What should be included in an art kit?

This can vary depending on the kit. For kids who are already into arts or crafting, you’re going to look for tools and raw supplies. Conversely, a child who is exploring their interests for the first time may want something more regulated—a specific project. Paredes says it’s also about the overall mood. “If you want a fun thing where they're just dancing around having fun, paint will be great. But if you want them to calm down and you see that they're very dysregulated, you may want to offer something that is more controlled.”

Do you need expensive art supplies to make good art?

Absolutely not. Something as simple as a set of crayons will work. It’s all about giving kids a tool that works and won’t frustrate them, so as long as it doesn’t break, dry up, or make a giant mess you can’t clean up, you should be good. “Childhood is where we are at our most artistic,” Paredes explained. “Children express themselves naturally through the arts.”

The 21 Best Art Kits for Kids, According to an Art Therapist

Whether your child is already showing signs of being the next Basquiat or they just enjoy sketching, painting, and playing with color, they can receive so many benefits from arts and crafts. Not only will art supplies and art kits for kids help develop their creativity, but they will promote kids’ cognitive function at the same time.

“We want to have our kids develop creativity,” explains art therapist Nadia Paredes, MA, LMFT, ATR, president-elect of the American Art Therapy Association. “Creativity is our ability that helps us adapt basically to realize. Creativity—it's a cognitive function. [It] works out, as if we had a mental gym.”

The best art kits for your kids will be easy for them to use on their own or with minimal guidance, align with their developmental age, and encourage their creativity over time. Since every child’s version of creativity is different, it is important to allow your child to guide their own artistic expression in a way that feels comfortable for them.

Based on Paredes’ advice, feedback from the kids in our lives, and our research, here are the best art kits for kids of all ages.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Kid Made Modern Arts and Crafts Supply Library at Amazon

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Best for Toddlers and Preschoolers:

ALEX Toys Little Hands Picture Mosaic at Amazon

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Best Sidewalk Chalk:

CocoNut Float Doodle Jumbo Outdoor Sidewalk Chalk at Maisonette.com

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Best Modeling Clay:

Crayola Modeling Clay at Amazon

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Best Travel Kit:

Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Baby Shark Coloring Set at Amazon

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Best Social-Emotional Learning Kit:

HOMER Explore Kits at Amazon

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Best Clay Kit for Big Kids:

KiwiCo Rainbow Air-Dry Clay at Kiwico.com

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Best Glitter Kit:

Crayola Sprinkle Art Shaker Activity Set at Amazon

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Best Coloring Kit:

Crayola Inspiration Art Case at Amazon

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Best Drawing Kit:

Prismacolor Technique Animal Drawing Set Level 1 at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
How We Selected
What to Look For
FAQ
Why Trust Verywell Family

4.9

Kid Made Modern

View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Belk.com

Pros

Great value
Encourages free-form creativity

Cons

Lots of small pieces

A great choice for big kids, the Kid Made Modern Arts and Crafts Supply Library really has everything a creative young person would need to make almost anything they could dream up. It comes with over 1,000 pieces to create your own craft adventure, and it all comes packaged in a reusable box. The kit includes: fuzzy sticks, wooden pieces, felt pieces, craft sticks, wooden discs, wooden beads, plastic beads, sticky-back jewels, googly eyes, sequins, glue, needles, and even scissors.

Price at time of publication: $40

Age range: 8 and up

ALEX Toys

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Pros

Low cost
Builds confidence
Improves dexterity

Cons

Only five single-use projects

For little ones improving their motor skills, this kit with five mosaic pictures and hundreds of stickers and shapes will be a hit. While creating colorful collages, your child can also practice identifying shapes and colors.

“I feel like with the older kids, [collages show] them they can still do art, but [it] does not necessarily need to look a certain way because you can't copy your collage,” says Paredes. The kit contains five square pictures, each packaged separately with its own stickers, and allows your little one to create a lion, house, birthday cake, cereal bowl, and flowers.

Price at time of publication: $12

Age range: 3 and up

CocoNut Float

View On Maisonette.com

Pros

Low-maintenance cleanup

Cons

Chalk dust can be messy

“Chalk is great because it's very sensory,” says Paredes. We love this jumbo sidewalk chalk set for its simplicity and ease of use. Let your littles scribble all over the sidewalk or driveway and either rinse their art away with a hose or let the rain take care of cleanup. With four pastel colors and 20 pieces of chalk, this package includes enough for everyone who wants to doodle.

