How to Turn Kids Art Into a Book
Updated: Oct 13
It is easy to assume that if you want to turn kids art into a book, you are signing up for a month of scanning and layout software. For some families, that is the right call, and for others it is not. The difference between the three ways is mostly how much of the work lands on you, so here is how each one plays out.
How to Turn Kids Art Into a Book: Three Ways at a Glance
Here is how the three ways compare before the details.
Your time | Who sorts and designs | Best for | |
DIY: scan and print | A weekend to several weeks | You | A small, manageable collection and a love of projects |
Photo book app | Several hours to a weekend, after you scan | You, with app templates | A few favorites you want to lay out yourself |
Done-for-you service | You fill a box and review a proof | The service | Years of artwork, more than one child, or no free weekend |
Why Parents Turn Kids' Art Into a Book
Your child's artwork keeps coming home faster than you can display it, and every piece feels too special to send straight to the recycling bin. A book gives it a home. Instead of a stack nobody opens, you get something to pull off the shelf on a rainy afternoon or read together when your kid is grown.
It is also a better way to see the work, and children's artwork changes fast. A pile of loose paper hides how much your child has changed. In book form, the wobbly first stick figures sit right beside the confident dinosaurs from six months later, and the progress shows.
Method 1: DIY, Scan and Print It Yourself
If you have the time and enjoy the process, doing it yourself gives you the most control. Here is what it looks like.
Choose before you scan. Pick the pieces that belong in the book first. A year of art is a lot of files, and a smaller, chosen set makes a better book.
Digitize each piece. A flatbed scanner gives the cleanest results, especially for anything with texture. A phone camera in good natural light works too. Lay each piece flat, avoid shadows, and shoot straight on, not at an angle. For a clay piece or other 3D craft, photograph it from the front in even light.
Organize before you upload. Make folders by child, by year, or by grade, whatever will make sense to you later. Name files with the date. It feels tedious now and saves hours when you start designing.
Pick a print-on-demand photo book platform. Most let you upload images and drop them into a template. Choose simple, minimal layouts. Kids' art looks best with white space around it, not busy borders or filters.
Design page by page, then check one test page. Print a single page first to confirm the colors and sizing look the way you expect.
The upside is total creative control. The downside is real: it is a project, not a quick task, and it is easy to start with enthusiasm and lose steam halfway through a shoebox of drawings.
Method 2: Consumer Photo Book Apps
This sits in the middle. General photo book apps are not built for kids' art, but they work if you do your own scanning and sorting first. The templates and design tools are more polished than starting from scratch, so you are arranging, not building.
The tradeoff is that you still do all the prep. The app can make the book look nice, but it can't sort your kid's backpack for you, and it won't know which crumpled masterpiece from October is the one worth saving.
If you are weighing specific apps, see how Artkive compares with Mixbook and with Shutterfly.
Method 3: A Done-for-You Service Like Artkive
This is the option for families who want the finished book without the scanning, sorting, and design. With Artkive, you order a box, fill it with your child's real artwork (flat pieces and 3D crafts, not photos of them), and send it back. Every piece is professionally photographed and edited, and a design team lays out the book. You review a digital proof, ask for any changes, approve it, and it goes to print.
The whole process takes about 10 to 13 weeks from the day you order, which covers shipping the box, photography, the proof, and printing. Most of that time is waiting, not work. You are never uploading files or wrestling with templates, and you receive digital copies of everything alongside the printed book, so nothing exists in only one place.
Artkive is not the only service that does this. Other options include Scribble and 4Everbound, and we have written side-by-side looks at Artkive vs. Scribble and Artkive vs. 4Everbound if you want to compare. If you have years of artwork to tackle and you know that realistically you can't get to a DIY project anytime soon, Artkive's kids art book is right here and ready to be your simple solution.
What to Do With the Original Artwork Afterwards
Once the art is in a book, the originals are yours to decide. Some families recycle or donate their art, and some keep a few favorites. Some services, including Artkive, can either return or recycle your originals after the book is complete.
If there are one or two select pieces you want to see every day, there are plenty of ways to display kids' art at home beside the book.
How Many Pieces of Art Do You Need for a Book?
It depends on the method. A photo book app often needs as few as 10 to 20 pages, so you can start small.
With Artkive, books range from 25 pieces up to 350, with one piece of art per page. Books start at $75 for a 25-piece book, and the Artkive Box is built to hold as many as 300 to 400 pieces, so however much you have been saving, there is room for it. To get an estimate for a potentially larger order, scroll down the Artkive Pricing page and use our cost estimate slider.
Choosing Which Method Fits Your Family?
There is no single right answer. It comes down to how much art you have, how much time you have, and how much of the design you want to do yourself.
If you have a small collection and enjoy a creative project, DIY or a photo book app will get you there. If you have years of accumulated artwork, more than one child, or no free weekend to spend scanning and designing, a done-for-you service takes on the heavy lifting.
Either way, the best method is the one you finish. A half-built photo book saved in a browser tab helps no one. If you are not sure where to start, begin by sorting your child's artwork by age and year, which helps with every method.
Kids Art Books FAQs
Do I need to scan every piece of my kid's artwork myself?
Not if you use a done-for-you service. DIY and photo book apps need you to scan or photograph every piece. With Artkive, you send in the physical pieces and the team photographs them for you.
How long does it take to turn kids' art into a book?
A DIY project can take anywhere from a weekend to several weeks, depending on how much art you are working through. With Artkive, the finished book arrives about 10 to 13 weeks from the day you order, including shipping, photography, proof approval, and printing.
What happens to the artwork after it's turned into a book?
That is up to you. Many families recycle or donate the originals once the art is preserved, and some keep a few favorites. If you choose to partner with Artkive, you can opt to have your originals returned after the book is complete; otherwise, the service recycles them for you.
Can I include things other than drawings and paintings?
Yes. Most kids' art books can include school projects, worksheets, handmade cards, clay pieces, and other keepsakes alongside drawings and paintings.
Is a kids art book the same as a memory book or keepsake book?
For most families, yes. People use "kids art book," "memory book," and "keepsake book" to mean the same thing: a printed book of your child's artwork. If you are curious why families choose one, read why a keepsake book beats storage bins.
What is the best way to digitize kids' art before making a book?
A flatbed scanner gives the cleanest results for a child's artwork. A phone camera in good natural light is a good second choice. Lay each piece flat, avoid shadows, and shoot straight on.
Celebrate Creativity, One Page at a Time
Your child's story deserves to be told, and a book is a good way to tell it. When you are ready, get started with an Artkive Art Book.
