With Spring cleaning in full swing plus the second half of the school year, some of you might be looking for ideas to organize all those adorable memories from the year.
I have a super simple idea to organize report cards, photos, art and projects plus a cute little free printable to use for memories. All this stuff can get so overwhelming but yet the precious little things the kiddos make are so special and important to keep.
So here is how I keep it all organized:
I love these Poppin zip folios in bright pink and yellow. I have a yellow set for one kid and pink for the other. Sadly those are the only two colors available so you can grab Poppin folios by clicking here or if that isn’t your thing, there are plain clear folios by clicking here.
Hanging folders would also work but I really like these folios because they keep things super tidy and protected again dust, grabby little fingers and accidental spills.
I sort these by child and by year. So I have a folder for preschool, Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th for my big girl so far. All her adorable art, special projects, notes from teachers, dance recital programs, soccer pictures and so on go inside. My other daughter has Preschool, Kinder, 1st folders. These folios do hold quite a bit but I still have to edit down what is really important. So far I have managed to get everything I want to keep in these with only a few exceptions like the giant, oversized Days of Creation book one child made in preschool. Otherwise I really can get everything I want to save inside.
Next you can either cut out vinyl labels to label each folder, add your own labels, print something out and tape it or I have a free printable that makes a really cute cover.
You can print out this school year memory page and have your littles color/ fill it in. These are my favorite keepsakes. So fun to go back and see how they change over the years and also what sticks out in their little minds. For my 9 year old, she drew a picture from the school Christmas play (she was a shepherd.)
If you have school photos you can tape those into the photo spot or have your child color in a photo. I actually never buy school photos (gasp!) since we get professional family photos each year. I did have some cute soccer ones of my littlest this year though with her Daddy so I used that for her page:
One of these days I will laminate the pages and then tape them back on the front of the folio. You can find super inexpensive laminators here from Amazon and they do come in handy for all sorts of projects.
And that is it! A simple, space saving way to organize the school memories from the kids. To actually store the folios, you can find storage tubs in any discount store or office supply store.
Here are a few cute ones that are very reasonably priced:
Wood Storage Box // Woven Box // Kraft paper box // oversized woven box // Cargo Box // Blue box
You can download the free school year printable here.
The box I have holds 10 folios easily. I suspect I can fit about 12 or so in there total and then I will create a second box for Junior High and High School momentos.
Ta da! All organized and put away in a neat little box.
And here are a few other posts you might enjoy:
Love this idea! My son started pre-school this year so I am looking for a way to organize his papers. Better to start now than to wait until it piles up! Thank you! Love your blog…I check it several times a day and have found great deals and ideas. Keep up the great work!
Hi SS- for the little ones sometimes they get the oversized stuff I mentioned but I actually got 99% of the little treasures into those pouches for both kids. There is a ton for Preschool, Kinder and 1st and then sadly the folders get thinner. This year in 4th my daughter has barely anything to put in a folder.
I scan or take photos of all of my children’s artwork and make it into a Shutterfly book. Always with a coupon, of course! Then I just throw away all of the daily work and only keep the really special things that have handprints or something similar. It’s nice because I can also include photos from events such as the first day of school, Christmas program, photos with the teacher, etc. I will also save and show how their handwriting changed over the year,
The items I keep go in a folder by year and then into a rubbermaid box in the closet.
I’ve made one for every year of preschool. For elementary, I’m thinking I will do one book for kindergarten and then a separate book that would include the rest of elementary (since they don’t bring home as many cute things after that). I’ve taken my finished books to school to show the teachers and they always enjoy looking at them too.