Crafts are fantastic activities for kids! Doing crafts together are great for developing fine motor skills, creativity, hand eye coordination, and more! Crafts don’t have to require excessive planning or expensive purchases either. Keep these 21 craft supplies in your house and you can throw together a kids craft in a pinch!
These are all craft supplies that I regularly have in my house, and we have made a million different crafts with them, and done many activities with just these few craft supplies. You don’t have to have an entire closet or room dedicated to craft and activity supplies. All these items will fit in a medium to large bin, and you’ll be glad you have them in a pinch.
Not only are these craft supplies good for different crafts and activities, but they will come in handy when you need to throw together a last minute spirit day or halloween costume, school project, and more!
Craft Supplies for Kids Crafts and Activities to Keep In The House
Pipe Cleaners
Pipe cleaners are good for a myriad of things! Not only are they great for different crafts, they can make an activity on their own too! Give your kids a pile of pipe cleaners and see what they can create by twisting them together.
Coffee Filters
Coffee filters are another multi-use craft item. One of our favorite things to do with them is color with washable markers and then spray with water. Doing this creates a fun tie-dye effect. You can then use them for sun catchers, butterfly wings, flowers, and more!
Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Tubes
Toilet paper and paper towel tubes are great because you already have them in your house! When you finish a roll, toss the tubes in a bin to use for later! They come in handy for a lot of different activities and crafts. For example, you can use paper tubes for binoculars, cars, butterflies, buildings, ball runs, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Cardboard
Save your cereal boxes, tissue boxes, delivery boxes, etc! Cardboard makes for excellent craft supplies!
Googley Eyes
Googley eyes are great for a ton of different things! I especially like the ones with the sticker back so they don’t require additional gluing or dry time. Not to mention the kids are able to do it themselves by just pulling the sticker back off and placing it where they like.
Paper Plates
Paper plate crafts make a great last minute craft! The plain white paper plates from the dollar store are perfect for this as they aren’t too heavy duty so they can easily be folded, cut, or whatever you need them to be. Use paper plates to make things like spider webs, masks, wind chimes or wind socks, puppets, and more!
Construction Paper
Construction paper is probably a no brainer. It’s the holy grail of craft supplies, and it’s pretty inexpensive! Construction paper is versatile and can be used for pretty much any craft you can think of, or even just to draw and color on. It’s definitely a great thing to keep in the house!
Card Stock
Card stock is great for when you need a piece of paper with a little more weight to it. Card stock is thicker than construction paper and holds its shape better. Therefore, card stock is great for stopping paint or markers from bleeding through, making something that needs to stand up, or making something that needs to hold a little more weight.
Stickers
Stickers are a great tool for fine motor skills, and they make a great activity in themselves! Give your kids a piece of construction paper and a sheet of stickers and let them create! Stickers are a great quiet activity for church, the car, the doctors office, etc. You can also use stickers for decorating crafts, counting activities, and more. Stickers are definitely a must have in my house!
Popsicle Sticks
Popsicle sticks are used in a lot of different crafts, and if you do any kind of crafts with your kids you will definitely use them at some point! I like to keep a couple different sizes for different things too. Not only are popsicle sticks great for crafts, they are good for mixing paint, spreading glue, etc.
Pom Poms
Pom poms are one of those craft supplies you either love or hate. Personally, I love them. Pom poms are fun to work with, and I prefer them over cotton balls. (I don’t know why, but my kids like to rip cotton balls apart and leave little cotton trails all over. ha!) Pom poms make great fluffy critters, cheeks, tree leaves and other foliage, eyes, and more! You can also use pom poms for counting activities, matching games, and fine motor activities!
String, Ribbon, Yarn, or Embroidery Floss
Any of these are great! And if you have multiple options, even better! Any kind of string-like items can come in handy for a bunch of different types of crafts or activities. I like to save ribbon and string that comes off of things I buy, like blankets, pajama sets, etc. Just toss them in a bin and use later!
Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun
Hot glue is my personal favorite gluing medium. It holds well, and dries fast (which is especially nice for little ones who don’t understand that glue has to dry for a while!).The biggest downside to hot glue is that it’s pretty much an adult only tool, unless you have older kids who won’t burn themselves.
Glue Sticks
Aside from hot glue, glue sticks are my favorite type of glue for kids. It’s not as messy as regular school glue, and they can use it pretty easily. Additionally, they seem to last forever! I especially like the glue that rubs on purple and turns clear when it dries. This makes a great visual for kids!
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is inexpensive, and useful for many things. I always keep a couple small bottles in the house, and we actually use them quite a bit. Acrylic paint washes off skin, hair, and hard surfaces really easily which I love. (Clothes on the other hand, not so much. If you have a magic remedy for removing acrylic paint from clothes send it my way please!)
Paint Brushes
Hand in hand with the acrylic paint mentioned above, you need some paint brushes. But paint brushes don’t just have to be for paint! We use paint brushes for painting with water on the sidewalk, coffee filers, etc. Sometimes we use paintbrushes for spreading glue too.
Different Types of Tape
It’s no secret that tape is great for many things. I find keeping different types of tape come in handy more often than not. Scotch tape, packing tape, duct tape, and masking tape are my favorite types of tape to keep at home.
Crayons, Colored Pencils, Markers, Etc.
Another no-brainer, but coloring utensils are one of those craft supplies that you just can’t have too much of!
Aprons
I love aprons for cooking with kids, but I think I love them even more for crafting with kids! Aprons are a must have for messy crafts and painting to save you some laundry later. If paint gets all over an apron, who cares?!
Parchment Paper
More than likely you already have parchment paper in your kitchen for cooking purposes. I am obsessed with parchment paper, I pretty much use it for everything! But did you know parchment paper can fall into a craft supplies category? Yep! If you are painting, gluing, or doing anything messy, lay some parchment paper over your workspace for easy clean up!
Kids Scissors
Cutting with scissors is a learned skill, and it takes practice.Having a pair of scissors suitable for little hands will help them learn to cut safely and precisely.
Other Recyclable Craft Supplies to Hang On To
As well as some basic craft supplies I’ve purchased, I also love reusing things to do crafts and activities with my kids. Here are a few other things I save and keep around the house.
- Applesauce pouch tops and milk jug lids make great car wheels, buttons, etc.
- Tissue Boxes for counting activities, making vehicles, buildings, etc.
- Tubes from parchment paper and foil are great to save because they are sturdier than regular paper towel tubes.
- Plastic containers (Sour cream, cream cheese, etc.) These are awesome for storing small things, counting activities, fine motor skills activities, and so on. The lids can be used for different crafting things too!
What are some craft supplies you like to keep around? Did this inspire you to get creative with your crafting? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
You’re doing amazing!
