Best Art Supplies for Toddlers and Young Kids

The Wilde Oak list of the best art supplies for toddlers is based on years of experience, trial and error.  Find the best art materials for your small kids here...

We get asked for recommendations for toddler art supplies all the time. Questions such as, “What pastels should I buy?” “What are the best watercolors for kids?” “What markers do you recommend?” and “Where do you get your paper?“.

In speaking with experts, teachers, doing art activities ourselves and watching our friends little artists bud, we have learnt so much about the best introductory art supplies for kids.

So we’ll share what we consider the best kids art materials in this post.

Best Kids Art Supplies

1. Poster Paints

The verdict is still not out on this one as poster paints often create such a mess. But once we figure this one out for those littles who love finger painting we'll be sure to let you know. 

2. Crayons

Every young artist first introduction to art are crayons.  In our home the Stabilo Woody 3 in 1 pencils are always accessible.  These are a great replacement to traditional white board markers but just as easily can be used for window art or for letter practice on laminated paper.  A simple addition of moist paintbrush and these can easily spread across watercolor paper.  The chubbier pencil means that your toddler can use these pencils from the early day while still finding use later on. Currently both my 16 month old and my 6 year old are using these.

3. Watercolor Paints

Stockmar Watercolor paints in a tin are one of the easiest pieces to keep at home and bring for travel. When our eldest was just 2 years old we always carried this with us to restaurants for a little one on one time with baby.  This tin comes with stunningly strong and vibrant colors that give your child's work a long-lasting appeal. You may feel like keeping all the napkins and papers they paint on while waiting for your favorite meal.

4. Tempera Paint Pucks

Though we too have often been tempted by the vast color assortment of Tempera paints, we've discovered the best way to introduce tempera is by presenting 1-2 colors max in the beginning.  Inviting your child with paper, water and a mercurious thick paint brush gives the child an opportunity to discover the paint slowly, appreciating the differences in color that can be achieved through varying pressure and brushstrokes. 

The ones we have gravitated to are the Jack Richeson tempera paint refill pucks in a two piece well paired with a Mercurius Kindergartener's Paint brush.

Image courtesy of Jack Richeson Art.

5. Oil Pastels

Cray-Pas Junior Artist Oil Pastels include bold colors and are perfect for use on top of tempera paints. A smaller and thicker version of the regular size, these intense color pastels introduce your smallest kid into the world of layering and mixing colors. These are extremely smooth and easy to apply.

Image courtesy of Collage Collage

6. Markers

Not typically recommended for the littlest of artists by Montessori or Waldorf standards I have to admit that my youngest was always drawn to the ease and vibrancy of the Ooly Mighty Mega Markers. Because markers do not require the same force as crayons to develop color or line thickness they are a bit of an easy route out for learning how to draw.  Going with your instincts, if you want to introduce markers early on like we did, the Ooly Mighty Mega Markers are a favorite because of their jumbo-sized and brilliantly coloured pigments.  Great for toddlers and pre-schoolers, the large size and triangular shape make these markers easy to hold and draw with.  The vivid colors are also washable making them a bonus in our home where the walls become the canvas.  The angled tip means my little artist can color thick or thin lines.

7. Paper

In our home we always keep a few types of paper on hand:

• Cold press watercolor paper for any type of wet on wet painting or watercolor painting 
• Construction paper (not as popular) but great for any cut and paste type projects
• A notebook for markers and crayons

8. Glue

Ukie Glue is a staple in our home. It's clear form makes it easy for any toddler to use. However, like any good glue bottle, if left open it can become hard to use. To simplify the process we keep our glue in a little glass bottle/jar with lid and use a "glue pasting stick" for easy application.  This allows us to give access to little amounts of glue at a time without any need for guilt if the lid is forgotten.

9. Scissors

So far the best scissors (both blunt and sharp) we've found are the Fiskars scissors but these have still been best for the slightly older toddler (3+) from our experience. We're still on the hunt for the perfect scissor to introduce to the smaller toddler without any fear. But The Montessori Room recommends these little beauties.