Craft supplies come in all shapes and sizes (and price ranges!). Here are some ideas of what you need (or would really like) when doing crafts with young children.
Some craft supplies can be bought especially for doing crafts at home or in toddler group but there are others that you possibly already have or friends and family can collect for you.
Craft supplies you might like to buy
- Paint
- No spill paint pots
- Paint brushes
- Aprons (you can go old school and use old men’s shirts – children wear them backwards – buttons at the back. Use them and then wash them.)
- Glue (PVA can last ages)
- Glue spreaders
- Glue sticks
- Paper plates – round, square, white/black or coloured.
- Paper cups/pots
- Doilies
- Wax crayons
- Petit four cases
- Cup cake cases
- Wreath shapes
- Sugar paper
- Lollipop sticks
- Stickers – stars, themed stickers for example animals, sea creatures.
- Pipe cleaners
Of course you don’t have to buy everything on this list. Prioritise items like wax crayons, paper and glue. See if there is a local scheme for sharing supplies. Paper can be very expensive so save paper from packaging if you can. Card is great to use so try to reuse packaging.
Craft supplies you may already have (or know someone who does)
- Greeting card pictures. Collect all year round and especially at Christmas. Just ask donors to tear the picture from the greeting section of the card if they can.
- Wrapping paper (all sorts including shiny paper)
- Tissue paper
- Yarn/wool – Lots of knitters and crocheters will have yarn in small lengths in a variety of colours. Ask for donations.
- Fabric – sewers will have scraps you can use for collage.
- Cardboard tubes
- Cereal boxes
- Netting from fruit packaging
- Natural collage materials – leaves, petals
- Ribbon
- Magazine pictures
- Garden catalogue photos of plants/vegetables
- Paint colour samples from DIY stores
- Egg cartons (these should be clean, i.e no sign of any egg!) Children can be allergic to egg so take care.
It’s good to be on the look out for materials you can use – charity shops are great for finding bits and bobs!
Some supplies you need only buy once – non spill paint pots and good paint brushes. Glue spreaders will last and a good quality PVC cloth to cover the craft table will last years. (You can use newspaper but just check the content first!)
Here are some crafts that use a variety of the items listed
Here’s a link to a craft video post that goes through the steps of how to make a tree topper angel (or an angel ornament).