Keep Your Preschooler Busy Using Simple Arts & Crafts Supplies

Keep Your Preschooler Busy with These Simple Arts and Crafts Supplies

Keep your preschooler entertained with simple arts and crafts supplies! Discover must-have materials and easy, hands-on activities to spark creativity and fun at home.

Preschoolers are naturally creative, curious, and full of energy! But keeping them entertained—without endless screen time—can be a challenge. That’s where arts and crafts come in. With just a few simple supplies, you can provide hours of hands-on, screen-free fun that also helps develop fine motor skills, creativity, and early learning concepts.

In this post, we’ll walk through must-have art and craft supplies and simple activities you can do with each one to keep your preschooler busy and engaged.

Essential Arts and Crafts Supplies to Keep Your Preschooler Busy

A well-stocked craft supply stash makes it easy to set up fun, low-prep activities whenever boredom strikes. Here are some must-have art materials, along with one simple activity for each to inspire creativity!

Basic Art Supplies

These are the building blocks of creativity—perfect for drawing, painting, and experimenting with colors.

1. Crayons – Coloring
Let your child fill a blank page with colors, draw shapes, or make a crayon-resist painting by coloring over a white crayon and painting over it with watercolors.

2. Markers – Drawing
Great for bold lines, doodles, and even dot marker activities where kids use markers to fill in circles or follow patterns.

3. Colored pencils – Sketching
Encourage light sketching or let your preschooler trace over printed images for extra fun!

4. Watercolor paints & paintbrushes – Painting
Offer a variety of brushes and let kids explore mixing colors and creating soft, blended backgrounds.

5. Tempera paint – Finger-painting
This washable, non-toxic paint is perfect for fingerprint art, handprint animals, or letting kids experiment with texture.

6. Finger paints – Smudging
Let your child explore sensory play by smearing and blending colors with their hands!

7. Construction paper – Cutting
Use kid-friendly scissors to cut out shapes, make paper chains, or create collages.

8. White card stock – Crafting
Sturdier than regular paper, card stock is perfect for greeting cards, DIY puzzles, or painting projects.

Adhesives & Cutting Tools

Help kids explore fine motor skills and precision with these must-have tools.

9. Glue sticks – Pasting
Perfect for simple collages using scraps of paper, tissue paper, or magazine cutouts.

10. White school glue – Gluing
Use it for heavier materials like pom-poms, fabric scraps, and beads to create textured art.

11. Washi tape & masking tape – Taping
Set up a tape-resist painting where kids tape a design on paper, paint over it, and peel off the tape to reveal fun patterns!

12. Safety scissors – Snipping
Let preschoolers practice cutting along lines, fringe-cutting paper, or making paper snowflakes.

Collage & Texture Materials

These add texture and dimension to any craft project!

13. Cotton balls – Stamping
Dip them in paint and dab them on paper to create a cloudy sky or fluffy animals.

14. Tissue paper – Crumpling
Tear or crumple tissue paper and glue it onto a larger paper to create a rainbow, flower, or animal collage.

15. Pipe cleaners – Twisting
Great for making simple animal figures, letters, or beaded bracelets.

16. Pom-poms – Gluing
Use them for textured art or fine motor sorting games by color and size.

17. Googly eyes – Decorating
Transform any drawing into a funny character by gluing on googly eyes!

18. Craft sticks – Building
Build tiny houses, bridges, or simple picture frames using craft sticks and glue.

19. Feathers – Designing
Create birds, wings, or a sensory touch board by gluing feathers to paper.

20. Foam sheets – Cutting
Cut foam into shapes, letters, or make foam stickers.

21. Beads & buttons – Threading
Strengthen fine motor skills by threading beads onto string or pipe cleaners.

Ready to start your child’s early literacy journey? Click here to explore our Montessori Reading Curriculum

Recyclables & Natural Materials

Encourage eco-friendly crafting by reusing household materials!

