Whether you are a homeschool mom, a stay-at-home mom, or a mom who wants to have craft supplies at the ready for mornings, evenings, and weekends–here is an arts and crafts supplies list with my top 15 recommendations for kids ages 2-6!
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Why I Got the Items on this Arts and Crafts Supplies List
I am a homeschooling, homesteading mama with an almost 5-year-old, 2-year-old, and baby on the way. Before staying home with my kids, I taught first grade in a public school. I also tutored math and reading throughout high school, college, and for a few months after my son was born.
I use The Peaceful Preschool curriculum with my kids for our school time which takes about 30 minutes a day. We use many of the materials below for the activities recommended in the curriculum.
My kids absolutely love creating and crafting, so we are often pulling out craft supplies multiple times a day beyond our designated school time.
Here are my must-have craft supplies for kids ages 2-6!
The Importance of Crafting for Kids Statistics
This article from Scholastic talks about the benefits of crafting for both preschoolers and elementary-aged students. Some of the benefits include fine motor skill development, teaching shapes and colors, critical thinking, and pattern recognition.
The Children’s Medical Group said, “Art encourages us to think about the world in a different way. It can help us to see things from new perspectives and to find beauty in everyday objects. As we explore the world of art, we can learn more about ourselves and our place in the world around us. Ultimately, arts and crafts can help children to grow into well-rounded, creative adults.”
Arts and crafts may seem simple, but they are incredible important for children’s physical, social, and emotional development.
Arts and Crafts Supplies List for Kids Ages 2-6
- Washable Markers
- Crayons
- Washable Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Clay
- Construction Paper
- Stickers
- Scissors
- Glue Sticks
- White Glue
- Glitter Glue
- Stamps
- Water Colors
- Tape
- Popsicle Sticks
Breakdown of this Arts and Crafts Supplies List
Here is a breakdown of why I recommend each of the materials above, plus ideas for how to use them!
Washable Markers
Just trust me on this, if you have a toddler–you’re going to want washable markers! One of my kids loves to draw on pretty much anything when I’m not looking. While we are working on teaching that markers are for paper, there have been many times where I was relieved that we had washable and not permanent markers.
My parents also gifted my kids these window markers that are safe to use on windows and mirrors. The kids love them and thought the opportunity to draw on the windows was very exciting!
Crayons
Crayons are a great way to expose young children to smaller writing utensils without having to worry about the sharpness of pencils and colored pencils.
I also love using crayons for crafts like leaf rubbing art. You can also melt down old crayons to create repurposed writing tools!
Washable Paint
Again, take note of the washable. My kids absolutely love to paint. They love to paint paper, coloring book pages, wooden toys, and creations they have built out of cardboard. I like to keep several colors on hand and I use a reusable paint palette like this.
Paint Brushes
We go through paint brushes pretty quickly, to be honest. Sometimes I forget to wash them immediately and they dry up. I usually get an inexpensive pack like this so that we always have extras on hand.
As my kids get older and learn how to care for their own painting supplies, I want to invest in higher quality paint brushes like these.
If you want your kids to experience with different textures and sizes, you could get a sensory paintbrush set like this.
Construction Paper
As I mentioned before, my kids love to paint and draw multiple times a day. I like to buy construction paper bundles like this. They can be used for painting, drawing, building, creating, and more! It’s also a great way to introduce colors to younger children!
Clay
One day, my kids spent nearly 2 hours creating with clay. You can purchase packs of clay sticks like this that can be reused over and over again.
Sometimes, I will have them create something that goes along with our letter of the week or read aloud recommended in our Peaceful Preschool curriculum, but I often just give them lots of time to play and create!
I also love this book for teaching kids ideas for how to mold and shape their clay!
We also make homemade playdough from time to time. It has a lighter texture and is easier to mold and shape.
Stickers
There’s just something so fun about stickers. They never last long at my house, but my kids love them when we do have them!
