An art supply gift guide for kids ages 3-7
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive around this time of year is what supplies I recommend for young children to use at home. Well, y’all are in luck- as an elementary art teacher AND a mom of two young children (ages 2 and 5) I am here to share my favorite art supplies that my kiddos, students, and I all love! It’s worth noting that the links in this blog post contain affiliate links to supplies I love, and I hope you do too!
OOLY Drawing Duet Markers
We have gone through ALOT of drawing markers here in the Edington house and I can easily say these Ooly Double sided Duet markers are my son’s favorite to draw with! The colors are vibrant, the shape of the marker is triangular which is great for gripping and one pack comes with 24 colors! We take these markers with us everywhere!
Melissa & Doug Large Paper Roll
Ok I know this looks large and in charge but TRUST ME on this. This paper roll literally saved me during the lockdown in the early stages of the pandemic. I would roll out a long piece of paper on this roll and start drawing roads, cities, speed ways, you name it! My (then 3 year old) couldn’t get enough of playing on a paper he was also drawing on! It was the best of all worlds! Kids go crazy for drawing on large surfaces and the best part about this roll of paper is that the supplies are relatively contained! When your kiddos are done you either just roll up the drawing or you can recycle it if everyone is done with it! You won’t regret this one.
Kwik Stix Paint Sticks
We are totally paint sticks crazy over here! There are so many amazing brands to try, but I am such a big fan of one of the originals, Kwik Stix. If you’ve never tried a paint stick, they are so satisfying to draw with and they are (relatively) less messy than traditional paint! My kids both love Kwik Stix for all kinds of art projects, especially when drawing on cardboard boxes!
Arteza Sketchbook
If you have been following me on Instagram for a while, you’ll know how much of a sketchbook advocate I am! I love sketchbooks for all children and for countless reasons! Two of the most important being: 1. The mess of papers is contained! Need I say more? Your child always has access to paper and their completed drawings stay nice and safely in one place. 2. This is the best way to document growth in your budding artist. As they draw in their sketchbooks their skills will naturally improve and how wonderful for them to see their own progress! I love Arteza’s 9 x 12 spiral sketchbooks for my kids!
Paint Sets!
There are so many great watercolors and paints but a few of my favorites to keep on hand for my own kids are these Ooly Chroma Blends Neon watercolors and Faber Castell Watercolor Set We love neons alot in this family but it’s also great to have a high quality set of traditional watercolors for your kiddos. Both of these paints are great!
Faber Castell Beeswax Crayons
As an art teacher I am typically tried and true Crayola crayons in my classroom, but at home we are 100% obsessed with these Faber Castell Bees Wax crayons! Why? Because they are a bit thicker / more heavy duty than typical crayons making them perfect for little ones. I also feel as though the crayon glides smoother than other crayons and I just love the plastic carrying case they come in! Perfect to throw in your diaper bag and take to a restaurant to entertain your kids. We love them! Find them here!
Ooly Watercolor Gel Crayons
These are SO fun! Smooth like Kwik Stix but a bit smaller and water soluble, which means double the entertainment! If you child loves to paint, you could just give them a small cup of water and a paint brush and allow them to paint over the Ooly smooth stix!
Crayola Paint Brushes
The quality of these really are *chef’s kiss * Different sizes and shapes with synthetic bristles- we love them! You can find them here!
Cloud Clay from Excellerations
Ok so this cloud clay isn’t exactly an art supply by my adapted art students absolutely LOVE this stuff!! Originally put on my radar by the amazing Friends Art Lab, it is the perfect squishy yet clean, and totally satisfying dough that kids of all ages go crazy for! This is definitely on our Christmas list for my own children this year! You can find Cloud Clay here.
Canary Corrugated Cardboard Cutter
Ok this supply is definitely NOT for kids but 100000% recommended by me for parents of littles to have on hand! If your children are anything like mine they absolutely LOVE cardboard boxes. With the holidays coming up and I’m sure endless packages showing up, make good use of all that cardboard by encouraging imaginative play and building! My son is so cardboard obsessed now that everyday there is even the tiniest piece of cardboard he immediately asks “Mommy, what are we going to make THIS out of today?” If you want to help make your child’s cardboard dreams come true, this tool is a game changer! With a corrugated blade, it’s kind of like a mini saw and the blade just glides through the cardboard like butter! It’s been hands down the best tool to have on hand when creating with my kiddos.
