Are you looking to create a school memory box for your child? Look no further, this is the best way to organize your child’s school pictures, artwork, report cards, achievements, and more!
If your kids are like mine, they come home from school with so many papers each day. Having three kids myself, I know just how fast those papers can stack up if you don’t have a good organizing system in place.
When my oldest was in kindergarten, she would come home daily with a stack of school and artwork. At first, I struggled trying to decide which papers I should save and which papers I should throw away. When I did throw something away, I always felt guilty about doing so.
Over the last few years, I have developed an organizational system that allows me to save the important things in a school memory box and throw the others without guilt.
In this post you will learn all about what items of your child’s you should keep, the supplies you’ll need for a school memory box, and a few key steps to staying organized and not letting those papers pile up on your counter.
This post is all about a school memory box.
School Memory Box
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.
What to Keep
- Artwork
- Schoolwork such as writing pieces
- Awards or Certificates
- Achievements
- Testing Scores
- Report Cards
- First & Last Day of School Interview
- Birthday Interview
Staying Organized
Once kids start school, they come home with SO many papers. When my oldest started kindergarten, I remember struggling to find that balance of how many to save and which ones were worth keeping.
This is when I decided to get a plastic storage container like this that was big enough to hold 8.5×11 paper. Every day when she would come home, I would go through her folder, look at her school and artwork, and stick it ALL right into her bin.
I didn’t have to make the decision of what to keep and what to throw; it all went into the school/art bin. This also went for any art she did at home; we’d either hang it up or put it in her art bin.
At the end of the school year, I would go through the bin and take pictures of each piece of artwork that she created so I could put it into a Shutterfly photo album. Then, I would choose about ten of my favorite pieces to save. I would also save a few pieces of school work such as writing assignments.
After deciding what to save, I laminate the items. I recommend either writing your child’s name and grade on the back before laminating, or you could wait and put a sticker label with their name and grade on after you laminate.
Then, I send a few to grandparents and throw away ALL of the remaining papers. I feel so much less guilty because I will be putting the art into a photo album, and also because so much time has passed since she made the artwork.
The items that I have laminated will be saved and put into my child’s school memory box.
School Memory Box Supplies
- File Box with Lid (Preferably a Latching One)
- School Memory Box Printable
- Marker
- Tape
- Scissors
- Hanging File Folders
- File Folder Tabs
Directions For Making a School Memory Box
The first step is to buy a file box with a lid. I got the Ezy Waterproof File Storage Box from Target, but there are many different options out there to choose from.
Make sure to get one that latches shut and doesn’t just snap on. Trust me, you don’t want the lid coming off once you’ve organized all of your file folders.
Once you have your bin, print off the free school memory box printable at the bottom of the page. The first page of the printable says “My School Memory Box” with a line underneath it.
Using a marker, write your child’s name on this line. Then, tape this to the inside of the box so you will be able to tell what the box is and who it belongs to (makes it much easier if you have more than one child and memory bin).
Next, you will need hanging file folders. I ordered this assorted gem tone Blue Summit 25-pack for one of my daughters, and a rainbow assorted pack for my other daughter.
Choose whichever brand and colors you like best, but make sure the folders are the correct size and will fit inside the school memory box you have.
Now, print off my free file label printable at the bottom of the page. Cut out the file folder tab labels you want to use and put them inside the file folder tabs.
Then, place the file folders in your file box and order them from kindergarten all the way up to twelfth grade.
On the front of each grade folder, you can also glue or tape my free printable grade summary.
On these, you can fill in your child’s school, teacher, and year, write in some of their favorite memories and glue on a wallet-sized school picture. You can also have your child add their signature (it’ll be cool to watch it change over the years).
Once you have your folders set up in the school memory box, add in their keepsakes.
School Memory Box Printable
Here is the free school memory box printable for you to download and print. There are two different color themes you can choose from.
School Memory Box File Folder Printable
Here are the free file folder labels for organizing your school memory box. There are two different color themes to choose from. I also included a black and white printer friendly version.
This Post Was All About A School Memory Box
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How To Create An Epic Family Time Capsule Your Future Self Will Thank You For
First Day of School Interview – Free Printable Questionnaire For Kids
240+ FREE Printable Kid Lunch Jokes To Put In Your Child’s Lunchbox For An Entire Year