HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOLWORK STORAGE BOX TO KEEP ALL THOSE SPECIAL MEMENTOES IN ORDER

Kids are prolific producers of stuff during their school years. They make stuff at school, they make stuff at home. They make stuff in holiday clubs.

It can be really hard to decide what to keep and what to discard, especially in their early years. So here is a quick guide to putting together a schoolwork storage box that keeps everything in date order.

It’s worth putting in the effort setting up the storage box with a proper filing system, because as the years go on it’s harder to remember what was done when and it also makes it a whole lot easier to edit the mementoes as time goes on.

So here is a quick guide on how to put together a simple, functional school work storage box, so that you can keep everything they produce in a nice organised way.

HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOLWORK STORAGE BOX

Kids are prolific producers of stuff.

They make stuff at school.

They make stuff at home.

There is a lot of stuff they will want to keep

There is some stuff that you will want to keep.

What starts as a well managed pile of stuff when your kiddo first starts producing finger paintings and scribble art can soon become an unmanageable mess of stuff dotted around your home in various piles, cupboards and boxes.

School memories overload

So, what to do with all the stuff before you drown in it?

This question is particularly pertinent at the start of the school year – when you have great intentions for finally sticking to a great system for organising all their school memories…

…and at the end of the school year, when you’re sweet faced kiddo arrives home with yet another huge pile of STUFF.

How to organise kids’ mementoes

You need to a way to organise the stuff in a simple, easy to manage way.

This needs to be a long-term solution.

Because your kids won’t stop producing stuff until they leave home.

NB: If you have boomerang kids, you only need to take responsibility for the management of storage of the stuff they produce until they turn 18 😉

Ok, so how to do we tackle this problem?

How to create memory storage for kids

I think that creating a memory storage box for your kiddo is the easiest, most practical way of going about things.

You could use my previous method for storing all your child’s stuff in a memory box…

Buy a big storage box and chuck all the stuff in it.

But I’ve discovered that whilst this is a quick solution to having stuff dotted around our home, it’s not the best long-term solution.

Go figure!

So, here’s the best way to create a kids memory storage box that will last through the years, be easy to access and easy to navigate.

How to create a memory storage box for your child

Creating a memory storage box for your child’s school years is a great way to keep the clutter of kid-generated stuff to a minimum AND end up with a fabulous treasure trove of artwork, schoolwork and mementoes from your offspring’s childhood.

Use it to store schoolwork, reports, artwork, certificates…

To create your school memory box you will need the following things.

1. A large storage box

I’ve got this brilliant box by Really Useful.

Really Useful storage box | Amazon

It’s a clear 64 litre box that you can hang foolscap suspension files in.

You can get smaller boxes that also fit suspension files in, like this 35 litre box, which takes A4 suspension files.

But my aim is to confine ALL of M’s memories to one box!

I also like that the foolscap file size allows for storing paper bigger than A4.

I’ll also add that Really Useful is an eco-friendly company.

Read about its recycling efforts.

2. A set of suspension files

As I mentioned above, I prefer foolscap size suspension files, because you can get more into them – as in bigger paper sizes.

If you’re going to do every school year you will need around 15 files, but it may be worth buying a few more to cover off over-flow from the younger years.

Foolscap suspension files | Nice Day on Amazon

3. Labels

Now, labels aren’t essential, you can simply write on the files. Or you can buy some A4 self-adhesive paper and then download the simple labels that I’ve created. Don’t worry, they’re totally free.

OR…

You can of course design your own labels. I use Canva.

But, if you don’t have the time, or don’t feel that creative, then let’s go back to the fact you can download the super simple labels I’ve created for free. No need to give your email address, just click on the link and download away.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE School Memory File Labels

So now you’re all set.

If you don’t do it already, I suggest writing the date and any other likely to be forgotten details on the back of artwork.

It’s amazing how much you think you’ll remember, but then actually forget in a sea of constant stuff gathering!

My other top tip is to store the memory box somewhere that’s relatively easy to access.

Yes, it may be in the attic or basement, but have it near the front, so you don’t end up having to wrestle your way through a bunch of other stuff each time you need to add some more stuff into it.

That way you’ll keep up the momentum of filing everything, rather than reverting to pile making.

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