If you’ve been keeping years’ worth of children’s artwork in boxes and not quite sure what to do with them, how about displaying those beautiful masterpieces in your home? Creating a gallery wall with children’s art is a simple and affordable way to fill up a wall with colour, memories and personality, while letting the kids know how much their work is valued.
There are many ways to create a gallery wall, although it can be intimidating if you don’t know where to begin. Ottawa parenting expert Julie Findlay (@momintheknow) offers tips for creating a beautiful wall featuring children’s artwork and believes, “Creativity is in all of us, so let your little artist shine! People will see something unique in each piece of art displayed.”
Don’t be a perfectionist. Hanging art doesn’t have to be difficult, and it certainly doesn’t have to look perfect. Often, we think art should be hung in a certain uniform way, but the more creative you get, the more your walls will pop with personality and feeling. It’s fun to let the children get involved in this project too.
Gather the artwork and lay it on the floor in front of you so you get an idea of how much wall space you need. Next, choose a wall in your home that would work best to display the art (a living room wall, up a staircase, or over the family room couch).
Get your tools together. You don’t need much to put your children’s gallery wall together, but you do need some essential tools to get started. This includes the artwork, of course, different styles of frames, (or other material if you’re doing something different) paint, a hammer, and nails.
Frame it up. You can go the traditional route for an elegant look, and hang the artwork in frames. The frames don’t have to be the same size, but painting the frames all one colour will really make the wall pop and bring the entire look together nicely. Black-coloured frames work best. Choose one frame (usually the largest one) that will act as the main attraction piece, and organize the other frames around this piece, spreading the artwork out.
If you’re looking for a more unique, fun way to display your children’s art, try hanging the art on a wire or string, using clothes pins or shower curtain rings to hold up the art work. You can also use a magnetic or cork board as your backdrop; use matching magnets or thumb nails to keep the wall looking tidy and cohesive.
Once you’ve completed your children’s gallery wall, stand back and admire your work. If you have leftover pieces of art, use the art as greeting cards or wrapping paper—another fun way to showcase the work of your little Picasso!
Julie’s Top Five Children’s Gallery Wall Tips:
- Embrace your child’s artwork! If you can’t use it right away, put it in a safe place for future use.
- Write the name of the artist along with the year on the back of the art work, and have your artist sign their work.
- Add a photo of the artist in a frame to add to the gallery wall.
- Include a chalkboard in one of the frames. This allows children and friends to add their creativity to the wall.
- Transfer your children’s prized artwork to canvas for everlasting appeal.
