School’s about out for summer. To paraphrase the great refrain from Alice Cooper’s iconic anthem, and as the year wraps up, our little ones come bearing treasures from Art Class. Most of us can’t bring ourselves to throw all their creativity out, nor should we! So, we end up putting it all in a box that gets buried in a closet, the garage, the attic or other place where boxes of stuff go to die. Tragedy!

Another solution is to get it framed. Take one or a few of the pieces you really like, they may be legitimately good, or it might be sentimental, or just plain funny, it doesn’t have to be, and probably shouldn’t be about your young one’s artistic technique.

Kids art is perfect for your child’s bedroom and a collection of these over the years make for a great gallery wall in the play room or kitchen. They make great gifts for grandparents or other loved ones and, in your office, can serve as gentle reminders of what’s really important. There are two other side benefits…1) Kids love having their art up on the wall and 2) framing your kids art will take away any guilt you may have otherwise felt throwing the other stuff away! It’s ok, really it is…

There are a couple things to consider when framing your child’s art.

  • You don’t have to keep the framing simple, but you certainly can. It should be kept fun though, it’s the nature of the art. There are inexpensive frames and mats in every color of the rainbow and in many different finishes that will make their art pop on your wall.
  • Because of the nature of many of the materials used in classrooms, you need UV protective glass to help prevent fading. Even with the best UV glass, however, certain common materials are going to fade.
    Most felt markers and colored pens (not pencils) are extremely light sensitive and are going to fade in a room that gets any light. One solution here is to scan your child’s art and frame the print instead of the original. We put the original in a sleeve on the back to preserve it and give you ready access should you ever want to look at it.
  • Construction paper is also very light sensitive. The crayon or paint on it will in most cases be fine, but if the paper is colored, that color is going to fade over time.
  • Finally, get your child involved in the process. Maybe let them pick their favorite piece or bring them to the shop and let them pick the frame colors. Above all else, have fun with it!


Simple, colorful, inexpensive frames are perfect for youngster artwork