Price at time of publication: $9

Age range: 3 and up

Crayola

View On Amazon View On Michaels

Pros

Low mess
Teaches motor skills
Doesn’t dry out

Cons

Packaging is not reusable

“Clay work with younger children is very good because it’s abstract [and] very exploratory,” says Paredes. This eight-piece kit comes in vibrant, bold colors and is nontoxic, two things parents and kids will love. It also doesn’t dry out—something that can be frustrating for young artists. The soft molding compound is easy to play with, can be reused many times over, and is fun to mix together to create new shades.

Price at time of publication: $9

Age range: 4 and up

Crayola

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Pros

Low mess
Travel friendly

Cons

Markers can’t be used on regular paper

Your child can take their creativity on the road (or in the air) with this mess-free set by Crayola. Grown-ups will appreciate that the markers only work on the coloring books, and the kids will love that they have 18 Baby Shark-themed pages to color. Even if you aren’t using this book to ease traveling woes, we think it is a convenient kit to keep your tots entertained at restaurants, doctor appointments, or any occasion where little hands need to be kept busy without a mess.

Price at time of publication: $11

Age range: 3 and up

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Learnwithhomer.com

Pros

Builds emotional intelligence
Learn social skills

Cons

Small parts not ideal for kids under 3 years old

Big feelings can be difficult to navigate, and we love that this art kit allows preschoolers through kindergartners to explore all those overwhelming, scary emotions they’re experiencing. Through storytelling, acting, coloring, and games, your child will have fun learning more about verbalizing their feelings and engaging in social-emotional learning.

Price at time of publication: $35

Age range: 3–6 years old

KiwiCo

View On Kiwico.com

Pros

Sculptures will last
Teaches fine motor skills

Cons

Eventually, you’ll need to buy more clay

For big kids bursting with active imaginations, this six-piece set of air-drying clay will allow them to keep their favorite art projects forever. Just mix and match the bright colors, including black and white clay, and you’re set. To preserve artwork, simply let the clay dry; no oven is needed.

Price at time of publication: $15

Age range: 3 and up

Crayola

View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Crayola.com

Pros

Easy to set up
Clear instructions
Unique

Cons

Difficult to keep colors separate
May require a grown-up’s help

To be fully transparent, this kit isn’t exactly glitter, but we all know how troublesome glitter crafts for kids can be, and this is a great alternative. For your sparkle-loving crafty kid, this set allows artists to decorate line art or blank paper with less mess. They can create their own design using the included glue stick or apply the glue to line art wherever they want sprinkles to stick. Once the glue is applied, they can close the cover, insert the sprinkle tube into the chamber, and shake to see their design take on a shiny look. The excess sprinkles can easily flow back into the tube to limit waste and mess. The kit comes with the art shaker, sprinkles, and coloring pages.

Price at time of publication: $27

Age range: 5 and up

View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Crayola.com

Pros

Portable
Supports free-form creativity
Good value

Cons

Lots of little pieces

For the child who’s showing a real interest in visual art, this giant portable kit has everything they’ll need. It includes short colored pencils, crayons, washable markers, and blank coloring paper. With 140 tools for drawing and coloring, including drawing pages, this is a great starter kit or supplies for your budding young artist.

Price at time of publication: $34

Age range: 5 and up

Amazon

View On Amazon

Pros

Hours of access to drawing lessons
Dozens of tools included
Instruction booklet

Cons

Focus is on just one animal

Learn the fundamental skills of drawing and shading through the online lessons included with this animal drawing colored pencil set. It contains 18 colored pencils, two markers, a magic rub eraser, a drawing pad, and many more tools to create a fox masterpiece. Plus, with access to hours of drawing content, you can move at your own pace.

Price at time of publication: $30

Age range: 6 and up

Ooly

View On Maisonette.com View On Ooly.com

Pros

Unusual kit
Chunky size is great for small hands

Cons

Could frustrate kids looking for specific colors

Your budding artist will be blown away by this set of seemingly simple colored pencils. While the pack includes just six pencils, each one delivers a prism of five vibrant colors. The unique pencils have a chunky barrel shape to help younger kids comfortably grip them while they draw.

