Where do you put all the papers the kids bring home from school? I have the solution for you: a Childhood Keepsake Box! Order yours here.
I talked about these boxes over the summer on my social media and I love them so much that I decided to make them for others! It's hard to know what to do with all the papers and art the kids bring home every day.
Each day my kids bring home worksheets or art, they seem very attached to them and unwilling to throw them away. Even if it's just a random drawing (my kids are all always drawing vehicles!) I have a file holder at the end of a cabinet in the kitchen where papers for each child can go. Once that is full, I go through the papers without the kids so I can decide what is really important. Ask yourself, "what would I want to see from this age when I am grown up?" If it's not something that shows the child's personality, gifts, or has a strong memory attached to it, it's not worth saving, because when they are grown up, they won't want it either!
I am very sentimental and it's hard for me to pitch things, so I go through the papers another time at the end of the school year. After 6-9 months have passed, it's easier for me to have some separation from the items and I feel better about weeding out.
Then the school work (paperwork, handwriting work, artwork, certificates, awards, etc) gets filed into their keepsake box for the appropriate age/grade. I keep these in their bedroom closets so they are easy to get to. The more accessible you make your storage that you need regular access to, the more likely you are to actually use it as intended. If these boxes get buried in the basement, you are less likely to take the time to file your child's school work.
The goal is to keep it to one keepsake box per child so that when they are grown up and moving out of the house, you can pass onto them a single box of their school memories. But don't feel like you have failed if you can't do that. Some of us are more sentimental than others, and that's ok! Just be sure you are being very intentional about you deem appropriate to keep. Really think about what you would value seeing from your childhood as a now adult.
I do have some other sentimental items from the kids that I keep in a separate, bigger watertight storage tote, like favorite outfits, baby items, special toys and books that might be worth passing on someday, etc. If they have kids in the future, it will be fun for them to see some of the things they enjoyed as kids. But again, I try to limit this to only the things with strong sentimental or practical value.
Take the time now to organize your child's school papers. Get these precious memories into a plastic box that won't be damaged by water or end up with mouse poop mixed in (gross!). Make the investment in this file box so that you can organize as they grow up and not be stuck with a giant mish mash of school papers later that feels too overwhelming to deal with.
Order a box and start organizing those keepsakes here. You won't regret it!
Childhood keepsake boxes include the following:
Plastic file box
25 hanging file folders labeled with 25 printed tab labels + 5 blanks (Baby, Toddler, 2-3 years old, 4-5 years old, each grade level: K-12, Graduation, College, Sports, Photos, Keepsakes, Cards/Letters, Medical, Miscellaneous)
White permanent vinyl name applied to front of box
Price of the box is $65. If you order 2 or more, the price drops to $60/each.
If you know that you won't be able to fit your child's keepsakes in one box, you can add on an extra vinyl name decal ($5/each) so that when you fill the first box, you can start another one and have matching decals! I will email you the link to purchase extra file boxes.
Pick up is in Zionsville, IN. Delivery within a 20 mile radius of Zionsville is available for $10.
Boxes will be completed within 2 weeks of ordering.
If you are not local and would like to order a DIY kit, you can do so via my Etsy shop. DIY kits include 25 printed tab labels and white permanent vinyl name ready for you to apply (file box and file folders are not included). I will send you the links to order the file box and file folders.
