Clutter Free Art Supplies
- rstinson10
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Having a good selection of art supplies will allow your family a creative outlet. Even if you are not working on a structured craft project, doing art is a fun activity anyone can enjoy. We also limit screen usage in our home. In order to make that successful, we also think it is important to provide healthy, screen free activities for our family to do instead of using devices. Drawing, painting, or reading about an art technique, doing a collage and making a craft are all great screen-free ways to be creative.
Click to see our article about screen free boundaries in an overly digital world.
Craft isles and art supply stores can be intimidating. There are many options available. Supplies can be pricy or look like junk. What do you buy that will be worth the money and space to store in your home?
Part of homeschooling is individualizing their education according to the age-group of your children, and that includes the supplies your family uses. Many of the supplies listed might not be not age appropriate for your child, or you personally don't care for them. We do hope this give you a guide on what art supplies might be fun to incorporate into your homeschool space and routine.
We have not included sales links for a variety of reasons. There are many brands available that provide similar products and I don't have many favorites. There are many ways to view product reviews and ratings already. Sales links would also distract from the main purpose of our ministry, this blog which is to help the homeschool community.
Enjoy!
Our Favorite Art Supplies
Gel pens: Remember how you felt when the milky gell pens were popular? you can share that experience with your children now.
Stencils: We recommend getting plastic or metal ones. Stencils with adhesive backing seem to get dirty faster and need more maintenance. Flexible plastic ones work well with face paint and glitter tattoos. Cardboard stencils don't last as long. Using stencils to emboss is also a fun activity.
Dot markers: these are especially fun for little ones.
Craft punches: You can also use them to make natural confetti with the leaves outside.
Stickers
Fun edge scissors with designs.
Glue sticks and glue bottles.
Pencils: The quality of Ticonderoga pencils are noticeably different than other pencils on the market.
Washi tape: There are so many fun designs available.
Crayons: I recommend getting a brand that is smooth Crayola or similar. Certain, low quality off brands do not do the job as well and they are not as fun to use.
White card stock and white watercolor paper: They are great quality paper for use with paint or card making. There are different card stock thicknesses available to fit your needs.
Texture tools: rollers, picks, fondant supplies, play-dough tools- they are great for use with treats, slime, clay, etc.
Art books: drawing and art inspiration books will allow your children some screen free ideas when learning and trying different techniques.
Cookie cutters are not just for cookie making! You can use them to paint with, play doh, clay etc.
Sidewalk chalk: We have also enjoyed artist grade chalk that street artists use to make street masterpieces.
Crayon rubbling plates and/ or Fashion rubbing plates.
Markers
Paint brushes: This is where I spend more money on quality brushes that wont fall apart. I do not buy these second hand or at discount stores. Also, I recommend buying a makeup brush cleaner to clean them with.
Candy molds/baking molds: they are very versatile. you can bake and use them for edible treats and jello, but they can also be used from glue gun crafts, melting crayons, plaster and soap making.
Paper dolls
Spyrograph
Clay: There are many choices available. We use air dry clay sometimes. We also use modeling clay, which is fun to play with and does not dry out.
Beads: we have made beaded necklaces and bracelets for fun dress-up and they have given them away as gifts to their friends. Be sure to have elastic string on hand as well.
Activity books: Coloring books, maze books, dot to dots, and sticker books can also be a lot of fun.
Printer paper: we buy in bulk when we can. We use it for art and for printer use.
Watercolor paint: there are also some really beautiful homemade watercolor paints on Etsy that we love. Some of the best quality ones are ones that are designed for Asian calligraphy.
Rubber stamps and stamp pads: Waterproof stamp pads are available for purchase. There are also beautiful acrylic stamps that you peel and stick to a clear block, but they take a little more maintenance and care.
Washable tempera paint: these are great for everyday use and for young children. They are washable and their price point is generally low. Brands from discount stores are fine in my opinion.
Acrylic paint: these are generally more expensive than washable tempera paint. They have better coverage and are not as translucent than tempera paint. They are generally not washable with soap and water. They stick to plastic better and there are nice textured paint available for models and toy painting. Be sure to have paint thinner on hand for clean up and cover your area.
Label maker: Paint and makeup have a shelf life. I like to label your face paint and paint with the date I purchase them.
Face Paint
This is another area where I will spend a little more for a quality set vs. cheaper toy brands. Anything you love to see when a face paint artist does their craft is also available for purchase to the public. Having face paint can add to the experience of dressing up for youth costume dress up days, Halloween, a renaissance fair or just playing at the house to add to dramatic play.
Actual makeup from discount stores are a great addition to your collection: red lipstick, neon colored eye shadow, eye liner, etc.
Temporary color hair spray: I often see these during Halloween time, but you can purchase them online as well. They have been great to use for "crazy hair days".
