'Tis the season to foster creativity and self expression for your kiddos am I right??
We all know that kids get inundated with soooo many toys around the holidays, but I'm here to share some of my absolute FAVORITE art supplies & open ended toys for kids that are sure to get their creative juices flowing and will be fast favorites for your little artists.
I have compiled a list of the highest quality art supplies/ creative toys because they are the best (and trust me, in the last 15 years of teaching elementary art I have tried A LOT of bogus supplies!) So get ready to wow your little one with some amazing art supplies that are sure get them excited to become a maker!
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ART SUPPLIES
Believe the hype with these markers! They last forever and they come in the best travel case that goes everywhere with us!
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The OG paint stick. The quality is truly unparalleled- but just make sure the lids are firmly back on when they are done being used so they don't dry out :)
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3 . Sketchbooks
The best way to create ownership of your child's artwork is giving them their own sketchbook to create in. This is also a great way to see the growth and progress of your artist whether it's from the beginning of the sketchbook to the end or comparing annual sketchbooks. Plus, all of their art is contained so nothing gets lost!
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4. Melissa and Doug White Paper roll
The best way to collaborate art and play! One of our favorite things to do is draw out a street and town on the paper and then use matchbox cars to play on it.
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5. Faber Castell Bees Wax Crayons
The quality of these crayons are unparalleled. Not to mention the triangular shape is perfect for gripping of little hands AND we love a plastic travel case.
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6. Jack Richeson Fluorescent Tempera Cakes
One of my favorite paint palettes both in the classroom and at home!
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7. Cardboard canary cutter (for adult use)
*This is for adult use but SO great to have in the household for cardboard creations!
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8. Royal Langnickel paint brushes
The quality of Royal Langnickel paint brushes for kids are unparalleled. The end.
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The best, brightest, most vibrant and fadeless card stock / construction paper
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11. Crayola Education Watercolors
My FAVORITE watercolor set for kids! The vibrancy of this paint is amazing and gorgeous over neon oil pastels!
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12. Crayola Neon Oil Pastels
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14. Cloud Clay
This sensory cloud clay is SO fun for kids of all ages and sooo satisfying!
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15. Tru Ray Black Construction Paper (or really any color)
Believe it or not, black paper is an essential art supply in our house! There are so many things you do can do with it- one of them is using either chalk pastels, or white colored pencil on it. The colors stand out so nicely and Tru-Ray is the best construction paper out there.
16. Prang Gallery Chalk Pastels
Prang is defintely my favorite brand of chalk pastels. The colors are so vibrant and bright that they just take my Northern Lights Art Project to the next level with beauty!
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Air Dry clay and polymer clay were two staples of my childhood. My sisters and I would spend hours and hours making clay figurines, jewelry, you name it. Sculptural supplies are a must for every child and the perk with this clay is no kiln is necessary!
BLOCKS AND CREATIVE PLAY
1. Magnatiles
Magnatiles are 100% our favorite open-ended play toy in the Edington Household. Worth every penny! It is absolutely amazing what kids can create with these and their imaginations!
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2. Duplo Legos
The magic of legos has spanned us years and years and isn't slowing down anytime soon for my son! The possibilities of creating is endless.
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3. Tinker Toys
Again, more open ended creating materials for your creative littles. Also, I am totally a sucker for the vintage packaging of these!
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4. Clear Rainbow Wooden Blocks
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I know the Grimms Rainbow gets all the hype, but we bought this stacking rainbow block set off Amazon a few years ago and my kids have been obsessed with it!! Save your money and get this guy, your littles will love it!
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Sensory bins are sooooo great for the imagination and open ended play and to have a table where everything is contained?! Essential!
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Our favorite art table. High quality and adorable.
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Colored rice and wooden tools are staples for sensory bins for sure! Of course there are so many things you can fill in sensory bins (pom poms, water beads, beans, sand..) but this is a great starter.
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Gimme all the sensory bin fillers! Animals are so great to help kids bring their mini worlds to life.
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Such a good way to contain all of the art supplies for your little creator!
BOOKS
This book has been one of my favorite ways to spend quality time with my son! It's a collaborative effort for us both and such a great way to bond.
(Shameless plug) but honestly, this HUGE bundle of drawing guides was not only created with my students and own children at its core... but rather with how I remember learning how to draw as a kid! So many of the "how to draw" books I had as a kid involved sketching everything out lightly in shapes first and I just remember seeing things in LINE... not shapes. So I would end up skipping way ahead in the steps and just copying the final drawing by looking at the contours. After teaching kids for 15 years I know that that is how they draw too. It's not until children get older that they are able to conceptualize the shape of an object and build up the detail. Right now kids want to draw to build their confidence so they can continue on their journey. I am so proud of these guides and I hope your littles like them too!
4. The Questioneers Series (Iggy Peck Architect and more)
5. Boxitects
I hope you find this list helpful and a one stop shop for fostering your child's creativity! Happy Holidays and happy creating!
xo- Kaitlyn
