Jill A. Chafin
Struggling to stay on top of your child’s endless piles of artwork? Here are six ways you can easily display their wonderful creative works, while keeping your home clutter-free.
You don’t want to stifle your child’s artistic expression but at the same time, though, you want to prevent your home from becoming overrun with huge stacks of drawings, doodles, paintings, and whatever else your child might make in art class.
Stay ahead of the clutter by creating a display system. You can easily use it the next time your child hands you a drawing (which will probably be later today).
Still feeling overwhelmed? Be sure to check out some other ideas about what you can do with all your child’s masterpieces.
Hang It on a Wall or Window
The absolute easiest way to display your child’s artwork is to hang it on the wall. You can do so with tape, mounting putty, or these fun decorative tacks.
This technique provides splashes of color and creativity everywhere, from the kitchen and hallways, to the bedrooms and doors.
Another trend is to hang your child’s drawings in a window for the outside world to enjoy. This started during the COVID-19 lockdown. People displayed rainbow paintings in an attempt to spread some joy.
However, there’s no rule stating it must be a rainbow. Tape up anything your child wants to share.
String Them Up
Don’t want to deal with mounting putty and tacks every time you’re handed a new masterpiece? Try a hassle-free system instead, like a string with clips.
We love this basic photo display hanging kit, which comes with a 3M peel and stick design. There’s no need to drill holes or use nails.
This stainless-steel shower curtain wire from IKEA (shown in the image above) is another popular option. Hey, if it’s sturdy enough to hold a shower curtain, it’s definitely equipped to handle your child’s endless supply of artwork.
We also like this hanging mobile that transforms your child’s works into a magical spinning display. Hang it above their bed so they can enjoy their whimsical creations as they fall asleep.
Want to make your own hanging system? It’s super easy! Just get a spool of twine, secure it with nails, and get a bag of mini clothespins. Done!
Clipboards
Do you have any old clipboards you don’t use anymore? If not, you can grab some cheap ones at the thrift or dollar store and repurpose them.
You just hammer in some nails and hang the clipboards, and then you have an easy display system for your child’s artwork. If you don’t want to put holes in your walls, clipboards are light enough to hang with command strips.
Check out Clean and Scentsible for more inspiration, including spray painting the clipboards for a uniform look.
Frames
If you frame your child’s artwork, it not only makes her feel special, proud, and accomplished, but it will preserve her drawing or painting for years. You can get regular frames for cheap at the thrift or Dollar store.
Alternatively, you can take the glass and backing out of your frames and replace them with corkboard. This allows you to tack up drawings quickly and change them out when a new one comes along. Check out this tutorial on how to turn a picture frame into a cork message board.
There are also picture frames designed specifically for kid’s artwork. This 8.5- x 11-inch artwork frame opens in the front, making it super-easy to switch out pictures.
We also love this four-way display frame. The slots on each side make sliding drawings in and out a breeze. There’s even extra space to store some drawings behind the one that’s being displayed.
Finally, you can make these awesome magnetic frames and transform your fridge into your child’s artistic landscape.
Clothes Hangers
You know those clothes hangers designed for pants and skirts? If you have some and aren’t using them all, you can repurpose them to display your child’s work. It’s pretty simple: you just secure the hangers to a wall, and then clip the picture. Easy!
You can check out the full tutorial at Honest, which includes instructions for painting and stenciling your child’s name on the hangers.
Wallpaper Art
If you have artistically inclined children who must create mountains of artwork on a daily basis, consider dedicating an entire wall to their muse.
Just get a large roll of paper, and then secure it to a wall with tape, mounting putty, or tacks. Make sure the strips of paper overlap, though—you don’t want any doodles to end up on your paint, paneling, or actual wallpaper. Now, your kids can draw directly on the wall and display their work, eliminating those stacks of artwork.
You can also paint a wall with chalkboard paint or apply chalkboard contact paper. Your kids will have hours of fun doodling to their heart’s content. You can take pictures of their daily masterpieces, and then wipe it clean to start again tomorrow.
If you dream of a clutter-free home, but also want your kids to be able to express their creativity, you just need to implement a display system for their work.
Keep in mind that it’s also okay to throw out some artwork or turn it into wrapping paper. Not every creation needs to be kept forever. This makes the pieces you do save that much more special.
