DIY-Kid's art portfolio

Here is a fun project to make with your kids. It's great in two ways: 1) they get to enjoy making mini masterpieces with different mediums and 2) you get to document their growth as mini-Picassos. Also, as your children grow and continue to create, you can add to their portfolio and it will grow with them.

The Mediums:

1. pastels 2. acrylic paint 3. archival ink 4. watercolors

The Supplies:

1. background paper: I used black for E's portfolio and white for S's. This paper is also the title page of the portfolio.

2. stickers for the cover, to spell out "art".

3. archival water color paper: we used this for all of the mediums. I also precut the paper and hole punched it so the girls would know how much space they had to work with.

4. transparency paper: to insert between the photo and the artwork.

5. gluestick and holepunch

6. black and white photos of the artists-printed the same size as the artwork

7. albums: I used a modern acrylic album, you could also use chipboard or an album with page protectors

8. and, of course, the masterpieces

The Process:

Remember to take lots of photos of your kids as they make their pictures.

When they are finished with their piece ask them to give it a title. Go with whatever title they choose; it doesn't matter if it makes sense, let 'em own it!

The Assembly:

Step 1: cut your photos and backing paper to same size as the artwork

Step 2: attach title to front page

Step 3: attach photo to back of front page

Step 4: attach artwork to second piece of backing paper

Step 5. insert transparency between photo and artwork

Step 6: Attach next photo to previous artwork backing.

Step 7: repeat steps 3-4

Finished Portfolio!

Sit down and look through it with your little artist.

Thanks for reading, and let me know how this project goes with your kids!

Edited: I added this to the list of other great craft ideas over at

Today's Creative Blog.