There are so many papers that come home from school, so many drawings by little ones, so many things that are tempting to keep.
For kids’ papers and projects, it’s hard to know what’s important and what’s not. If you ask your kids, they’ll likely tell you it’s ALL important. Spoiler alert, it’s not.
KIDS’ PAPERS I SAVE: -Evaluation forms/reports from teachers -Quality photographs from the teacher -Handwriting/sentences that share this station in life
KIDS’ PAPERS I DON’T SAVE: -Notes from friends -Anything with glitter -Bulky items -Cut/glue worksheets -Coloring pages
KIDS’ PAPERS I SAVE: -Report Cards -Certificates or Awards -10ish% of tests, 1-2 per subject per school year -Artwork that shows creativity/skill
KIDS’ PAPERS I DON’T SAVE: -Old workbooks -School correspondence -Notes from the school nurse -90% of tests -Worksheets
Once you have your criteria or guidelines set, enact them right away. If something comes out of a folder and isn’t keep-worthy, recycle it ASAP.
My goal for the memory boxes is to capture who my children are for that snippet in time. If I save too much, none of it will be meaningful because there will just be too much.