Turning Kids’ Art Into a Keepsake Canvas

If you’re a parent, you know how fast the art stacks up — finger-painted suns, glued noodles, and construction-paper hearts. Every piece feels impossible to toss, but keeping them all isn’t realistic. We've been keeping them in stackable plastic bins, which I love, but the art just sits there collecting dust!
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So one weekend, our daughter, Avery, and I decided to turn all those little masterpieces into one big one — a collage canvas. It was messy, colorful, and oddly emotional. Here’s how we did it (and how you can, too).

What You’ll Need

All of these supplies are on our Amazon Art Project List — the same ones we used for this canvas.

Materials:

• A large stretched blank canvas (we used 30x40”)
• Mod Podge (Matte finish works best)
• Short handled wide paint brush
• Scissors (for trimming the artwork)
• A paint roller (to smooth bubbles)
• Glue stick (to help adhere the thicker art to the canvas - we used Elmer's washable glue stick since we had a bunch lying around)
• Optional: clear acrylic sealer for extra protection

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Gather the art.
Pull together all your child’s drawings, paintings, and crafts. Mix textures and colors — the more variety, the better. We didn't use all her art - I kept the ones that had dates, writing, or personal significance, but was still left with a giant pile of art to use!

2. Cut around the art.
Cut loosely around the art, leaving a small border.

3. Plan your layout.
Before gluing anything, arrange the pieces on the canvas like a puzzle. Overlap edges, rotate some sideways — imperfection makes it interesting.

4. Start Mod-Podging.
Brush a layer of Mod Podge directly onto the canvas.
Place your first piece of art on top and smooth it down gently. Continue one piece at a time, brushing Mod Podge both under and over each piece as you go. Use the glue stick to help adhere any pieces to the canvas that are thicker or harder to stick down with the mod podge alone.

5. Layer it up.
Work in sections and keep overlapping until the whole canvas is covered. Don’t worry about wrinkles — they dry flatter than you think.

6. Seal the surface.
Once dry, brush one last coat of Mod Podge over the entire piece. Let it cure overnight.
For a glossier finish, you can spray on a light layer of acrylic sealer.

7. Hang and admire.
That’s it. You’ve turned piles of paper into something timeless — a memory you’ll actually want to display.

Why We Love It

This project reminded me a lot of running our creative agency — taking a dozen different ideas, colors, and textures, and finding the thread that ties them together. It’s part art, part story, and completely us.

It’s also a beautiful way to show your kids that their creativity matters.

Shop the Supplies

You can find everything we used on our Amazon list of art project essentials.

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