My kids can frequently be found huddled together around our art area table diving into art materials together. It's one of those things that they can do both together or individually which I really love. Gus, in particular, is super into creating with our art materials lately. At 3, almost 4, he is at the verge of being able to pull together art supplies without needing them all on a tray. But, for the most part, I still organize everything together on a tray for him to easily grab from the shelf. So, you'll notice that mostly, the trays are completed sets of materials he needs to explore the art medium.
Watercolors
Gus is super into painting and watercolors is a great way to do that without a huge mess. While we sometimes have other paint options available, watercolors are our go-to. This tray includes:
- Watercolors
- Waterproof apron
- Small pitcher
- Small bowl
The paper is stored next to the tray on the shelf along with a variety of sizes of paint brushes.
Mini Highlighters
These mini highlighters have been a huge hit here. These particular ones were found in the dollar spot at Target, but there are similar options available online (these or these.) The paper is kept next to the small container of them. Their small size really forces a nice pincer grasp when in use and their extra bright color is really attractive to Gus.
Human Colored Crayons
These beautiful crayons are made by a company called All of Us Crayons. They are simply amazing. Again, the paper is kept close to the the container so that Gus can color easily and quickly when feeling inspired.
Stamps
Again these were a dollar spot find at Target, but they are so cute. (These look similar.) The little stamps are so tiny and really appealing for children. I also really like them because they are a decent challenge for Gus. He has to really focus to stamp them carefully (and not too forcefully) to get the shape to turn out.
White Gel Pen
Here I've just included a white gel pen and some black construction paper. This makes for fun, bright designs. The gel pen is a great option because it has to be used correctly or else the ball doesn't move around and the ink won't flow.
This post doesn't include every available materials, the bigger kids have more open ended options available as well which Gus can use (like those markers.) But, these are the materials that Gus is mostly using here at home.
What art materials does your preschooler enjoy?
