As we move deeper into Spring (with summer on the horizon…), I thought it might be a good time to discuss our kids and more specifically all of the wonderful work and projects they bring home from school.
Whether it be their own fabulous painting projects or a science test, our kids will bring home plenty of work, and it won’t be possible to keep EVERYTHING. So how do we manage this task of balancing keeping with not keeping, and is there a way to keep these cherished childhood items clutter free? The answers are YES and YES!
To begin, you want to designate one box per child for the keepers, and try to keep the box to a reasonable size; if you don’t want to purchase these, feel free to make them yourself, as all it will take is a cardboard box and some decorative items. I would recommend no larger than a 16 x 20 box but you can also go smaller (larger works can easily be folded to accommodate an 8 x 12 box). Find a good place to keep these boxes so that when the creations and schoolwork start rolling in, you have a place to put them so they don’t create clutter, or even worse get lost in the shuffle.
Now that we have our receptacles taken care of, the next question is how to decide what to keep? Well, sometimes it is just intuition – your kindergarten aged child will likely do a lot of “abstract” finger painting which may or may not appear similar. You don’t have to keep them all I promise; just keep a few (often there are many that will appear similar as well). The same advice goes for school work and the like – choose a sampling of the works and keep those. How do you know when you are keeping too much you ask? If your box is full after one year, its a good indication that you are not culling enough. If you have a lot of trouble getting rid of these items, here is an idea: take pictures of some and then at some point you can put a small book together of the non-keepers. Don’t be afraid of getting rid of stuff – honestly, your kids won’t know the difference and if you keep the meaningful pieces you are on the right track.
Another wonderful idea that my sister-in-law has done is to showcase the “keepers” in a wonderful way on the wall. With some frames and wall space you can exhibit your children’s art and also feel free to replace them as they explore their artistic sides through the years. Thank you to Sophie and Margot Cundill for allowing me to showcase their wonderful works!
With this plan in place, your kids’ work will survive the test of time and one day you will be able to give them their box which they are sure to get a kick out of as the years roll by. 
Aside from helping with all of our decluttering needs, Avery hosts the Journey Into Yoga Podcast where she guides you through a different yoga pose each week explaining all that it has to offer the body and mind. Episodes and more can be found at averyrich.com. Check out this week’s show where we work with releasing the quads – the big four!
Avery Rich
Avery hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a background in both law and yoga! As a long time Yoga Instructor, she hosts the Journey Into Yoga podcast, a show which explores and demystifies a different yoga posture each week. A true believer in creating space in our bodies through yoga, her Declutter U newsletter is designed to provide tips and tools on how to create more space in our lives by decluttering.
