The younger your child the messier they like to get when they are having fun and enjoying themselves. However, with the right art materials to play with, your little ones don’t have to get so messy. They can start creating with paint, crayons, and other art supplies when developing their imagination, and fine motor skills, and even boost their self-esteem and confidence levels.

So what type of art materials for preschoolers do you really need. Like what paint should you buy? The best watercolours for toddlers? What about marker pens? And, what type of paper will be right? Questions that can stump most parents.

While the list of what to buy is long, you needn’t buy everything in one go. Start with a few important
art supplies that you can stock in a cupboard at home, and keep adding as your child’s interest grows. Get ready to involve your child with creative art activities. Experiment with new art materials to keep your toddler engaged.

Poster Paints

Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of coloured pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium. It will become a standard for
your little ones’ art activities as it is versatile, inexpensive, washable, nontoxic, and easily available.

If you like something shinier and vibrant, try acrylic paint, the metallics stick to most surfaces and have a truly awesome effect. If you are budget conscious and love neon colours, ask for washable tempera. They are handy for colouring homemade art supplies like playdough and to make paint with chalk powder too. The paint is like a thicker version of watercolour paint than a traditional tempera.

If you are willing to spend a little more, there are tempera cakes. They produce a beautiful and brighter coverage. If you still insist on paint without the mess, try the all-time favourite – tempera paint sticks.

Paint sticks are a low mess, and an easy cleanup way to invite your child to paint. The paint dries in 90 seconds flat and is perfect for those moments when you’re just not up for major mopping.

Watercolour paints

Liquid watercolours will become your toddlers’ favourite colours to play with. They’re fun, vibrant and great for engaging young children in art activities, science, experiments and much, much more. To brighten the activity, try neon chroma for a very chromatic coverage. The metallic colours will add to the fun.

A watercolours palette helps you try out different colours to paint and mix, easily and quickly. Testing each of them till your toddler prefers a combination or a particular colour. In any case, look for high quality and long-lasting paint coverage, something you can look at when your baby grows up and wants to know something from her past.

Oil Pastels

There is no clear favourite but please note, that oil pastels come in two forms. One for sturdy oil works and the other for a finer version. Both are reasonably priced and are of high quality and safe to use for toddlers.

There is another version that comes in handy when you are on the move, like out on a picnic or on a vacation. They give you easy coverage and result in a lasting finish on the go.

Markers

These are something every home with a toddler must-have. Shiny, thick or thin, washable or non-washable markers are all good quality and safe for young children. The big advantage is, that they don’t dry out if you forget to put the cap back on the marker tip.

Then there is the permanent marker which is very useful when you want to work on various surfaces – leaves, pumpkins, Easter eggs. But buy them only if you are confident that your toddler won’t draw on your walls (but that is really up to you). Metallic markers are wonderful when you want to work on rocks or on a black ground.

Crayons

When you are working with a tight budget, but want to encourage art, you’ll find crayons just work out fine. Beeswax crayons, while a little expensive, are great for little masters to develop their grip and be able to hold a pencil when the time comes for it.

There is also an all-purpose crayon you could consider. It writes on glass, and turns into a watercolour paint or regular crayon. These are buttery soft and feel more like oil pastels in liquid form.

Pencils

Some say, it may not be right for toddlers to work with coloured pencils, but we are of an opinion that the sooner she gets used to gripping a pencil and earlier your toddler can get to work on writing numbers and letters as well as drawing faces and animals in a way she feels fit.

They will soon become the workhorses in art workouts with your child, and they are absolutely mess-free to boot! For young artists, a 3-in-1 pencil will work wonders. She can use it to draw on window glass or turn it into watercolour paint when you add water.

There are also chubby pencils available in the market for your child to use, which also means that your toddler can grow with these for many years to come. They really last long.

Playdough

Homemade playdough is easy to make and you use food colours to colour this medium. But if you prefer not to make your own, buy a set of soft play dough.

They come in small buckets and are ideal for little hands as it is allergy-free, as well as totally gluten-free! You can buy them in the colours you want which is a big advantage. This kind of playdough is readily available and will get the job done.

Paper

When choosing art supplies for your toddler, don’t forget the paper! Quality varies widely, as does the price. You can start with sketchbooks which are great for portable art or for any time use. They also make great gifts when you pair them with some drawing materials. Buy plenty of white paper and coloured construction paper, these are the bare essential art materials for every home.

Nowadays, you can buy paper in rolls. This allows toddlers to work on bigger surfaces and be able to use their whole bodies, whether on a baby easel, a wall or on the floor on all four! But all you really need is some plain white paper sheets, or recycle bin paper or cardboard. Also remember, an old newspaper will turn into an inspiring surface for watercolours or plain drawings too!

Glue

Glue is a must and makes so many art activities possible and of course helps strengthen toddlers’ arms as they love squeezing the glue from tubes or bottles. There are those handy glue sticks for creating paper collages! If you like to take advantage of technology, you can opt for a glue gun. Makes gluing sculptures and structures together easier and faster. But remember, the old old glue bottle is a staple.

Scissors

By the time your child is 2 years old, she can begin to practice making small snips with paper using a pair of scissors. She would need supervision until she gets the hang of it. Choose only the blunt tipped ones are perfect for the task. The sharp, pointy ones will be a better fit once your child is ready for school.

