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Updated: 10/04/2018
Child Care Craft Kit
Must Haves:
- Markers – Buy different ones like pastels and vibrant for use on black paper.
- Kiddie scissors – Kids love to cut! So let them. These are the ones with the rounded edges without any sharp, pointed ends. They also happen to promote fine motor skills.
Kiddie Scissors promote fine motor skills. - Foam brushes – Buy these in bulk if you can. These come in handy with so many projects.
- Glue – Of course, good to have on hand ALWAYS. Just in case you ever run out, I’ve been known to whip up a batch of homemade glue in a pinch.
- Hole punches – I have a few of these. They now come in cool shapes like stars, hearts, etc.
- Pencils – Colored and good ole’ No. 2’s should always be on hand.
- Crayons – the fat ones for the little ones and the skinny ones for the big kids.
- Scrapbook paper – Can’t do them projects without paper. You get more out of the 12″ x 12″ paper.
- Posterboard – I see this at the dollar store all the time. Great for making posters, cards and you can use the scraps for future projects.
- Tape – the gift wrap kind as well as the packing and masking tape
- Shaving cream – By itself, shaving cream is a great sensory experience for young kids, but you can also use it to make flubber.
- Felt – You can make anything out of felt. Use it to create a felt board to make stories come alive or even a cool race track (see pic).
Make so much from cheap felt! - Paper plates – What would a teacher do without paper plate projects? You can find a paper plate project for just about any holiday. There is a whole Pinterest board devoted to them.
- Tissue paper – One year we made Rainbow Fish using bright colored tissue paper.
- Stickers – Having stickers on hand makes for an easy sensory art project.
- White paper – This is a no-brainer. Just add crayons or paint and it’s an art project.
- Coffee Filters – We use these as napkins so there are always some laying around. Have the kids paint on them and spray with water for a fun watercolor effect.
- Chalk – Uses indoors and out.
- Paint set – I have even seen name brand ones at the dollar stores, which makes it affordable to buy one for each child.
- Kraft paper – Can be used to make projects and works as a great protective cover for tables and floors at craft time.
- Clothespins – These are great for hanging art for drying or even holding something in place while the glue dries. Just be sure to get the wooden kind. The plastic ones break too easily.
I know what you’re thinking; she forgot the glitter. No, I didn’t. It’s just that I HATE GLITTER! It’s evil you know. Glitter is the guest that never leaves. But if you must have it, there I just mentioned it three times (ha-ha).
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More is More:
- Glue dots – nice for the little ones that can’t use glue.
- String – just regular twine. So many uses.
- Mounting tape – For hanging the heavier poster board
- Jewelry string – For hanging lighter stuff. Disappears and makes thing look like they’re floating.
- Mod-podge – A step up from plain old glue. It seals too.
- Black paper – Cool effect with plain or colored chalk.
- Spray bottle – Just adding a spritz of water on paper can create a whole new effect.
- Smocks – Sometimes you can find these on the cheap. If not consider using old t-shirts or even bibs to protect clothing.
- Drop-cloth – You will be thanking yourself if you purchase one of these!
- Pipe cleaners – We once made a fun “tiger tail” with a curled pipe cleaner. The kids thought it was hilarious!
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What Else?
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Even an older, smaller model makes a project come together much quicker than cutting it yourself. I own have a love affair with my Cricut Explore machine. As a matter of fact, it’s my third Cricut machine. My new one cuts everything from posterboard to felt, so I can create theme-related projects on the fly.
Which is why every time I walk by my Cricut I say …
Organize It:
We actually took a half day last year and just did organizing. My assistant brilliantly labeled recycled cans covered with duck tape and organized the markers, scissors, etc. and then placed them all in a larger plastic shoe box (minus the cover). This acts as a kit to just pull out at project time.
Fruit cans, baby food jars, and oatmeal boxes are great to recycle as containers. Just give them a good wash and there you go. Large and small Ziplocs are also good in a pinch to keep things separated.
