The Chirping Moms

The Ultimate Arts & Crafts Essentials List

It’s a cold, rainy day here.  Hello April Showers!  We have had several friends ask us what supplies to have on hand to keep our little ones busy on days like today.  So today, we are sharing our Arts & Crafts Essentials List with you all.    Then, once you have your supply closet stocked, visit our Pinterest boards for some super easy crafts to do with your children.  We will keep updating this Pinterest board with our favorite crafts that we find!
Ultimate Arts & Crafts Supply List || The Chirping Moms

 

Arts & Crafts Essentials List

1.  Markers.  We both love the Pip-Squeak markers for little hands.  My kids are also into the scented markers lately!
2.  Crayons:  Our favorite crayons are the Melissa & Doug Triangular Crayons that don’t roll away are are easy for little hands to grip.
3.  Construction Paper & Card Stock & Computer Paper
4.  Glue: We have three kinds of glue on hand.  White glue, Glue Sticks, and Craft Glue.  (Also I like to have a glue gun on hand ONLY for my own use)
5.  Paint & Paintbrushes.  Sometimes I buy craft paint in the small tubes at the local craft store (but this is NOT washable so be careful).  More often we use washable kids’ paint in the big bottles.  The Melissa & Doug Jumbo paintbrushes and fine paintbrushes are great for little hands.
6.  Play-Doh is always great to have on hand for rainy days or long afternoons.  Some of our favorite play-doh accessories are:  the Doctor Drill & Fill, Melissa & Doug play dough tools, and the Sweet Shoppe Candy Set.
7.  Dot Paints
8.  Stickers!  An alternative to stickers that is long-lasting is the Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pads (like this vehicle one that my boys love!)
9.  Pom-Poms and Cotton Balls.  A craft store find!
10.  Stamps and Stamp Pads.  Some of our favorite stamp collections for kids are the Alphabet Stamp Set & Animal Stamp Set.  We also love the big foam stamps for younger toddlers as well!
11.  Pipe Cleaners
12.  Dry Erase Board and Markers.  We have a small handheld one that we found at Target.  If you are looking for a larger one, this one would be great to set up for kids!
13.  Beads & Bead String.  I have some thick bead string with plain beads that I buy at the craft store.  You can also find big sets such as the Bead Bouquet set that Courtney’s girls have or the big lacing beads for toddlers/young preschoolers.
14.  Coloring Books/Activity Workbooks.  I love, love the Kumon books.  There are some super simple ones to help teach cutting and tracing.  For coloring books, have you seen the Frozen coloring book?  We also love the big Jumbo Coloring Pads because two kids can work on one picture!  Another GREAT idea for little ones are the Water WOW books. This is one of my favorite finds for little ones.  You just fill the little pen with water and your little one can color over and over and over again.  So worth the low price!
15.  Tissue Paper
17.  Scissors:  I highly recommend this pair of Maped scissors for little hands.
18.  Box of miscellaneous finds, such as empty containers, shells & rocks found out and about, sticks, etc.
19.  Yarn
20.  Glitter or Glitter Glue
22.  Activity Pads:  Some of our favorites are the Create A Face Pad & Complete the Picture.  Another favorite is the Make-A-Face Sticker Pad!
23.  Canvas Panels or Stretched Canvas Packs.  These are often 50% off at Michael’s so stock up when there is a sale!
24.  Feathers 
26.  Foam and Felt Sheets.  I often find these at the local craft store!
27.  Buttons & Sequins  Another craft store find!
29.  Fingerpaints & the Fingerpaint Pad.  You can also paint with yogurt or pudding!
30.  Easel Paper Roll.  You don’t have to have an easel to use this paper.  It’s just a lot of paper to have on hand for any sort of art project.  Paint.  Color.  Draw.

 

Recyclables I Often Use: 

  • Toilet Paper Rolls
  • Paper Towel Rolls
  • Egg Cartons
  • Cereal Boxes
  • Paper Grocery Bags
  • Milk Caps
  • Plastic Bottles

Household Items I Often Use: 

  • Paper Plates
  • Wax Paper
  • Zip-locs
  • Foil
 
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Comments

  1. I love amazon, but also find great deals at discountschoolsupply.com. Their standard shipping is very fast (depending on where you are in the country, I'm sure). They also sell sticker eye rolls which can be a great alternative to wiggly eyes if you are out of glue or looking to minimize the mess 🙂 Love the post!

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