Our Top 10 Favourite Kids Arts and Crafts Supplies (Free Supply Checklist + Buying Guide)

Say goodbye to the days of staring at the rows and rows of (what feels like millions of) supply options and not having a clue where to start or what to buy. 

In today's video I’m going to share our top 10 kids craft supplies with you.

Watch the video or read the written version below.

To make your shopping experience as stress-free as possible, we’ve created a free Creative Crafting Supply Checklist PDF to help you get started, with confidence.

Have you found yourself in a craft store, staring at the rows and rows of (what feels like millions of) supply options and not having a clue where to start or what to buy?

Going craft supply shopping can be very intimidating if you don't know what to buy and what not to buy. When it comes to kids it is also important to buy things that will at least last a season or two, or ideally a few years.

We had no idea what to buy when we started our club. But crafting with kids on a daily basis over the years has helped us a lot to see and understand which supplies and brands work and which ones just don’t. 

The ironic thing is that the BEST crafting projects and experiences come from using a small list of basic supplies. And you’ll see you’ll end up using these supplies over and over again. You don’t need fancy supplies to create something awesome. 

Also, if you stock up on these 10 supplies, you can do about 80% of the Creative Crafting Club lesson plans.

Here is our TOP 10 Favourite Kids Crafting Supplies:

1. Recyclable materials

The best part of creative crafting is that you don’t actually have to BUY all the supplies. You can also COLLECT supplies! Ask friends, family and neighbours to help and start collecting today!

Here is a list of recyclable materials that we often use in our classes:

• Toilet rolls
• Paper towel rolls
• Milk formula tins and other tins
• Cardboard (delivery and cereal boxes)
• Paper straws
• Egg cartons
• Plastic bottles of all sizes
• Milk cartons/ boxes and bottles
• Soda cans
• Paper cups
• Wine corks
• Lost socks
• Old pool noodles 
• Bottle caps
• Old scraps of fabric

These super cool puppets were made using recycled milk boxes, egg cartons and cardboard. 

2. Paint brushes

We keep a variety of paint brush sizes in our studio. We most often use the brushes with round tips.

A good set of paint brushes can be used by all ages and if you buy proper paint brushes they will last you years.

3. Tempera Cakes / Paint 

These babies work like MAGIC for all ages! They are an absolute MUST HAVE! They last long and work very well on most material types such as paper, cardboard and fabric.

We are absolutely in love with the Fluorescent colours, but be aware they are a bit more pricey and don't last as long than the Primary colours and Secondary colours.

4. Sharpies

We must have tried about 5 different marker brands before we found the one that lasts.

Color sharpies work great for adding detail and black sharpies can put an edge on projects, and make them look rounded off and beautiful.

Here are a few projects where we encouraged the kids to use black Sharpies, notice how the solid black lines make the other colours stand out even more:

If you find that Sharpies are too expensive, or do not last long enough for you, don't underestimate the value of a classic ol’ black ballpoint pen. I’m sure you can collect a few from your husband’s “man-drawer”.

A lot of creatives use black pens to illustrate and it works like a charm as a design tool. Just look at this masterpiece! 

5. Paper

Nothing special to say here, we all know how awesome paper is. We most often use A4 printer paper, brown paper, colour paper and lots and lots of A3 thick (+-200gsm) paper for our projects.

We buy them in large packs as it works out cheaper and you can NEVER have enough.

6. Oil Pastel Crayons (Tweens) or Normal Jumbo Crayons (Tots)

We used to also work with chalk and other types of crayons, but over the years it’s become very clear - oil pastels work the best for ages 4 and up.

The colours look bright and striking on projects and you can buy them in bulk so they last very long. 

Even at home, when my toddler looks like he is becoming a bit restless, I whip out my container of Jumbo Crayons and paper and he can keep himself busy for a while.

Crayons are a choking hazard for little ones, so we suggest you buy the jumbo crayons for kids under 4.

7. Hot Glue Gun

Stop reading right here, head over to this link and buy a glue gun. You’ll thank me later!

If you have a glue gun, a world of creative possibilities opens up! My glue gun is my best friend in my studio. It allows us to build and invent and stick things in place, properly! I mean, c’mon, who in this day and age has time to wait for glue to dry? We’ve got places to be and things to create!

Once you start gluing things with a glue gun, you will be hooked, so make sure you invest in a good one. I remember how surprised I was initially of how affordable they actually are. 

You can replenish the glue sticks as you run out.

Very important. Safety always comes first! Especially when working with kids. We ONLY use our glue gun for prep work, we don’t bring it out during a class to prevent accidents (burns) from happening. If you absolutely have to bring it out in class, only do so for older kids and have a separate “glue gun station” away from the kids, where a child can come to you one at a time and show you where they need glue and then you can operate the glue gun.

8. Pipe cleaners

Pipe cleaners are a great asset in a crafting studio for several reasons:

Reason 1: They come in bright colours and look FABULOUS in a glass jar!

Reason 2: Little fingers love feeling the unique texture and bending it around in their hands (hello, fine motor skills!) 

Reason 3: They are practical as they can tie things together

Reason 4: They work perfectly to create ‘tentacles’ of all kinds

9. Duct Tape

We use duct tape all the time for our projects! We use it to stick all kinds of things, and unlike most tape it actually STICKS! My friend's dad fixed his running shorts with duct tape and it even withstands a washing machine. What an amazing product. The more colourful the better! 

10. Things that you may already have at home (Be creative & use what you have!)

Here are other supplies we use that they may already have at home: 

Scissors, Pencils, Pencil sharpener, Black pens,  Elastic bands, Wool/ Yarn, Double sided tape, Foil, Stapler, Embroidery needles, Ribbons, Single hole punch, Wood clothespins, Craft sticks, Paper plates, Paper fasteners, Round stickers, Foam sheets

So to wrap up, let's do a quick recap.

1. Recyclable materials
2. Paint brushes
3. Tempera Cakes / Paint 
4. Sharpies
5. Paper
6. Oil Pastel Crayons (Tweens) or Normal Jumbo Crayons (Tots)
7. Hot Glue Gun
8. Pipe cleaners
9. Duct Tape
10. Things that you may already have at home

So there you have it! 

Don’t forget to download your free Creative Crafting Supply Checklist and Buying Guide PDF to help you get started.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. 

What is the one crafting supply you can’t live without?

Tell me in the comments below.

Until next time, cheers!