Designing a Gallery Wall of Kids Art

Celebrate your child’s creativity with a gallery wall dedicated to their creations, a gallery wall of kids art. Creating a gallery wall to showcase your child’s artwork is more than just a decorative endeavor, it’s a meaningful way to honor their creativity and boost their confidence.

Whether it’s finger paintings, crayon drawings, or paper collages, displaying your child’s creations adds warmth, personality, and a sense of pride to your home decor. In this blog post, I will share ideas and practical tips for creating a gallery wall that highlights your children’s artwork.

The Psychology of Displaying Children’s Artwork

Seeing their artwork proudly displayed on a gallery wall can have a profound impact on a child’s self-esteem and sense of accomplishment. It validates their efforts, reinforcing the idea that their creations are valued and worthy of recognition. Displaying artwork also fosters a sense of pride and ownership, empowering children to express themselves creatively.

Showcasing artwork provides an opportunity for children to reflect on their progress and growth as little budding artists. It allows them to see how their skills have evolved over time and encourages them to continue exploring and experimenting. This sense of progression can instill a lifelong love for creativity.

Whenever we have guests over, my daughter loves to give them a tour of our gallery wall. She proudly discusses how her teacher traced her hand to make her x-ray picture and the various features on her alien pictures. Even my son, who only has a few words, will motion that he created his creations on display with dot markers. Our gallery wall reinforces that we value creativity in our home.

Making a Cohesive Gallery Wall with Thrift Store Frames

I am all for doing things on a budget. What I love about this gallery wall is that it cost me nothing. Every frame came from a stash in our basement that I’ve accumulated from relatives and picking off the side of the street.

If you don’t have a basement stash of frames, the thrift store is another inexpensive way to purchase frames. By repurposing old or thrifted frames, you not only give a frame a second life but also contribute to sustainability by reducing waste.

If you want a more cohesive look, you can easily spray paint the different frames. I chose the color Hunt Club Green by Rust-Oleum. It is a darker green color that almost reads as a neutral, but the hint of green makes it a bit more fun than plain black.

Designing the Gallery Wall of Kids Art

Lay out your frames on a large piece of brown floor paper (available at hardware stores, also great for big art endeavors) or easel paper and experiment with different arrangements until you find a layout that looks cohesive and balanced. To create my gallery wall, I tried to think of it as having an overall rectangular or oval shape and trying to keep a relatively standard distance between frames.

Hanging the Gallery Wall of Kids Art

Once you like the arrangement, trace out the frames onto the paper and mark where the hanging hardware sits for each frame.

Take the piece of large paper to the wall you want to hang your gallery on and tape it to the wall with painters tape. This allows you to get an overall sense of height and size before you start putting holes in your wall.

Once you’re satisfied, hammer nails, or whatever hanging method you are doing, right into the paper. Once everything is in place, simply tear the paper off the wall. Now you’re ready to hang your frames.

Adding Your Child’s Artwork to the Frames

Be creative in how you add your child’s artwork to the frames. Sometimes I cut up a larger painting to fit in a smaller frame. For the above photo my son glued cut up paper straws onto a piece of paper. If I squished it behind glass it wouldn’t have the lovely 3D effect. So I simply placed it on front of the glass. I will also place a smaller picture into a larger frame without matting. The background of the frame kind of acts like a matte.

What makes the gallery wall of kids art special is the constant rotation of artwork. If your child is proud of a recent piece, put it up there. Have a friend that comes over regularly? Feature them in the gallery wall as well.

Try changing out the artwork so it reflects the seasons. Flowers during the spring time and snow flakes during the winter adds to holiday decor. Lean into it!

Celebrating Creativity

As you step back and admire your gallery wall adorned with your child’s artwork, take a moment to celebrate the joy and sense of accomplishment it brings.

Designing a gallery wall for your child’s artwork with thrift store frames is a meaningful way to honor their creativity and boost their confidence. It provides a platform for children to showcase their talents and achievements while fostering a sense of pride and ownership. So, gather your materials, unleash your creativity, and embark on this journey of celebrating creativity and making memories with your child.