Essential Supplies to Kick Start Creative Projects

Main Materials: Scissors, Pencil, Watercolor Paper, Select Brushes, White Glue and Variety of Acrylic Paints.

These are essential items you can have in your creative space. They are not artist quality; however, they are excellent for casual projects.

1. Paper - I provide copy paper for drawing, as well as watercolor paper for painting. I usually go to the art and craft section for watercolor paper and look for 90lbs watercolor paper. The kids, however, seem to prefer whatever they happen to see at the time and not stick to the rule.

2. A mix of brushes - I like the Crayola brush set. Their handle is thick enough for my 4-year-old hands. These will need to be cleaned each time they finish with the project. Simple water + a little bit of soap will work. Dry them by placing them horizontally on the top of the cup will make the brushes last longer.

3. Paint - we save paints from different kits and get acrylic paints from the Target dollar bin they usually sell during Summertime. This year they sold metallics, which is always a hit in our home. This paint is easy for my kids to help themselves, and they are affordable enough for me to get multiple of their favorite colors as they do more projects in the summer (or simply painting some random things at home).

4. Pencils - I like using these #2 pencils because it's multiuse. They are using it for school, so might as well use these for simple drawings at home. I also put an eraser and sharpener.

5. Scissors and glue - Blunt tip scissors and white school glue are what you need. For toddlers, it is helpful to have a special brush for glue and have them brush the glue on the paper. For bigger kids, it is okay without the brush, although it will be helpful for them.

With these, your littles can start a lot of painting and drawing projects, from drawing nature to endless lion drawings (see this reels). In no time, you will have a wall of pictures, and I will share what to do with them in a later post.