintings.

What do I do with kids' paintings?

Paintings are often big and bulky. Photograph them in daylight, keep one or two, and use the rest as gift wrap or cut them into cards.

Can I turn my child's drawings into a book?

Yes. Art Tales turns photos of 8 to 12 drawings your child already made into a 12 page storybook, using only their own art. For Christmas, order a new printed book by December 1. The Digital Sing-Along arrives by email, so it works right up to Christmas Eve.

Give the art pile a happy ending

Illustration of a little dragon and owl flying out of an open picture book in a swirl of crayon colors

The drawings your child already made can become a book you read together for years.

Turn their art into a storybook

More ideas: Gifts for Kids Who Love to Draw and Gifts for Kids That Aren't Toys.

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