Top kids craft items to always keep on hand

During our summer learning series we will be sharing a lot of crafts and art project ideas so I wanted to share a list of the top craft supplies you should always have on hand. Art is a great way for your children to express their personality and helps boost their imagination. It helps with small muscle development and can be a great sensory activity. Most of all art is fun so your child won’t even realize they’re learning!

Top craft supplies you should always have on hand:

Paper

Must haves:

• construction paper
• card stock (both white and colored)

We also recommend: 

• tissue paper – we save ours from parties and make fun sun catchers of all shapes and colors
• coffee filters – coffee filters make a cool tie dye effect with markers and water
• foam sheets – these are great for accents on a project or a fun alternative to regular paper
• paper bags – use them for puppets
• paper plates – an unusual and fun canvas for making bugs, animals or masks

Stick it together

Must haves:

•  white school glue
• glue sticks

We also recommend:

• transparent tape
• double sided tape
• glue dots
• brads

Tools

Must haves:

• child scissors
• paintbrushes

We also recommend:

• stamps
• ink pad
• ruler
• sponges – they make great stamps too!

Think outside the box with this category. Sometimes using an unusual tool for painting or making art is so much more fun and adds to the sensory experience.

Add some color

There are a lot of must haves in this category. After all, what is an art project or a craft without color? If you don’t want to get all of these I would say crayons, markers and paint are my top three.

Must haves:

• crayons
• colored pencils
• markers
• finger paint
• tempera paint
• watercolor paint
• do-a-dot markers

We also recommend:

• Pastels

 Other Essentials

These other essentials add fun, texture and personality to crafts. They are all pretty easy to store and don’t take up much room. I’ve noticed that having everything on this list makes it possible to make any craft we find or think up. They are not necessarily must haves, but I like to think they are.

• popsicle sticks
• pom poms – we like to add pom poms to our crafts to add a little something special, but we also use them as a stamp for paint.
• googly eyes – we use googly eyes almost every day. They make everything fun!
• feathers – make an eagle, chicken or any other favorite bird googly eyes
• pipe cleaners – we have used these for caterpillar antenna and simple bracelets.
• yarn
• stickers
• food coloring
• toilet paper rolls – they make great stamps and can be used for so many different things!
• bubble wrap – save your bubble wrap and use it to make something fun!
• glitter – ugh glitter. I can almost hear all of the eye rolls. I actually hate it too. Glitter glue is a great alternative.
• beads – glue beads to a craft for extra sparkle or use them for a bracelet.
• clear contact paper – this is my daughter’s favorite art supply. Use it for stain glass art.

Keep it Clean

Must haves:

• plastic table covers – I buy the cheap plastic covers from the party section and cover my table before any art project begins, they’re easy to wipe down and fold up to use again and again.
• Magic Eraser – for any marker or crayon marks that missed the paper, the magic eraser will take care of it!
• art smock – make laundry time easier when you’re done and cover them up with a smock. You can even make your own out of an old t-shirt.

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