Makeup remover: to remove non-water based makeup and paint.
Face paint stencils: are fun and available if you want small stars or scales.
Face paint idea books
Glitter tattoos: Are also a favorite in our home. You can buy the skin glue and glitter separately also.
Body glitter
Paintbrushes and makeup sponges
Our Favorite Craft Projects
Foil craft: there are many kits and brands available. You can also use certain glue pens and glue tape to make your own designs.
Telestrations: this not a craft, but a board game that combines the game of Pictionary and "telephone". It is one of our favorite games. It is best played with a group of 4 or more.
Soap making: this is a fun and easy craft to do.
Hot glue gun art: they are such fun to put them in molds or make shapes. Colored and glow in the dark glue sticks are also available online. I personally do not like to buy the low heat ones, but that is available if you wish.
Perler beads: my kids really enjoyed making them.
Gift wrap: in the past, we have personalized a gift by decorating butcher paper or using printable wrapping paper to wrap gifts.
Wood burning: There are some available that have a lower temperature than others. We prefer the hot ones and teach our children to use them safely. There are also sets available that have different nib attachments. My 11 year old son loves this art project.
Free play: I like to set up a art table for our kids to create freely on their own, but I also set up a table when we have friends over for a playdate or when we host a birthday party. We bring items to restaurants and when we travel for use during down time.
Card Making
One of our favorite ways to use our art supplies is to make cards. We decorate and mail christmas cards. With help children can make their own thank-you cards to send to friends to thank them for birthday gifts. They also make birthday cards for friends to add some personalization to the birthday gift. We have also exchanged Valentien's cards with friends before. We decorated our own mailboxes and invited friends to join us for a card exchange.
Have some card making supplies on hand to make cards.
Blank cards: sometimes I just cut card stock into a card that fits in an envelope. There are also blank card and envelope sets available for purchase.
Card envelopes: you can buy these in set as well.
Return address: stickers or a stamp; however you want to do this.
Postage stamps
DIY Toys
These offer a great benefit. There is a time and place for ceramic statues that will sit on a shelf or art that will eventually get tossed. However, making and decorating your own toys allows your child to be creative and have a use for it as well. Think about how popular "Doodle Bear" was when we were young. There are many "decorate your own____" available for purchase, but here are some other ways to make your own toys.
Dollhouse/Barbie improvements: we have printed food of the internet, My 13 yr old made barbie money. I recently painted dollhouse furniture to make our own Harry potter set.
Diy dolls: painting and decorating peg dolls and clothespins have been a favorite. We recently purchased a blank nesting doll for our 7 year old and she loves it.
Painting miniatures: this is a very underrated craft. game stores sell blank figurines to paint for many diorama games. Even if you do not play the games, the figures are fun to paint and play with. It is like a DIY toy.
Plaster shapes: they are also available for purchase, or you can pour your own plaster into baking molds for extra fun.
Homemade supplies: Play doh, clay, slime, bubbles etc.
My least favorite craft supplies
Large rubber stamps: They are hard to maneuver and get enough pressure to stamp the paper.
Art supply bundles of off brand art supplies: the quality is very nautically cheap and it really is better to buy higher quality materials separately.
Alphabet stamps and stickers
Puzzle erasers: I really wanted to like these, but they always fall apart and they loose their charm when they are missing pieces.
these art sets are super low quality.
Budget Friendly Resources
Assemble your own craft kits: when you buy a complete craft set or from a subscription service, you are paying a little extra for staff to put it together, any packaging, postage etc. It is sometimes less expensive to collect the supplies separately yourself.
I buy some art supplies at the dollar store or other discount stores: however, for some things it is worth spending the extra money for better quality items.
Buy second hand: there are a lot of art and craft supplies at very budget friendly prices available at thrift stores, garage sales and other second hand sources. I do not buy paint or paint brushes used, However, almost anything else can be purchased used.
Teacher discounts are generally extended to homeschoolers at retail stores.
Click to see our article of other budget friendly homeschool resources.
Other Tips
Youtube has some great content of artists showing how to buy dip pens or which paint is the best for painting miniatures or unique art supplies you didn't know existed.
We use Dollar Tree party tablecloths to cover the area when doing messy art projects.
We bought a wooden table for our children, but if we were to do it again we would buy a plastic lifetime folding table for our art area.
We use a rolling toolbox (from the hardware store) to store our supplies. The skinny drawers make it easy to organize the supplies.
Teach your children how to properly use the art supplies. Be age appropriate with expectations and independence- putting lids back on markers and glue sticks, how to set up and clean up after themselves, how to safely use hot tools like the hot glue gun.
Art supplies from Japan and other countries are worth exploring. They are fun, unique and often less expensive than ones you find in the big box stores.
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