We created Kid Chronicles kits to help address sorting and storing children’s sentimental papers and artwork. While it addresses a lot of the sentimental storage issue, it doesn’t address it all -- what about the stuff that doesn’t fit in the file box?

So, for this third installment of our Kid Chronicles series, we are focusing on how to sort and store sentimental items that aren’t paper. It’s a big question for many families. What should you keep? What toys, personal mementos and/or physical pieces are you going to want to have later on?

And, once you decide what to keep, how should you store it?

What to Keep

First and foremost be true to yourself and what you love and cherish. Don’t just save what you think you are supposed to save out of obligation or guilt. Keep the things that mean something to you or your child – the lovey, the first lock of hair, a cherished outfit or a favorite nighttime book. If you are questioning something, give yourself a moment to say goodbye before you pass it along or even take a photo. But, remember that the memory, not the item is most important – and let that idea help guide your decision-making process.

Clothing: Keep a few sentimental, memory invoking pieces but there is no need to keep every swimsuit or hat or pair of shoes. These items can typically be recycled to friends and family or donated and give lots of joy to a new family.
Heirlooms: Clearly these should be kept and, in most cases, stored in a safe place unless they are in high use or something that you truly love to look at every day.
Books: Outside of a few favorites, move any books in good enough shape to a local charity or donation center so that another child can enjoy it.
Photos: Take time to review the photos on your phone to get rid of the ones that just aren’t worth saving. And, make sure to back them up onto the cloud or a computer/hard drive regularly. If you have printed photos, they can be kept in the Kid Chronicles kit by year or in archival paper as noted in later on in the article.

And, no matter what -- remember the golden rule when it comes to saving keepsakes, less is more meaningful. With every item culled, you are making space for new memories.

How to Store…Clothing & Textiles

All clothing and fabrics being kept should be washed and thoroughly dried or dry cleaned before you store it. Pay special attention to stains and try to remove them before you think about putting them away.
Once the clothing is clean, you can wrap it in acid-free archival tissue paper to help preserve it. But no matter what you do – tissue or no tissue, it is best to avoid storing it in plastic bags which can trap moisture. If you are trying to store items for the long term, steer clear of vacuum sealed bags which are great space savers but can leave things very wrinkled and not in ideal condition.
Then, place the clothing either in archival boxes or in plastic lidded bins. Clear bins are great so that you can see the items inside. However, if your storage area may be exposed to light, consider choosing opaque and/or darker bins to avoid fading.
Clearly label each box with the contents and consider adding a note about the items being kept and why they are sentimental.
When storing the boxes, place them in a climate-controlled space like an interior closet or under a bed – not in a basement, attic or garage unless they are climate controlled.

How to Store Everything Else

Silver should be stored in felt bags to help the items from tarnishing with age. Depending on what you need to store, you can find a variety of silver storage bags here and here. Once these individual items have been properly packed, put them inside weathertight plastic storage containers to prevent the risk of water damage.
Photos should be stored in acid free paper and kept in a storage box or consider using one of these photo preservation kits to make sure that they don’t get bent or otherwise ruined. If you have the time, sort and label them by year to make it easier and even more fun to look through in the future. Remember to toss pictures that have lost their meaning. There is also an option to create a scrapbook of old letters, photographs and items such as concert ticket stubs. A book will condense the memories into one item and you naturally become more selective in what is worth preserving when it is attached to a project such as a scrapbook.
If you are storing items that are particularly sentimental or even potentially valuable, look into some of the storage envelopes like this so ensure that they stay safe.

To purchase your own Kid Chronicle’s memory box, head to our Shop page and, if you want to read more about the Kid Chronicle’s products, read our launch post or our post about storing art.

Now that Kid Chronicles are officially available (click here for our shop page), it is time to dig into how to edit your children’s paperwork and artwork. We have touched on reviewing and saving art before but we took a deeper dive in this piece should you need a little help kick starting the editing process.

Happy Organizing!

Make a Drop Zone

The first step is to find a place that is easily reached to gather everything that comes into the house. This is often called a Drop Zone. Then, once a week or once a month or even every day, take the time to review it.

Take a Que from Frozen and…Let It Go.

When evaluating the onslaught of paperwork and artwork and…, ask yourself if it would mean something to you down the road if your child’s name wasn’t on it? If the answer is no, it is probably safe to get out the recycling bin. Self-portraits, holiday-specific pieces or reflection work are definitely worth saving as they tell a story and are fun to have as part of a personal history – likely a bit more than math homework or English quizzes. Outside of those “keep” pieces, it would be wise to save anything you love, that sparks a memory of a shared experience or anything tied to proud accomplishments in your child’s life. This can also include non-school related items such as family holiday cards, party invitations, soccer team photos, field day ribbons, cards from friends and family for birthdays and holidays and even teeth x-ray pictures from the dentist.

Put it Away.

Once you determine the pieces you want to keep, transfer them to your child’s Kid Chronicles box. Ideally the box should live in an accessible place near a landing spot where all of these items are dropped off in the first place. In our house, this box lives in my son’s room but many clients keep their boxes in the kitchen or home office.

Year End Edit and Long-Term Storage.

The end of each school year is a good time to review all of the items that ended up in your child’s memory box again. You will likely find that even a review after nine months can make it easier to part with things.

Some children are very prolific artists and sometimes you want to keep more than can fit in one hanging folder so feel free to add others as needed for these situations.

Last But Not Least – Label It.

Each Kid Chronicles box also includes a set of labels for all of the 3-D artwork and others pieces that were not originally signed by the artist. And, although the clay item will not fit in the box, you can order an additional name place and attach it to a secondary storage box to save those creations. Some of our favorite secondary storage boxes are linked here.

Disclaimer for Parent of the Overly Sentimental Child.

A lot of children like to squirrel away any and every item they put effort into and don’t like the idea of getting rid of them. We think it is never too early to begin teaching the littles organization skills and artwork and schoolwork are a great place to start. If you need a little guidance in this area, you can check out our earlier post on the topic.

To purchase your own Kid Chronicle’s memory box, head to our Shop page.