CRAYOLA AIR DRY CLAY

This is my go-to clay for students. It dries on its own, so anything your child makes can sit out overnight and be ready to paint the next day. If it starts to feel a little dry in the tub, just add a splash of water and knead it back to life. I’ve had buckets last a full year as long as the lid is sealed tightly.

MAKE-DO CUTTERS

I’ve used Make-Do tools with my students, and they’re always a hit. They look like “big kid” tools, but they’re totally safe. Kids can cut cardboard and build structures without getting hurt. The feeling of using real tools is what excites them most. (I tell my student they’re chainsaws).

PLAY-DOH

There are endless “Play-Doh kits” out there, but honestly? Kids don’t need all that. Give them a fresh tub of color and a few simple cutting tools, and they’re set. Classic, open-ended Play-Doh is still one of the best creative materials for little hands.

KID SCISSORS

Kids love cutting. I didn’t realize how much until I became a preschool teacher. Now I keep baskets of paper out so they can cut it into tiny pieces, tuck them into envelopes, and deliver them as “presents” to their grown-ups. True story. Never underestimate the confidence boost of having “my very own scissors.”

LOOP SCISSORS

These are perfect for small hands that aren’t ready for traditional scissors yet. Kids simply squeeze the plastic loop to make a cut. It strengthens hand muscles, builds confidence, and gives them that “big kid” feeling right away.

KIDS HOLE PUNCHERS

Hole punchers are wildly popular in my classroom, but most of them aren’t actually made for kids. The metal ones get stuck constantly and cause more frustration than fun. These are my first choice — easy to squeeze, reliable, and perfect for little hands.

BEADING

The secret to getting kids to spend hours beading is simple: shape variety. Every child loves hunting for tiny treasures, and this set has so many fun options. Expect lots of “Look what I found!” moments as they dig through the bucket.

PIPE CLEANERS

For young kids, pipe cleaners are the best tool for beading. They keep beads from sliding off, even if the knot comes undone, and they’re much easier for little fingers to poke through the holes — which means more independence and less frustration. Glitter pipe cleaners are fun to look at, but they get itchy as bracelets. Try these ombre ones instead.

WASHI TAPE

Washi tape is my favorite tape to have in the art room. It’s a paper tape, so it won’t leave marks on the walls, but it’s still strong enough for kids to build and create with. Washi comes in endless colors and patterns, but not all brands are equal. I find Scotch to be the most reliable.

ANIMAL HEADS

These are the perfect “final step” in so many projects. They can be used for beading, pushed into clay to build little creatures, or mixed into any art project your child dreams up.

CLAY TOOLS

Keep it simple, but offer variety. I like these because they look like “big kid” tools, and kids get so excited about that. They make it easy for little hands to shape clay or Play-Doh into all sorts of magical forms. A new set like this always sparks fresh creativity.

BRADS

Brads are one of my secret art-room tools, and if you’ve scrolled this far, you deserve to add them to your stash. There’s a small learning curve, but once kids get the hang of it, they can connect paper or cardboard pieces and turn them into moving sculptures. Kinetic art, if you want to be fancy about it.