Tape galore

By the time your child is 2 years old, she can begin to practice making small snips with paper using a pair of scissors. She would need supervision until she gets the hang of it. Choose only the blunt tipped ones are perfect for the task. The sharp, pointy ones will be a better fit once your child is ready for school.

Stickers

Small children have a sticker fetish and yours may be too enthu about stickering everything in sight. In any case, Stickers come in all sorts of colours, shapes, and sizes. There are image-based stickers, while some others are made for tiny cheeks. A good supply will ensure you never run out of them..

If your toddler love stickers, you might consider creating a sticker club and invite others to join. Send a sticker messaging, it just might help pull in more members to give the club a head start!

Stamping pads

You can buy rainbow ink pads, as it is larger, holds all the colour you can think of in one place and is washable. Your toddler can use it with her fingers for finger printing, and use a stamper to put her stamp all over the house and on her things.

Chalk art

Everyone can work with chalk to create amazing sidewalk art. You can buy chalk for indoor art as well, because it works well on paper or a chalkboard too. There are liquid chalk markers that write on anything. They are awesome in the hands of little masters who are ready to wield their power of art everywhere.

Bigger droppers

Eye droppers may be too small for toddlers to get a grip on, the larger ones a much easier for them. These quickly become favourites for little children to practice squeezing and have lots of fun creating fun art activities and science experiments using watercolour or even food colouring powders.

Coloured tissue paper

Great for creating suncatchers, collages, and paper mache art, which may further involve your toddler and make her realize the true value and power of play and art.

You can attach coloured tissue paper or glue it onto anything or apply pieces of tissue paper to wet poster paint! Another variety in tissue that creates a hard to forget magic is the tissue paper that bleeds. It will be a fun addition for many process art adventures!

Collage Items

The best part of art materials is that they can be used to make great collage art – googly eyes, rainbow feathers, buttons, coloured pasta, pompoms, yarn and swatches of fabric. When you have so many things to play with, time will just fly for your toddler and you!

Useful sculpture Items

Ever played with a pipe cleaner when you were little? They help a toddler develop eye coordination and improve manipulation with fingers. Build unique sculptures, threading beads and pasta among other things.

Then, there are craft sticks made of wood which are great for building, sculpture, craft everything you can imagine. Coffee filters also come in as handy art material for toddlers to play with. You can use them for all kinds of arts and crafts projects. They are easy to cut into different shapes such as leaves, snowflakes, paper buntings and for making a collage.

All that glitters

Among the most fascinating things for a toddler to play with is glitter. It adds a lot of fun to giving the finishing touches to many art and craft projects. If you’re okay with it, your child will love the glitter.

Plain old cardboard

Never throw away those empty cardboard boxes, or paper towel rolls or egg cartons. They make excellent art materials to create art and craft. Recycle cardboard can be used for so many art activities. Use them to make toys, construction, pretend play and much more. Cardboard is the best, besides you have already paid for it!

As an aside, art materials also make great gifts for all occasions – Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, New Year… any celebration you can think of. When you bundle related art materials together, you create the best art kit gift children will love!

About Abrakadoodle

Art education at Abrakadoodle creates learning experiences you can use to inspire children to think different, be innovative, and devise ways that teach about interesting things found in the real world. Changing the way children discover and imagine. Ignite their minds to think, play and learn like never before.

If you like to enrol your child in our children’s art classes or participate in cognitive learning activities, give Abrakadoodle a call. Or better still, make an appointment with the head of a centre near you. Get hands-on exposure to an experience that will make you see art in a way that adds value to a child’s life.

Please note: Abrakadoodle classrooms are thoroughly sanitized every day — the tables, the chairs, the children’s activity stations and everything else the child might touch is made safe and clean. They also wear a mask, wash their hands frequently, and practice social distancing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What art supplies does a 3 year old need?

A 3-year-old toddler can participate in creative art activities for kids using some of the most basic art supplies such as pencils, crayons, paper, glue, and watercolour paints. Creating art using these art materials for preschoolers can help foster creativity in children, allowing their imagination to run wild while also boosting their fine-motor skills.

How to choose nontoxic art supplies for children?

In order to choose drawing & painting supplies that are safe for toddlers to use, start with a handful of essential kids art supplies and ensure that you buy products from trusted brands that assure quality.

When Do Kids Start Coloring and Scribbling?

From the age of 2, children begin colouring and scribbling. Engage your child in some of the most basic creative art activities for kids, such as drawing, colouring, doodling, and papercraft. Although there are a couple of kids art classes to choose from, enrol your child in an age-appropriate art program that fosters creativity and promotes holistic development.

Why is playdough good for toddlers?

Among several creative art activities for kids, playdough modelling provides the following benefits:
1. It improves hand-eye coordination.
2. It improves fingers’ and hands’ dexterity.
3. It aids in the development of cognitive abilities.
4. It enhances problem-solving ability.
5. It relaxes neurons and elevates mood.
Thus, playdough is an important component of kids art supplies that can be leveraged to engage children in fun-filled learning activities.

What Are Some Good Art Supplies for Kids?

Poster paints, watercolour paints, oil pastels, markers, crayons, glitter pens, playdough, tape galore, stickers, stamping pads, chalk art sets, large-sized eye droppers, and coloured tissue papers are some of the most popular drawing & painting supplies that excite children in their creative pursuits. These basic kids art supplies are widely available at art centres nearest to your location.