*Blog post updated October 27, 2025*
If you’ve ever wondered what to do with the constant flow of papers, artwork, awards, and notes your kids bring home—this post is for you. For years, I didn’t have a great system and just let things pile up, thinking I’d organize them someday. But “someday” never came… until I finally figured out a simple process that actually works and keeps everything meaningful while cutting down the clutter.
Step 1: Do a Quick Sort When Papers Come Home
Every week, my kids bring home piles of things—schoolwork, art projects, announcements, drawings, and random treasures. Instead of letting it all stack up, I do a quick sort as soon as I can.
I keep what I think I might want—like a sweet note, a standout report card, or something that shows their personality—and recycle the rest. This first round doesn’t have to be perfect; it’s just about separating the meaningful from the inevitable excess.
Step 2: Store Papers in a Temporary Bin
Once I’ve done that initial sort, everything I’m keeping goes into a temporary paper storage bin. This is just a tiered paper organizer I keep in my office cabinet where all those “maybe keep” papers live for a while. I like to keep them organized by person so I don't have to wonder who it belongs to later on.
I rounded up some tiered paper storage containers similar to the one I have here.
The key is that it’s easy—a place where papers can go until I’m ready to do a deeper edit.
Step 3: Do a Second Sort Every Few Months
Every few months (or whenever the bin starts to overflow), I pull everything out and go through it again. This time I’m more selective. I keep only the most special, memorable things—less is more here.
Here’s what usually makes the cut:
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Art or writing that shows creativity or personality
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Schoolwork they’re proud of
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Meaningful notes or cards they’ve received
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Team photos and awards
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Certificates or programs from activities
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Special creations they made on their own
The goal isn’t to keep everything—it’s to curate a small, meaningful collection that captures their growth and memories from that year.
Step 4: Trim, Fold, and Prepare for Storage
Once I know what I’m keeping, I’ll trim or fold papers as needed so they fit nicely into sheet protectors. This helps everything stay neat and uniform, even if the papers themselves are different sizes.
Step 5: Add to the Memory Book
Each of my kids has their own memory book—one binder that holds keepsakes from every school year. I can’t tell you how much I love these. My kids can flip through them whenever they want without messing anything up, and it keeps all their memories organized and accessible instead of buried in a box somewhere.
Here’s how I put them together:
Finding the Perfect Binders
I wanted something durable and neutral that still looked nice, since our memory books are displayed in a glass cabinet. I scoured the internet until I found colored binders that came in complementary shades—five different colors that felt calm and cohesive. I got Gray, Taupe, Charcoal Gray, Navy Blue, and Olive.
Choosing Sheet Protectors
These were surprisingly hard to find! I wanted clear, heavy-duty sheet protectors with no branding or haze so the papers could shine through beautifully.
Hunting Down the Right Dividers
If you’ve ever used sheet protectors, you know that most dividers don’t stick out far enough. I searched for extra-wide, heavy-duty plastic dividers that wouldn’t tear or bend with use. These are perfect for keeping each grade or year separate.
Customizing the Binder Spines
At first, I tried writing on the spines with a paint marker, but it didn’t love how it looked. So I designed my own Canva template to match the color of each binder as closely as possible. I printed the labels on sticker paper, covered them with packing tape to “laminate” them, and stuck them on the sides. Totally extra—but totally worth it.
(You can download my Canva spine label template here.)
Why I Love This System
The best part of organizing keepsakes this way is that it’s manageable and meaningful. Each child will have just a few binders instead of boxes full of random papers. They can look back through their books whenever they want, and everything is easy to store and display.
Plus, because I’ve curated what goes inside, the pages actually tell the story of their childhood—without the overwhelm.
Step 6: Keep It Simple
You absolutely don’t have to go all out with matching binders and custom labels like I did. You can use white binders, standard sheet protectors, or even a file folder system—whatever fits your space and style. The key is having a plan for what to keep and where it goes.
Materials I Used
(You can link each one here to your LTK or Amazon Storefront.)
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the paper that comes home from school—but once you have a system, it takes almost no time to maintain. I love knowing that I’m saving the best memories for my kids without drowning in clutter.
If you want to recreate your own, I’ve linked everything I used [here]. And if you’d like a peek at how I put the binders together, check out my Instagram reel all about it!
