30 Must-Have Kids’ Craft Supplies

Need a ready-for-anything kids’ craft supplies box? Throw these 30 must-have supplies in a large plastic tub and you’ll have everything you need in one spot. And, for a little project inspiration, check out some of my favorite kids’ craft finds from across the internet. Enjoy!

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Pipe Cleaners – Wondering how to use pipe cleaners? Check out Crafting in the Rain’s roundup of 20 fun pipe cleaner crafts for kids.

Yarn – Great for threading beads, weaving and tying together pieces of projects.

Colored Craft Sticks – The bright colors add a little excitement to ordinary craft sticks. There are plenty of uses for these rainbow hued sticks, including a 5 minute velcro busy bag from Tip Garden.

Plain Craft Sticks  – If you need a little inspiration for your bag of plain craft sticks, check out Kids’ Activities Blog’s helpful roundup of 6 fun craft stick projects.

 Clothespins  – Mermaids, animal magnets, toy soldiers and airplanes... There are so many possibilities with clothespins.

Blunt Tip Scissors  – When kids are learning to cut with scissors, their tiny fingers can get in the way. Buying blunt tip scissors helps make any accidental slips a little less painful.

Construction Paper  – Remember making construction paper chains as a kid? Make them again or cut out animals, do some paper weaving or make homemade greeting cards.

Cardstock – A little sturdier and brighter than construction paper, card stock is useful when you need a craft to last.

Copy Paper  – Great to use when kids are painting or drawing.

Felt  – Sturdy and forgiving, felt is the best option when you want to be able to use a craft project over and over again. There are so many options including making a preschool rhyming game, felt board or road track.

Paper Plates  – If you’re in need of a paper plate craft, Housing a Forest’s roundup of 65 clever ideas will help.

Tissue Paper  – Not just for gift bags anymore, tissue paper is great for making butterflies and even stained glass.

Dot Markers  – Also called Bingo dabbers, they’re great for adding loads of polka dots to craft projects.

Stamps  – They’re a fun way for kids to add a little more decoration.

Stickers  – An awesome way to develop fine motor skills, kids love peeling and sticking them on almost anything.

Washable Paint  – “Washable” is the key word here. Have kids pull up sleeves or put on an old button up shirt to stay paint free.

Watercolor Paint  – Easier to clean up than other types of paint, watercolor paint is great to pull out when the kids need to calm down. There’s something soothing about dipping the paintbrush in water and painting.

Washable Markers  – A must for coloring projects.

Crayons  – A basic on any craft list, Crayons are great for drawing projects and fun learning activities including This Reading Mama’s Crayon Resist Sight Words.

Chalk  – Awesome for outdoor coloring, chalk is also a must for indoor art projects like Buggy and Buddy’s Chalk Stencil Heart Collage.

Pom Poms  – Whether your making a simple preschool busy bag, you want to practice color sorting or you’re working on a kids’ craft, I guarantee your pom poms will be put to good use.

Glitter  – Everything’s better with a little sparkle, right?! Prep for the inevitable mess by having kids lay their project in a baking dish before sprinkling the glitter on top. When they’re finished, you’ll be able to tip the baking dish over the glitter container and pour in the extra.

Pony Beads  – A must-have for jewelry making, pony beads are a great fine motor supply.

Googly Eyes  – Fun detail for anything needing eyes {people, animals, monsters…}

Washable Glitter Glue  – Glitter glue makes everything more exciting. You may want to buy these in bulk – the tubes empty quickly because kids LOVE squeezing them.

Low Temp Glue Gun  – A must when you need craft projects to dry quickly. Although it’s low temp, I recommend keeping the glue gun out of reach of children and having a strict adult-use only rule to keep little fingers burn free.

Elmer’s Washable Glue – Great to use when you’re ready for a little more mess.

Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks – The purple magically changes to clear when the glue dries making it easy for young kids to see spots that still need glueing.

Colored Duck Tape – The fun designs make duck tape such a cool way to tape together inventions made from clean recyclables like empty paper towel rolls and egg cartons. Just make sure to provide a pair of preschool scissors kids can use to cut the sturdy tape.

Masking Tape  – Easier to tear and cut than duck tape, masking tape is still strong enough to stick crafts together.

Find More uses for Craft Supplies

Looking for more ways to use these craft supplies? Check out our Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest.

Follow our Crafts for Kids Board on Pinterest.