How to Sort Your Kids Artwork by Age and Year (Before or After You Send It to Artkive)
- Jul 19
- 6 min read
It's the last week of school, and the kitchen table has turned into a paper avalanche. Two backpacks emptied out at once. A folder of spelling tests slides next to last week's watercolors. You know sorting it all now would make things easier down the line, but there's no time; the box needs to be shipped today.
So the whole pile goes in exactly as it is. Kindergarten crayon scribbles and fourth-grade dioramas. Nothing labeled. Nothing in order. You seal it up and wonder if that was a mistake.
It wasn't, not exactly. Sorting ahead of time helps, but skipping it doesn't ruin everything. Our system is designed to help you get this task done. So let's clarify how sorting actually works with Artkive: what you can do before you pack (If you have the time), and what you can do after your photos come back.
Do You Have to Sort Your Kid's Artwork Before You Send It In?
If you've searched "do I need to sort kids' art" before starting your Artkive order, you're not alone. That's the question most parents ask before their first box ships. Here's the plain answer: it's Ideal, but not a must. It really depends on the type of parent you are and your desired book output. If, for example, you know everything that's going into the Artkive box is for one particular school year, or one specific child, and you don't really care about the order, then organizing it isn't necessary. We do still advise that art be secured in a folder or held together by a binder clip so that it survives transit in the best possible condition. As for digitizing your kids' art, our photographers will simply capture the pieces in the order they arrive in the box. If you'd rather your book already reflect some order when the photos come back, a little prep goes a long way. We've written two detailed guides on exactly how to pack and label your kids' artwork: one for creating a personal packing party and another specifically for families sending in more than one child's artwork.
What Happens When Your Artkive Box Arrives
Upon receipt at our Los Angeles studio, your box gets unpacked by hand, and every item is reviewed individually. A photographer captures each piece of artwork under professional lighting, so everything from a handprint turkey to a 3D clay sculpture looks its best. All Items In the box will be photographed in the same order it was packed.
That's the Artkive process in a nutshell: careful, consistent photography that leads to beautifully preserved memories. You'll get updates on turnaround time along the way, so you know where your box is at every step.
How to Sort by Age, Grade, or Child Before You Pack
Sorting kids' art before it ships is simpler than it sounds. Most parents pick one of a few designations: by child's name, by age or grade, or by theme, like "summer camp," a specific holiday, or a classroom name.
A sticky note, a labeled folder, or a divider between sections is usually enough. As long as pieces for the same grouping stay together in the box, they'll stay together in your photos. Our packing party page and our guide for organizing multiple kids walk through exactly how to set this up.
Didn't Pre-Sort? Here's How the Book Builder Helps
If the box has already shipped and nothing was labeled, you're not stuck. Once your photos are ready, you'll get access to an online book builder. There, you can drag and reorder pages, group pieces by child or by year, and add captions noting age, grade, or occasion, even if everything arrived in random order.
This is where the real organizing happens for a lot of families, and it's a fully capable kids art organization service in its own right. You're not locked into the order your box was packed in. You get to decide the final layout with everything laid out in front of you.
Before and After: Messy Piles to Memory Book
Before: a box of loose paper, folded corners, a few things you're not sure you even wanted to include, packed in whatever order they came off the pile.
After: a hardcover photo book arranged by kid, by year, or whatever grouping mattered to you. Whether you organized it before in the box, or after in the book-builder. What once were piles of art in forgotten spaces have become something you'd proudly display on the coffee table.
What Parents Say About the Process
If you're hunting for an honest Artkive review before you commit, the proofing stage tends to come up often. One Artkive customer, Kristin O'Neill, put it this way:
"I feel good that the items are recycled in a responsible manner and that I am able to make edits and adjustments to the final product before sending to print."
Lisa Burnett described a similar experience:
"The process was incredibly simple and well thought out. From receiving the box, to sending it back, to reviewing the digitized photographs online... What I love most is the final product. The book is beautifully done and truly feels like a memory capsule of special school moments, art, and classwork."
Ready to Get Started?
You don't need to have everything sorted before your box ships. A little labeling ahead of time makes for a smoother start (and maybe a little help from our packing guides). But rest assured, if you send your art without specific organization, you will still get back a beautifully preserved collection of your children's art thanks to our dedicated team of professionals.
All that's left to do is start!
A Quick FAQ on Sorting Kids' Art
Do I need to sort my child's art before sending it to Artkive?
No. Sorting first is helpful but not required. If you skip it, we photograph everything in the order it's packed, and you can reorganize it later in the book builder.
We do still recommend collecting your art into secured piles, which can be done by putting the art in a paper bag, using large binder clips, or Ziploc bags. We also recommend that any 3D art be securely wrapped in bubble wrap before shipping. These steps can prevent glitter from spreading, corners from bending, or the art from being compromised in transit. Conc
What if I have art from more than one child in the same box?
Our box was made for you to send art for more than one kid! Simply group the art that belongs to each child. Attach a sticky note or note card to each pile that designates which kid the art is for. Secure the groups with a large binder clip or inside a paper bag so the art doesn't slip loose and end up in the wrong pile.
An order form will also be Included In the box where you can let our team know if you want your multiple kids all in one memory book or order one book per child.
We'll photograph the pieces in the order they arrive. You can apply more specific captions and labels once your photos are in the book builder. For tips on keeping siblings' art separate from the start, see our guide for multiple kids.
How can I organize by age or grade if I didn't label pieces beforehand?
Really, this comes down to the amount of effort you'd like to put In before hand. If you're at all concerned about making age and grade a part of your captions, it's best to have some form of loose organization beforehand.
If, for example, you're doing a 30-piece book for your child's elementary years and you know you picked 5 pieces per grade from Kinder to 5th, we'd recommend notating that somewhere so when the time comes, you'll remember.
Can I rearrange pages after the box has been photographed?
Yes! The book builder lets you drag and reorder pages, group them however you like, and add captions before anything goes to print. Maybe you want all the animals they've made to be side-by-side. Or you want to group their cartoon sketches together to see how they've improved over time. We make it easy to personalize your memories.
Can I send additional art that I forgot to include in my original box?
Absolutely. There are two ways you can go about sending us those extra pieces. You can mail them in by acquiring a new shipping label, or you can digitally upload and submit them via your personal Artkive account. For more information, see this post from our Customer Experience Team.