22. Toilet paper & paper towel rolls – Stacking
Make binoculars, rockets, or animals by decorating and stacking rolls.

23. Cardboard scraps – Shaping
Cut cardboard into puzzles, name signs, or simple play structures.

24. Egg cartons – Sorting
Paint and use egg cartons to sort beads, create caterpillars, or make flower crafts.

25. Fabric scraps – Weaving
Let kids glue fabric onto paper, sew with a plastic needle, or create a mini weaving project.

26. Leaves, twigs, & small stones – Nature-art
Collect outdoor materials to press into clay, glue onto paper for nature collages, or use for leaf rubbing art.

Modeling & Sensory Materials

Great for hands-on play and creative expression!

27. Playdough – Rolling
Use for rolling, stamping with cookie cutters, or building small animals.

28. Air-dry clay – Molding
Let kids sculpt animals, bowls, or simple figurines, then paint them when dry!

29. Kinetic sand – Scooping
Great for sensory play, letter tracing, or building mini sandcastles.

30. Sponges – Printing
Cut sponges into shapes, dip them in paint, and stamp onto paper.

31. Bubble wrap – Pressing
Paint bubble wrap and press it onto paper for fun textured prints!

How to Encourage Creative Play at Home

– Create a Craft Station: Keep supplies organized and accessible for independent play.

– Emphasize Process Over Product: Let kids explore, mix colors, and experiment freely.

– Join the Fun: Sit down and create alongside them to encourage their creativity!

Preschool boy engaged in hands-on arts and crafts activity, coloring with crayons and creating a colorful paper collage. — Preschooler working with arts and crafts using paint

Crafting Tips for Parents

Great for making arts and crafts time enjoyable and stress-free!

– Embrace the Mess – Enjoy
Let kids explore freely without worrying about every paint splatter or scattered pom-pom. Crafts are about creativity, and the mess is part of the fun!

– Encourage Open-Ended Activities – Creating
Offer supplies like paper, scissors, and glue, and let kids create their own designs. Skip the step-by-step directions to allow for more self-expression and imagination.

– Set Up a Craft Station – Organizing
Use clear containers to store supplies at child height for easy access. A designated spot helps foster independence and makes crafting time more convenient.

– Keep Projects Age-Appropriate – Tailoring
Choose activities suited to your child’s abilities. Younger kids can stick pom-poms onto paper, while older preschoolers can try cutting shapes or gluing intricate designs.

– Join in on the Fun – Bonding
Craft alongside your child to model creativity, problem-solving, and patience. It’s a great way to engage together and bond through shared activities.

– Plan for Cleanup – Organizing
Cover the workspace with newspaper or a tablecloth for easy cleanup. Keep wet wipes and towels on hand to make post-crafting cleanups a breeze.

FAQ: Keep Your Preschooler Busy with Arts and Crafts Supplies

What are the best craft supplies for preschoolers?
The best supplies are washable, non-toxic, and easy to use, like crayons, markers, glue sticks, construction paper, and pom-poms.

How do I keep my preschooler entertained with arts and crafts?
Offer a variety of supplies and suggest simple activities like finger painting, tissue paper collages, or stamping with sponges.

Why are arts and crafts important for preschoolers?
They help with fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, creativity, problem-solving, and early literacy skills.

Final Thoughts on Ways to Keep Your Preschooler Busy With Simple Arts & Crafts

Keeping your preschooler busy doesn’t have to be hard! With a well-stocked arts and crafts supply stash, you can spark creativity anytime with simple, fun activities. Whether it’s finger painting, nature collages, or cutting and pasting, these easy projects will keep your child engaged and learning through play.

Learn more about Aunty Montessori

At Aunty Montessori, we provide both in-person and at-home learning experiences to support your child’s growth. Our Children’s House is an in-person preschool for children ages 2.5 to 6, and our at-home reading curriculum helps build early literacy through a Montessori-based approach.