Price at time of publication: $9

Age range: 3 and up

Hiolife

View On Amazon

Pros

Unique projects
Stress-relieving

Cons

Will take a while to finish

This pre-printed textured art kit will be hours of fun for a kid who wants to express themselves creatively but doesn’t quite know where to start. To create an expert-level masterpiece, your kiddo will simply find a number on the canvas, apply the paint that corresponds with that same number, and then repeat. While the final piece will probably take a few days, they will be pretty impressed with the results.

Price at time of publication: $22

Age range: 6 and up

Insnug

View On Amazon

Pros

Nearly endless options
Teaches focus and patience

Cons

Tedious

A dot on its own is simply a dot, but with this kit, an older kid can use dots to create a colorful, whimsical design that is worth displaying. The 86-piece set comes with everything they will need to get started, including a cute mini wooden easel. While the set also includes an instruction manual, we think there is also plenty of room for creativity with these supplies.

Price at time of publication: $30

Age range: Not specified

Style Me Up

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Pros

Builds confidence through mastering a project

Cons

Small parts

Almost every kid goes through a friendship bracelet phase, and for those that really embrace crafting their own accessories, this crochet kit has everything they need to get started. Beginners will appreciate the activity book that includes easy designs to start with. The kit also comes with yarn, thread, needles, and all of the tools and pieces that they will need to make bracelets, necklaces, and more.

Price at time of publication: $30

Age range: 6–13 years old

Vigorfun

View On Amazon

Pros

Many different mediums
Great value

Cons

No guidance for beginners

For the teen who is really getting into visual arts, this kit has it all: oil pastels, watercolors, oil paint, acrylic paint, colored pencils, brushes, three canvases, and more. Everything is packaged in a very mature-looking, tiered wooden carrying case that will help keep their supplies organized and in great condition.

Price at time of publication: $41

Age range: Not specified

Courtesy of Fat Brain Toys

View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Fatbraintoys.com

Pros

Stress-reducing
Great for focus

Cons

May be too juvenile for some teens

If your teen is into room decor, they will jump at the chance to make their own display pieces with this string art kit. Highly rated, this kit features three shapes to choose from, and once your kid gets the hang of creating with the string, they can use the patterns or make up their own design. The kit comes with clear, concise directions that make creating wall-worthy art simple.

Price at time of publication: $20

Age range: 10 and up

Craft Crush

View On Amazon View On Dickblick.com

Pros

Creative
No extra tools needed

Cons

Limited use

Your teen can make up to eight chic, boho-style bracelets with this kit. “With older kids, you can also use more textile work. We can use, for example, knitting and embroidery,” says Paredes. With beads, strings, and clasps, and no extra tools required, they will have everything they need to get started. Art can be more than painting and drawing, and they’ll love wearing something they made themselves.

Price at time of publication: $20

Age range: Not specified

Dan & Darci

View On Amazon

Pros

Encourages patience and focus

Cons

Eventually will need new materials

Diamond art, where you use diamond-like jewels to create a painting, is trending right now. This kit, for ages 6 and up, allows them to create sparkly keychains, stickers, and charms they’ll be proud to show off. With 11 pieces to decorate and over 3,000 gems in eight different colors, your child will have plenty to work with.

Price at time of publication: $20

Age range: 6 and up

MXJSUA

View On Amazon

Pros

Detailed design
HD waterproof canvas

Cons

Lots of small pieces
Tedious, time-consuming process

This dandelion kit for tweens, teens, and adults follows the same style as other diamond art projects, but it’s more detailed. They’ll feel a sense of pride in creating a complex piece of art they can display in their room. This kit comes with glue and tools to help them line up their diamonds on the sturdy, waterproof canvas.

Price at time of publication: $10

Age range: Not specified

KiwiCo

View On Kiwico.com

Pros

Inspires imaginative play
Easy instructions

Cons

Activities require an adult to help

One of several lines in KiwiCo’s subscription model, the Koala Crate sends out monthly arts and crafts projects to little ones just learning how to turn those new motor skills into works of art. A rainbow-themed project, for instance, includes everything you need to make a stained-glass landscape out of colorful squares and cut-out shapes of mountains and trees. A cute detail that we love is that KiwiCo addresses each kit to your kiddo, so they will be thrilled to get their own mail.

