If you have kids who love to craft, here is everything I included in our Art Cart to make it easier for them to craft whenever they want.
I recently put together and “art cart” for my kids. My kids have been loving doing arts and crafts and I wanted a place to keep everything together. So I gathered up all of the art supplies we already had at home (it honestly wasn’t much) and picked up a few more essentials. I have seen a lot of fany art cart set ups online, but I wanted something simple, and not too expensive.
Today I’m sharing everying I bought and added to our own art cart. We’ve had it for a couple of months now and I’m not joking when I say it gets used every single day. It gets a little messy, but overall it’s relatively easy to keep organized and get all put back together.
Art Cart Essentials
Rolling Utility Cart: This cart is easy to assemble but also sturdy, perfect for your art cart. I also like that it has wheel locks, so once we pull it out the kids aren’t pushing it all over the place. Comes with hooks and hanging cups and plenty of storage space.
25 Clear Drawer Organizers: A variety of sizes to keep everything organized in your art cart. Great for lots of different art supplies and each container comes with little rubber feet you can choose to attach to keep it more securely in one place. I only used about 1/3 of these and used some others around the house.
Rotating Caddy: This one comes in a few different sizes, and you can order it with a large handle too if you wanted. Rotates in a full circle, making it a little bit easier to share supplies. Holds more than you would think! I have scissors, markers, paint brushes, colored pencils in here.
Retractable Tip Markers: To help markers last that much longer, we usually snag these ones due to the retractable tips. Not having to keep track of marker caps really is nice, and it also makes these one great on the go for road trips for flights.
Safety Scissors: These blunt edged scissors are perfect for toddlers. The really only cut paper, and they don’t cut it perfectly but they also don’t cut hair or hands, so you pick your battles. They are great for toddlers who want to be independent and can practice cutting with out direct parent supervision. Great for playdough play, too!
Colored Popsicle Sticks: Thin and smooth, pre-colored popsicle sticks. They are slightly smaller than a “normal” sized popsicle stick, which honestly my kids have liked. Awesome for all sorts of crafts and games. For younger kids you could mix up the popsicle sticks have them sort them into color piles, or place the popsicle stick on an object that is the same color.
Paintbrush Set: A different colored set but all the same brush size. Great for watercolors, acrylic, or washable paint. Rinse out easily and great for the price point.
Magic Clay: Comes in lots of great colors, doesn’t smell funky, and is so easy to pull out and use. It doesn’t dry out quickly when stored and comes with a few tools to get you started. Awesome for a variety of ages. Endless craft possibilities with this clay.
Popsicle Sticks: A classic craft choice and always nice to have on hand. Great for coloring on, gluing together, or for a frozen treat.
Paint Sticks: Less messy than pulling out paint and brushes but still fits the niche. Works well on poster boards, but also easily washes on skin and clothes.
9″ X “12 Plain Craft Paper: Always great to have around the house. Perfect for coloring, painting, and watercolors. You can also grab printer paper at Walmart that works great, too.
Silicone Art Mat: The little tiny lip around the mat makes it so nice for crafting. It keeps beads and markers from rolling away but also creates a surface that is great for writing and drawing on. It’s great to pick up and move if something is drying on it, or you need to move crafting spots.
Assorted Sizes-Googly Eyes: A variety of sizes with a self-adhesive backing. Although if you needed something to stick long term, I would still maybe put a dot of hot glue on it. Really easy to use and the case they come in keeps everything separate and organized.
Spiral Bound Sketch Book: The spiral binding creates a great drawing surface. For my older kids keeping it all together helps them continue to work on a drawing without it getting lost.
Large Paint Brushes: Similar larger sizes with slightly different tips. We have pulled these out in the summer time for water painting on the cement that keeps the kids entertained for a while. Works well for modge podge project or wooden crafts.
Multicolored Pipe Cleaners: 200 pipe cleaners in fun colors. Flexible but sturdy, and easy to twist and shape. My kids use these for so many things
Pom Poms: Fun to glue on things, or string together to make a little garland decoration. Lots of fun colors and great for working on fine motor skills.
** Some of the pom poms are very little and could be a choking hazard for smaller kids!
Washable Paint: My go-to paint for finger painting. Washes off so easily and it great for mixing primary colors together to create other colors. I just pour a little on a plate and let my kids go at it. They can use their fingers or paint brushes.
Changeable Kids Art Frames: An easy quick way to keep kids art on display. The frame has a magnetic open/close so you can hang and then easily add or swap out different art projects as they appear. Comes in a pack of two! I got the larger size to be able to fit the craft paper inside.
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