15 Top Arts and Crafts Supplies

Every parent with young children knows how important it is to have a fully stocked craft box. Keeping fun supplies on hand to entertain your children can be the difference between rainy day fun and cabin fever insanity. Having a box, bucket, tub, or an entire cabinet stocked and ready for your children's arts and crafts can provide hours of activity ideas within your finger tips. Here are the top 15 items you should have to begin your craft area for your children.

1. Paper. Think beyond plain white paper for your crafts. Colorful construction paper is a fun and cheap way to add to your children's art projects. You can also take the paper an extra step and buy scrapbooking paper. This sturdy paper comes printed in a vast assortment of styles, patterns, and colors. Keeping some fun sheets for arts and crafts is a great addition to any craft area.

2. Paint. What craft would be complete without paint? Whether you use water paints, finger paints, tempera paints, or any other kind you can be certain that you will have something that children will love to do. Just be sure to set up the area to contain spills and messes, and dress the children in clothing that can be painted on without worries. Then let them have fun!

3. Chalk. Whether you buy fat pieces of sidewalk chalk or thinner pieces of blackboard chalk this is a great craft tool for children. And one of the best parts is how easy it is to clean chalk off of almost anything. You can buy chalk in many different colors, and even some chalks that come in multiple colors per piece.

4. Markers. The choices on markers is nearly unlimited for children. Thin or chunky, washable or permanent, there are even some that are pleasantly scented or have ink stampers on the ends. All children love coloring and drawing with markers.

5. Crayons. this seems like a no-brainer, but often parents forget to buy crayons because of how obvious they are. Whether you choose to buy the small box or go with the jumbo box crayons are an inexpensive and fun art time addition.

Having a wide assortment of supplies can make arts and crafts fun.

Credit: Patti Gray

Copyright: Patti Gray