Price at time of publication: $24 (monthly), $22 (monthly for 3 months), $20 (monthly for 6 months), $19 (monthly for 12 months)

Age range: 2–4 years old

View On Kiwico.com

Pros

Inspires self-expression and problem solving
Easy instructions on paper and video
Most supplies included

Cons

There’s a chance your child won’t like all of the projects

For creative kids over 9 years old, the Doodle Crate will help your young maker express themselves with fun crafts and interesting techniques. Each month, they’ll receive everything they need for a brand-new project, and the easy-to-follow instructions mean they’ll probably be able to do it all by themselves. They’ll love making gardens out of felt, stitching a faux leather portfolio, creating their own colored soap, and more.

Price at time of publication: $24 (monthly), $22 (monthly for 3 months), $20 (monthly for 6 months), $19 (monthly for 12 months)

Age range: 9–16 years old

How We Selected the Best Art Kits

We researched several art kits available through major retailers and direct-to-consumer sites, looking at cost, subject matter, age level, and consumer reviews. We talked to kids and parents who tried several of these kits to gather some extra, hands-on insight. We’ve also watched how well these kits engage children while teaching basic art and motor skills.

We also consulted with mom and art therapist Nadia Paredes, MA, LMFT, ATR, president-elect of the American Art Therapy Association.

What to Look for in Art Kits

Paredes emphasized that while not all kids are going to be great artists, art can be a way they learn to express themselves.

“I think it's very important for parents to allow their children to express themselves—not expecting beauty out of art,” Paderes explains. “I think that is very important: That art does not have to be beautiful in order to be meaningful.”

With that in mind, there are a wealth of products to choose from, ranging from free-form creative kits to more regimented projects; and for all age levels. Here are some criteria to help you narrow down your choices.

Age Level

Most art kits for kids will give you guidelines about appropriate ages, usually right on the box. Smaller kids won’t need very complex projects to engage them. It is more important to prioritize something that they can play with safely—and without small pieces. Older kids can handle written instructions and will find satisfaction in following them to completion.

Paredes says following Viktor Lowenfeld’s theory of artistic development—which outlines stages from scribbling through pseudorealism, roughly based on age—is a good starting point for understanding what kind of kits or projects are best for your kids.

Ease of Use

Clear instructions are important for some of these kits, but not all. However, you may need to help small children by demonstrating any new skill or technique, like doodling with sidewalk chalk or using modeling clay. All of our more complex picks were selected because the instructions were clear and concise.

Paredes also cautions against overwhelming children, especially younger ones. “Give them two or three options, and of course the younger they are, the fewer the options, because it can be overwhelming.”

“With the older [kids], you can definitely give [them] way more options and just ask, ‘What do you feel like doing today? What's calling your mind and your heart?’” she continues. “Then they will know what they need because there's an intuitive connection to it.”

Engagement Over Time

Some kits offer a limited amount of materials, so when kids are done with the project, they’ll need to start something new, or you’ll need to buy additional materials. Others can be visited again and again—although eventually, they’ll run out of pencil or paint.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be included in an art kit?

This can vary depending on the kit. For kids who are already into arts or crafting, you’re going to look for tools and raw supplies. Conversely, a child who is exploring their interests for the first time may want something more regulated—a specific project.
Paredes says it’s also about the overall mood. “If you want a fun thing where they're just dancing around having fun, paint will be great. But if you want them to calm down and you see that they're very dysregulated, you may want to offer something that is more controlled.”
Do you need expensive art supplies to make good art?

Absolutely not. Something as simple as a set of crayons will work. It’s all about giving kids a tool that works and won’t frustrate them, so as long as it doesn’t break, dry up, or make a giant mess you can’t clean up, you should be good.
“Childhood is where we are at our most artistic,” Paredes explained. “Children express themselves naturally through the arts.”

Why Trust Verywell Family

Tanya Edwards is an experienced parent, food, beauty, and health journalist who has been writing and editing parenting stories for over a decade. She’s always doing arts and crafts projects with her nieces and nephews and loves to be the aunt that spoils the kids. One thing she’s learned over the years is that you don’t have to be great at art to enjoy it. Just explore!