10 Reasons To Do More With Your Kids’ Artwork + Give Away

This give away is now closed. Thanks to all those who entered. The very luck winner was Cate. Congratulations Cate and I will email you shortly.

This week’s guest post is from Nathan and Sara Hodges, founders of Art Eater, which is all about kids’ artwork – creating it, displaying it and preserving it. To celebrate the launch of their gorgeous new products, Art Eater are also having a give away for readers, so read on to the end for details!

1. Your kids’ artwork is how your kids see the world.

As parents, we all spend so much money and time on capturing how the world sees our kids – photo sessions, albums, photobooks, portraits, family snaps. We certainly do. But so often we let that precious, ever-developing record of how our kids see the world – their artwork – just slip through our fingers. We did this too. And it’s such a shame.

2. Your kids will feel great about it.

There’s nothing better for a child’s confidence and pride than seeing adults taking interest in what they’ve created, especially if that interest means displaying it on a wall or in a book or on a gift or card for someone special. You watch their faces.

3. Your kids will remember creating the artwork you display.

We’ve always been amazed by this. Ask your kids, and they’ll usually be able to tell you what they were thinking at the time, what they felt about the result, what they were trying to do – all sorts of detail. Write this stuff down. Even on the back of the artwork. It’s priceless. This is how the artwork itself becomes part of the memories, in a way that photographs hardly ever seem to do.

4. It keeps it safe.

Nothing worse than opening up the boxes of your kids’ artwork you’ve been keeping in the garage or the loft for a few years, and finding it’s yellow or it’s damp or it’s been eaten. Been there, done that. Sorting it out and preserving it properly is so easy to do these days. Don’t lose your kids’ artwork to time and the elements.

5. It’s fun for you and your kids.

You’ll probably enjoy doing it anyway, but getting your kids involved in sorting through the best and most memorable pieces is also a lovely thing to do. And if they’re anything like our kids they’re more than happy to be part of the process. After all – it’s all about them!

6. It gets rid of the clutter.

As parents, we all wage a constant war against stuff hanging around the house in places it shouldn’t. Sorting through the mountain of kids’ artwork every term – or at least once a year – should help keep that space under the bed or those shelves in the garage reasonably free. Just make sure the kids don’t fill the space with other stuff…

7. It maintains your kids’ interest and confidence.

So many children lose faith in their creative ability around the ages of eight, nine and ten. We’re on the lookout for this all the time right now. Just as they realise they want to add perspective and a bit of realism to their drawings and paintings, they also enter a period when peer approval and fitting in becomes important. The result is that they often stop experimenting, or even stop creating artwork altogether for fear of criticism or ridicule. If their output has been valued, displayed and preserved for a few years already, it can help when they get to this stage – or at least, help get them through it a bit quicker.

8. It’s just great for Christmas and birthdays.


There is no more original present than your kids’ creative output. Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts – especially those living some way away or overseas – they just love to receive the kinds of gifts that can be produced these days featuring your children’s artwork. And sending greetings cards, invitations and thank-you notes can be that much more personal when done with kids’ art too. We find it works brilliantly and at Art Eater we have a range of options you can choose from – personalised gifts.

9. It’s easier than you think!

You don’t need any technical ability or special equipment any more to ensure your kids’ artwork lasts a lifetime. For instance, you can just pack it up and send it by post to us here at Art Eater and it’s all looked after for you. It’s just the thing for busy parents because – guess what – it was designed by busy parents!

10. It can look just fabulous.

Some of the ways to display your kids’ artwork these days can be breathtaking. Go on – take a quick look at the Mini Gallery, our latest bright idea, for instance. 30 images reduced and professionally printed with archival inks on rag paper, then mounted and hand-framed to look like nothing else. It’s as original as your kids themselves.

Art Eater Give Away

Art Eater would like to give away a $50 voucher to one reader from Planning With Kids. To enter simply head on over to Art Eater and check out their amazing ideas on how to preserve kids art work, then leave a comment below on what you would spend it on.

Entry is open to Australian residents only and limited to one entry per person. Entries close at 5pm 26th Oct 2010. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced at the top of this post later that day. The winner will also be notified via email. If no response is received within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn. Good luck!