How-To: Make School Year Memory Boxes
March 1, 2021
It’s great to have a plan in place for where school papers, photos, and memorabilia belong. This is our family’s file box system for organizing school year memory boxes.

Why this system works for us
For years I’ve been dealing with stacks of school papers and being constantly worried that I might toss something that I’d later regret. I finally put a system in place for storing and organizing our school year memories with a few simple supplies you can pick up at an office supply store or order on Amazon. You can check out my see my Amazon Shopping List for this project here! If you are lacking storage space in your home (been there!), check out my tips for organizing and storing in your garage here.

Supplies for Success
Depending on how much you intend to keep from each grade, you might need to plan on more than one file box. Maybe consider getting one for the elementary school years and one for the upper grade levels! I anticipate handing each of my kids a file box or two one day and saying “Here’s your school memories…love you!”

Printables for Each Year
I wanted to have one summary sheet for each year with my kids’ updated favorites and memories. I found this simple + modern printable that I love! After my kids fill this out at the end of the school year, I like to laminate them to make them more durable.

Photo Zipper Sleeves
I love to have a photo zipper sleeve in our school year memory boxes. Here are some ideas of what we include:
- Favorite art projects
- Report cards
- Letters to Santa
- Team pictures
- School Pictures
- Printed out photos from the year