Art Supplies List Of 30 Must Have Items

Recently I came across a question: “What art and craft supplies do you have at home to make art with your kids on a regular basis?” After giving it some thought, this is the art supply list that I came up with. Many of these you probably already own, others you can find in inexpensive places or even on free-cycle groups. Here it is.

Store Bought Supplies:

1.  Construction paper.

2.  Glue and glue gun.

3.  Scissors.

4.  Clay.  Non hardening clay is great, Fimo or another make and bake clay is great, play dough is great for the youngest ones (you can’t imagine how many times a year I pretend to eat a play dough pizza!).

5.  Dry drawing supplies.  Crayons, pens, color pencils, markers, chalk, etc.  The list is long, but a few basic ones will do.  For markers and crayons Crayola is great, but for colored pencils I would go with a more expensive brand, just the next price up.  The colors are much better.  Don’t forget your sharpener too!

6.  Paint.  Watercolor and Acrylic, finger paint for the young ones.  For my kids I always bought the more pricy watercolor paint.  I like honey based one, it’s not expensive, but the colors are amazing.  For Acrylic I get nontoxic cheap craft paint.  It is thinner then professional acrylics, and probably won’t last on a painting more than 50 years, but it is great for your kids paintings.

7.  Don’t forget paper.  You need paper to draw on, paper to paint on. Maybe even a few canvas boards for special paintings.  Cheap watercolor paper is also good.

8.  Pompoms, googly eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners, ribbons, and such.

9.  Beads, buttons, gems, sequins, of all sizes and colors.

10.  String and needles of a few sizes.  I would go with bigger needles the younger the kid.

11.  Large pieces of felt and fabric, and felt cut out shapes.  Same for foam: bigger pieces and cutout shapes.

12.  Copper Wire, in different gauges.  So much fun you can have with wire!

13.  Yarn, the more colors and textures, the more fun it is!

14.  Tissue Paper, the more colors the merrier!

15.  Sparkles and glitter.  Here is my issue with glitter: that stuff spills and goes everywhere, it sticks to every surface and is almost impossible to clean.  If you have pets, forget it.  It gets into eyes, noses and ears of every living creature in the vicinity.  Instead of loose glitter, get sparkle paint or glue.  It works pretty much the same and doesn’t make a crazy mess.

Supplies you can find in nature:

16. Seashells and sea glass. Next time you are at the beach, don’t forget to pick up some seashells for your art supplies. While you are there, don’t forget driftwood.

17. Sticks. Short sticks, smooth sticks, sticks in funny shapes, long sticks, and thick sticks are all great.

18.  Pinecones, acorns and other cool items nature gives us.  Dried beans, peas and seeds are awesome too.

19.  Pressed leaves, flowers and branches.

20.  Pebbles and rocks.

Recycled Art Supplies:

21.  Toilet and paper towel tubes.

22.  Socks and gloves.

23.  Wine Corks.

24.  Netting from fruits and veggies.

25.  Styrofoam platters of all the different colors.

26.  Cool Jars.

27.  Thin plastic lids, like from coffee jars. They come in different colors too.

28.  T-shirts.

29.  Newspapers and cardboard boxes.  Also, cards with pretty pictures, and magazines too!

30.  Wooden pieces, cut offs, cut outs, etc.