By Spramani Elaun
There are so many fun preschool art supplies to choose from. I want to share tips for preschool guides getting ready for the upcoming school year.
I have 30 years experience as an artist, homeschool mom, art teacher, and art manufacture. I have a lot of knowledge figuring out what art supplies are important to have on hand for art activities. As a homeschool mom I know how important it is to have easy art materials ready to go to keep kids busy. I have only two criteria for choosing the best art supplies for toddlers.
- One, they must be safe, and non-toxic
- Two, they must be easy to find
You don’t have to buy many art supplies to get started, you can start with one area of study, like painting. You also can buy student grade which will be less expensive to start off with. Start with buying student grade which is less expensive than professional grade. Once your students like a particular medium, invest in better quality products. Like watercolor paints, or cross stitching craft supplies. If you are not familiar with visual arts, I recommend reading my book called Defining Visual Arts. This book gives you a clear picture of what your students should learning in visual arts. It also gives you a common visual arts mateirals list to buy.
I also have a preschool art guide giving you ideas on art lesson ideas for preschoolers, Order Book HERE.
OK, lets start with how to choose basic safe art supplies kids can use. Art supplies for preschoolers need to be non- toxic. Don’t choose any adult grade art supplies to teach preschoolers. Be sure all the art supplies you choose have the non toxic seal of approval. The U.S. ASTM D 4236 approved and tested to be safe for children’s use. The European seal complies with the basic criteria of the European Union. Adult grade art supplies may be toxic and have metals in them. Some have special handling instructions for adults, not preschoolers. Adult supplies might have toxic ingredients, required by the artist. Some artist need colors to blend or archive well.
So stick with only child grade non toxic art supplies. You can find plenty of art supplies for children in most craft stores. Choosing the best art supplies will help your child explore and discover in a process-based way. Process-based learning is the best way for a little artist to learn art. (For more info on what “process-based” art actually is and how to teach it, check out this blog post.) Process-based methods is learning through doing. Your not focusing on the outcome or final product. Children are learing through the experience of creating the art themselves.
Buy preschool supplies for themed art lessons
When I teach preschool art lessons, I break down the visal arts in different art focuses like; painting, drawing, or crafting. Below are just a few art supplies I recommend for teaching these subjects to preschoolers. Gathering the right art supplies ahead of time will help you keep your little artist busy!
Painting
- Dry or liquid paints (get rainbow color vairety)
- Tempera paint sticks (choose darker, or bright colors)
- Dot Stampers (bottles are easy for small hands to hold)
- Paint brushes (different sizes)
- Sponges (get different sponge sizes, types and shapes)
- Cups, bowls, or palettes (for holding paint, or playing with watery paint)
Crafting
- Safety scissors
- Colorful paper
- Yarn (diferent colors and thinkness)
- Glue sticks, craft glue
- wood sticks, natural sticks
Smock, apron, or large t-shirt (to avoid dirtied or stained clothes)
Download Full
Early Childhood Art Materials List PDF HERE
How to best use preschool art supplies
Keeping these art supplies ready to go will help you set-up for easy inviations. I like to keep an art shelf stocked with all my material. I also use plastic bins to store art material out my preschoolers reach when are not working with theme.
I recommend alternating art “themes.” For instance, start with painting one week; let your child play with watercolor paints one day. Then dry paint the next, and on the following day you can introduce sponges or dot stampers. Then the next week, allow them to explore drawing, and give them new drawing art materials to play with each day. Preschooler ages need a lot of time to process and play with each different art material. This will give them time to understand how they work and what they can create.
I definitely recommend sticking to one theme each week. This gives preschoolers the time they need to learn an idea. Plus your students will not become overstimulated or overwhelmed. Only working within one area a week also makes things easier on you!
If you’re focusing on clay, you can keep paint, and your other supplies put away and out of sigh. That means only setting up the clay supplies once, at the beginning of the week. Innstead of bringing out whole new materials every single day. Once you’ve allowed your toddler to explore each area of visual arts, you can make the next round. This will become fresh and exciting by using story books as inspiration.
Here’s an example of what I mean using story books with themes:
Use the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar for example by Eric Carle. Read book outloud, let them soak up the beautiful artwork. Then encourage them to create their own caterpillar out of clay. Or, if your child is exploring painting, ask them to paint a big green leaf. Using different shades and colors of green, for the hungry caterpillar to eat.
Teaching preschoolers can be a lot of fun. As a parent, it’s exciting to see them light up as they explore different mediums. They will grow in their confidence and creativity! As a child, it’s a chance to jump into a whole new world of color and experiences. And it all starts with the right preschool art supplies!
BUY PRESCHOOL ART CURRICULUM HERE!
