Tips for displaying kid’s artwork

You love those scribbles, doodles, and stick-figures of “mommy” drawn by your little ones, but perhaps it’s been a while since you’ve seen the front of your fridge. Luckily for moms everywhere, the rules for displaying children’s art have changed in a big way!

We’ve asked three blogging moms to share their tips for freeing-up the fridge and displaying their children’s art with style!

Before you start with your hanging up your children’s art wherever you can find a blank space, take a look around the house. Kate, who is the creative mind behind the Centsational Girl blog explains, “I think it’s important to first decide where the artwork will be displayed, then go from there.” Her post, Playroom Art Gallery Wall, explains how she converted an empty wall into a “gallery” dedicated to the creations of her three children.

To identify areas within your home that are suited for your children’s art display, ask yourself these questions:

• What areas of your home do the kids use most?
• Where do the kids play in your home?
• Where do the kids take their friends in your home?
• Where will the kids enjoy their art most?

Melissa, from 320 Sycamore, looks for the areas of her house that her five children use most. She recommends displaying children’s art in the playroom so her kids and their friends can see it often, while Ronda from Batchelor’s Way suggests small displays throughout the home. To display the creations of her six children, Ronda explains, “I put their artwork anywhere it looks good, or makes me happy. I have some in the kitchen, the little kids’ bathroom, and the kids even use it to decorate their own rooms.”

Since children’s artwork changes quickly, it’s important to consider budget-friendly solutions for your display. Both Kate and Ronda recommend inexpensive frames from bargain stores, or thrift shops. Kate suggests uniting a collection of frames with spray paint to create an attractive grouping, and Ronda explains, “A simple, inexpensive frame makes the art look important.”

Melissa shared the idea of using odds-and-ends you already own to create an inexpensive display. For the gallery wall she created for her family, Melissa says, “We had some leftover molding from finishing our basement and I got to thinking…’how could we use this?’ We just spray painted it a bright color and then hot glued some clips to it.” Her post, Z Art Gallerie describes the process she took to create this display in a budget-friendly way.

Arranging your children’s art in a gallery-style display will create cohesiveness, while complimenting your home’s décor. Kate suggest that you, “hang floating shelves, use a chair rail or isolate some other portion of your wall to create a gallery. Choose frames large and small that coordinate with the space, then put the kids in charge to decide which are the most important or significant pieces they want to display.”

To create an easy gallery arrangement, Kate recommends keeping all of the frames within one color family. However, you can also enhance a gallery arrangement with pops of color, and even gallery-style lighting.

There are many ways to display children’s art, so have fun with it! If frames are not your thing, try Melissa’s recommendation of a, “simple wire across the wall with paper clips, or curtain clips to hold the art.” She explains, “it’s fun to hang the wire on decorative cabinet knobs as well!”

When making over her son Jaysen’s room, Ronda and her husband created a recessed metal cubby enhanced by puck lights to display his artwork. Since the art is held in place by magnets, it can easily be changed out to display new creations.

To get creative with her son’s room, Kate created a gallery wall filled with art he created, and art he simply loved. Her post, Boys Room Tour explains the art display she made just for him and his Star Wars-loving-ways!

Though you love all of your child’s creations, it’s important to regularly rotate art pieces within your display. To make rotating the art easier, you can try the Lil Davinci Art Cabinet (Amazon.com, $30 for an 8-1/2 x11-inch cabinet). It’s a bit more expensive than most frames, but the hinged front on this frame conveniently allows art to be rotated without removing the frame from the wall.

As art work cycles through your display, save priceless keepsake items in a scrapbook, album, or personal journal. Kate explains, “I keep special keepsakes on an inspiration board in my office, or even tucked in my daily planner. Looking at something created just for me by my sweet little monkeys always makes me smile!”

Find out how to preserve your kids’ artwork by photographing it, in this video >>

More fun with art

Essential arts and crafts supplies to keep in the house
Supplementing your child’s art education
Plan a messy art day for your preschooler