Even though it’s the beginning of March, the weather is still cold here in the northeast, and we spend a lot of time on indoor activities. Our arts-and-crafts supplies are getting a workout. Here’s my list of ten essential items:
- Construction paper
- Pad of newsprint or other cheap drawing paper
- Crayons
- Washable markers
- Watercolor paints and brush
- Glue stick
- Liquid glue (I favor Elmer’s School Glue, which is less runny than their standard white stuff.)
- Safety scissors
- Smock or oversized sweatshirt
- Plastic tablecloth from the dollar store
Glues and paints are non-toxic, of course.
We have more than this, including glitter paint, rubber stamps and ink pads, craft foam shapes, stickers, and craft scissors with fancy scalloped edges. We also commandeer items from the kitchen, such as dry pasta, oatmeal boxes, and plastic deli containers. Still, the core items are the things I couldn’t live without. Have other suggestions? Leave a comment.
I keep old egg cartons (can organize small items in them or cut them up and make caterpillars, etc), pipe cleaners in various colors, googly eyes to glue onto pictures, and some pre-cut (by me) shapes.
There are some non-toxic paints that come in the handle of brushes now, so that each color has its own brush. My son loves those.
For Christmas this year, we framed various pieces of his artwork–in nice, but inexpensive, Target frames–and gave them to grandparents, etc. That way we thinned out our increasing collection of art without feeling guilty about throwing things away.
We keep envelopes handy when my three-year-old is drawing so she can send some to her aunts or grandparents if she wants. And stickers; the kid LOVES stickers.
Her favorite crafts activity, though, is baking. I set her up in front of a bowl and have her help measure and stir in each new ingredient. She doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so we usually end up giving most of the cookies or cupcakes to friends. Win-win!