We sure do a lot of crafts around here! Over the years, I've found some of the best art supplies, craft kits, and materials around. If you've got a crafty kid (or know a crafty kid), I've found the perfect present.
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Toddler & Preschool Craft Kids & Art Supplies
My girls both had and loved many of the My First Crayola Products. They're VERY washable and a perfect fit for little hands. In particular, the My First Crayola Crayons are super cute and have a nice wide grip for your littlest artist to hold on to.
One of our favorite crafts are Sticky Mosaics. You just peel tiny little square stickers and put them in the correct place to make a mosaic picture. They're great for car rides, and I usually have one in our "activity backpack" that I take along when one of my girls has a lesson or class and the other has to wait. Maggie is 3.5 years old, has average fine motor skills for her age, and can manage these with just the right amount of challenge.
How fun would it be to paint your own rescue vehicles with this Rescue Vehicles Set from Melissa & Doug?
If your children aren't quite old enough for regular Perler (Hama) fusible beads, then you may want to try Biggie Beads. They're just like the original, but big enough for little hands to manage. Both of my girls could do (and LOVED) these at around age 3 or 4. Of course you'll need some Patterns and Trays to go along.
ALEX makes great craft kits for kids of all ages. They provide everything you need for some simple crafting time with your kids. If you're looking for quick and easy, nothing beats a simple kit! Try Ready, Set, Paste!, Tots Art Start, or My Tape Party.
Best of the Basics
Even if your kids have all of their basic art supplies covered, some of these choices are just a little bit more AWESOME.
Decorative Edge Scissors will make cutting practice lots more fun!
Crayon Rocks are not only eco-friendly, but are great for helping young children develop a proper pencil grasp.
I longed for something like this Colossal Art Supplies Set when I was young! Any little artist would be thrilled to find one under the tree.
Don't have time to get out paint and brushes? Paint Brush Pens are just as fun, and a neat artistic tool for kids to explore.
Waldorf Selection Giant Colored Pencils are hands down, the best colored pencils around. True, they're a bit pricey, they are worth every penny.
All kids love markers! Why not mix it up?
My girls and I swoon over these Mr. Sketch Scented Markers. They smell so good you may just want to eat them.
Glitter Gel Pens would make a fantastic gift for a tween or teen girl. No one can resist the smooth glittery-gel greatness of these pens.
Let your kids decorate their own t-shirts (or tote bags, or aprons, or hats, or jeans, or socks) with Fine Line Fabric Markers.
Watch your children be amazed as they try out these Color Changing Markers. One bright and vibrant color changes to another right before your eyes!
Who doesn't love clay?! This Modeling Clay is fairly firm, and best suited for slightly older children. It you're looking for something softer, try the Artist Studio Dough which is super smooth, and just feels better and softer than Play-Doh. A set of Dough Extruders is the perfect complement to some new clay!
Our favorite paint is from Crayola. We always keep both Crayola Washable Kids' Paint and Crayola Washable Kids' Glitter Paint on hand. The colors are bright and vibrant, and the paint is nice and smooth. These are relatively small bottles, but they're worth every penny. Add in some tools from this Texture Painting Set and you'll be ready for hours of painting fun.
Craft Kits
Craft kits can be a great way for kids to try out new types of projects. They're especially great for kids who may be crafty but have parents who are not so crafty. They contain everything you need for some super crafty fun.
Boys are crafty, too! This Metal Tag Building Set would be a great way to encourage your boys to express their individuality.
I remember doing a thread art project like the one in the Create Your Own Thread Art kit. It always looks so impressive, but isn't too tricky to complete.
Lena completed a Needlepoint Butterfly Kit earlier this year and she LOVED it! It certainly didn't turn out perfectly, but she really concentrated on it, and I could see such improvement in her stitches from the beginning to the end. It's fantastic fine motor work, as well.
While you certainly CAN do spin art using a salad spinner, a Spin Art Machine would be loads of fun. And you also wouldn't have to worry about cleaning out your salad spinner so carefully!
Okay, who among us didn't make potholders as a child?! Share the potholder love by gifting your child with a Potholder Loom Kit. It will bring back great memories!
I know there are plenty of children who are athletic AND crafty, so the Decorate Your Own Sports Set is for them. The finished product will make a great display on a child's dresser or desk.
Got a child interested in learning how to sew? This Woodland Creatures Sewing Kit contains pre-cut shapes, thread, needles, and other basic hand sewing supplies. You may also want to consider a starter sewing machine.
The Singer Pixie Plus Sewing Machine is small, has just a few stitches, and is easier to use than a full size sewing machine (shhh....don't tell Lena, but she's getting one for Christmas this year)!
And if you need some inspiration for sewing projects, you'll love the ideas in Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make and the follow-up, Sewing School 2: Lessons in Machine Sewing.
The Classic Wood Craft Kit contains wooden bits, glue, eco-friendly paint, and more! It's everything you need to make loads of cute projects.
A Deluxe Spirograph Design Set makes such a nice gift. Children of all ages can enjoy making spiral designs. There's something quite mesmerizing about it!
Sure, you CAN make paper airplanes with plain paper, but they're look so much more AWESOME if they're made from a Fold N' Fly Paper Airplanes Kit. With two-sided printed paper and special folding creations, your child can make a whole fleet.
Ooooooh, Fashion Plates! With the Fashion Plates Deluxe Kit, you pick a head, a top, and a bottom, and use the special crayon holder to make a rubbing of your creation. This was one of my favorite toys as a child, and my little fashionista Maggie will absolutely be getting one when she's old enough!
Lena was finally old enough to try out a Rainbow Loom this year, and she LOVES it. You can find tons of patterns online and can find them at just the right difficulty level.
Both of my girls love making necklaces out of beads. Normally we just use plastic pony beads, but last year they each got a fancy set of wooden beads from Melissa & Doug like this Flower Power Bead Set. They both love making the necklaces so much that they keep stringing and unstringing the same beads over and over again! The wooden beads are a very nice quality and it comes in such a fancy little box.
Klutz make some really nice products, and their Stencil Art Book is no exception. It comes with tons of stencils, a rainbow ink pad, foam tip dabbers, and stickers to create some gorgeous art!
Now comes the hard part. You've got to choose!
This gift guide is part of a HUGE collection of guides put together by talented authors of the Kid Blogger Network. Be sure to visit KC Edventures to see them all!
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