What’s in Our Art Cabinet? 🎨 My Favorite Art Supplies for Kids
If you’ve ever stepped inside Lemonade Stand Art Studio, you already know one thing...
We have a LOT of art supplies. 😂
Paint, markers, paper, pastels, glue, brushes, yarn, clay, fabric, cardboard, and probably at least three things on the table that make you wonder, “What in the world are they going to do with THAT?”
One of my favorite parts of teaching art is giving kids the opportunity to experiment with supplies they may not normally use at home. Over the years, I’ve definitely discovered some favorites. Some are favorites because they produce beautiful results, some because they're easy for kids to work with, and others simply because they open the door to so much creativity.
Here are a few supplies you'll find us reaching for again and again in the studio.
🎨 Acrylic Paint
We use a LOT of acrylic paint around here!
I love acrylics because they're incredibly versatile. We can use them on canvas, cardboard, wood, paper, papier-mâché, and all sorts of other surfaces. They're also wonderful for teaching kids about color mixing, brush techniques, layering, texture, and value.
And let's face it, there is something very satisfying about putting a big glob of paint on a palette and getting to work.
I love to get mine from either Blick Art Supplies or Hobby Lobby then I pour them into these refillable squeeze containers ... https://link.amazon/B0d8Rbp5Z Makes it so much easier for the kids to see the color, squeeze, as well as store in the cart.
Why I love it: It's versatile, colorful, forgiving, and works for artists of many different ages and skill levels. It is very opaque as well as easy to come by.
💧 Watercolors
Watercolor is another studio staple, and I especially love it because it requires kids to work a little differently than they do with acrylic paint.
We experiment with how much water to use, color blending, washes, different brushstrokes, wet-on-wet techniques, and plenty of other fun effects.
Watercolor also has a mind of its own sometimes, which is actually one of the reasons I love teaching with it. Kids learn that they can't control every little thing that happens on the page, and sometimes those unexpected results are the best part.
Kids Water Color I like to use the Prang https://link.amazon/B0fLlbVrC
Why I love it: Watercolor encourages experimentation and teaches kids to loosen up and enjoy the process.
🖍️ Oil Pastels
If you've never given kids a really good set of oil pastels, put them on your list!
They're bright, creamy, easy to blend, and can create such bold artwork. They're especially fun when combined with watercolor for resist projects.
I love that kids can get strong, vibrant color without needing a lot of complicated techniques.
I keep them in little containers separated by warm, cool, and neutrals.
Why I love them: BIG color! SO SMOOTH! They're wonderful for layering, blending, texture, and mixed-media projects.
✏️ Black Permanent Markers
These may not sound very exciting, but we use black permanent markers ALL. THE. TIME.
They're fantastic for outlines, patterns, details, doodling, mixed media, and giving artwork that final little pop.
One thing I want my students to learn is not to be afraid of making a mark. A permanent marker doesn't have an undo button, and sometimes that's a good thing!
Why I love them: They create bold lines and details and help kids commit to their artwork instead of worrying about making everything perfect.
PRO TIP - if you need a wide tip permanent marker, purchase dry erase markers instead. They work GREAT! https://link.amazon/B0f2ZJ8gp
🖌️ GOOD Paintbrushes
This is one area where I think quality really does make a difference.
Kids don't necessarily need expensive professional brushes, but there's a huge difference between a decent student brush and one that loses half its bristles in the painting!
I like having different sizes and shapes available so students can learn that choosing the right brush is part of the art-making process. A tiny detail brush and a big flat brush have very different jobs.
The set I am trying out this year with my younger ones I have been impressed with so far!
Why I love them: Good brushes make painting easier and give kids more control as they learn different techniques.
📦 Cardboard
Yep. Cardboard.
Some of the best art supplies don't come from an art store at all.
We save cardboard because there are SO many things kids can do with it. It can become a sculpture, building, game, sign, loom, canvas, creature, or something I never would have thought of myself.
I love handing kids ordinary materials and asking, “What could this become?”
That's when creativity gets really interesting.
Why I love it: It's inexpensive, easy to find, and encourages kids to think beyond traditional art supplies.
🧵 Yarn, Fabric & Fiber
Our studio definitely isn't limited to drawing and painting.
I love introducing kids to fiber arts, including weaving, sewing, embroidery, crochet, felting, and other handmade skills. Working with fibers gives kids a completely different creative experience.
It also takes patience!
Sometimes a project doesn't come together immediately. You untangle the yarn, pull out a stitch, try again, and keep going. Those are pretty valuable lessons to learn while making something you're proud of.
I have the yarn that we use with the kids in these crates and poke the yarn through the holes so they can see the colors without getting them all tangled. Just make sure that you use the center pull of the yarn, not the outside strand.
Why I love it: Fiber arts combine creativity with practical, hands-on skills that kids can continue using for years.
✂️ The Random Stuff
This might actually be my favorite category.
Scraps of paper. Bottle caps. Tissue paper. Buttons. Ribbon. Old magazines. Cardboard tubes. Little pieces of fabric. Nature finds. Packaging. Odds and ends that don't seem particularly exciting on their own.
Put a table full of them in front of kids, though, and suddenly you've got possibilities everywhere.
I don't always want to tell my students exactly what every material is supposed to become. Sometimes I want them to figure that out.
Why I love it: Open-ended supplies give kids permission to invent.
🍋 So, What's My FAVORITE Art Supply?
That's almost impossible to answer!
If I had to choose, my favorite "supply" probably isn't a particular brand of paint, marker, or brush.
It's variety.
I want the kids who come into Lemonade Stand Art Studio to have opportunities to try LOTS of things.
Maybe painting isn't their thing, but they discover they love weaving.
Maybe they don't think they're good at drawing, but give them cardboard and a glue gun and suddenly they're building something amazing.
Maybe watercolor frustrates them, but clay makes perfect sense in their hands.
That's one of the reasons our supply cabinets are overflowing. I don't want art to mean just drawing a picture or painting a canvas. There is an enormous creative world out there, and I want my students to experience as much of it as possible.
So yes, we make messes.
We use too much glue.
We occasionally discover paint somewhere that paint definitely should not be. 😂
But we also experiment, problem-solve, learn new skills, and discover what we love.
And that makes every overflowing art cabinet completely worth it. 🍋🎨
Create Boldly. Make Something Beautiful.
Ms. Sara
Lemonade Stand Art Studio
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