Working on removing stickers is a great way for kids to practice fine motor skills. You could allow them time to create freely with them, or encourage them to create a diorama or scene with their stickers and other art supplies.
Scissors
These require supervision, especially for younger kids. Learning how to use scissors is such an important skill that helps children develop control and the muscles in their hands.
Glue Sticks
You can never have too many glue sticks! Young kids love glue, and glue sticks are easy for them to get used to glue without making a big mess!
White Glue
Some projects require a stronger glue, so once your kids are comfortable with glue sticks, you can introduce white glue. It’s important to teach kids to just use small dots instead of huge globs when working with white glue.
Glitter Glue
I started using glitter glue per The Peaceful Preschool’s recommendation. In the curriculum, we use glitter glue each week to create multi-sensory letter and number cards.
A multisensory approach to learning can help kids remember symbols much easier than just simply showing them a letter. My kids love using glitter glue on their art creations, too!
Water Colors
My kids prefer using washable tempera paint, but we do use water colors from time-to-time! Water colors require a little bit more skill and work because of the need for using water, too.
However, they are an incredible tool and can be used to teach about different art skills such as transparency and fluidity that are difficult to teach with thicker paints.
Stamps
Stamps are a fun and special tool that we get out from time-to-time. I make sure to get non-toxic, child-safe ink. So far, we only have Christmas stamps, but I’m hoping to add to our collection over time.
I would love to get some letter stamps like these to use once my kids are building words with the letters they know!
Tape
I get into this more in depth on my Makerspace blog post, but having different kinds of tape on hand is great for preschool crafts! Younger children may need help keeping the tape from sticking together, but incorporating tape into crafts opens up a world of possibilities!
Here are a few types of tape to have on hand:
Popsicle Sticks
Popsicle sticks have endless possibilities! They can be used for building many letters. They can be used to teach counting and basic math schools. And, they are perfect for building and creating especially when combined with tape and glue!
Organization Tips for the Items on this Arts and Crafts Supplies List
Craft supplies are fun for kids, but they can be overwhelming for parents. If you don’t have a good system in place, it’s easy to have an explosion of craft supplies that overtake your house within a few minutes of getting them out!
Above all else, I recommend having a cabinet that is easily accessible to you but that can be closed off to your young children if needed. I found this cabinet secondhand. We keep it in our dining room, and it is easy to pull from when we create! However, my youngest cannot access the paint and coloring supplies without assistance.
Here are a few other organizational tubs and tools that may be helpful for organizing the craft supplies. You can also repurpose baskets and jars that you already have or shop at garage sales for some! This is the route I went for most of our craft supplies!
Free Play vs. Organized Crafts?
I think there is so much value in giving kids time to just create. If you are a perfectionist, it can be so hard not to jump in. But allowing kids the space to freely build and create is so important for their confidence and development.
During our school time, we will do organized crafts a few times a week using the materials I mentioned. This introduces new skills, reinforces the letter of the week, and gives them new ideas for creating that they may not have thought of before.
However, we spend way more time simply creating with the materials of their choice! I refer to this as our Makerspace which encourages kids to explore principles of S.T.E.A.M.
Science. Technology. Engineering. Art. Mathematics.
Read more about our MakerSpace in this post.
Other Homeschool Resources
If you are a new homeschooling parent, here are some other resources that may be helpful to you:
Printables
Here are some homeschool printables that I have created for my own kids that you can also enjoy with yours! If you’re looking for something a little more focused but don’t want to implement a whole curriculum, I recommend checking out my Morning Basket Bundles.
Blog Posts
Here are some blog posts to help you get started on your homeschool journey:
- Makerspace
- The Peaceful Preschool Review
- 10 Books About Homeschooling that are Re-Shaping How I Think About Education
- Affordable Montessori Toys for Babies
Supplies
Here are links to some of my favorite homeschool supplies, tools, and books!
Conclusion
Craft supplies give children the opportunity to build fine motor skills, creativity, and confidence. The 15 tools mentioned in this post can help you get started with creating incredible opportunities for learning at home!
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