Skill-Enhancing Art Supplies: How to Combine Creativity with Learning and Experience

Art supplies do more than just entertain or keep children busy. They help to enhance much needed skills, and also boost creativity. There are many art supplies to choose from. Pencils, crayons, markers, paints, papers, glues, scissors, etc. The list goes on and on. Once your child is two they'll be able to use their very first art supplies. Start off with big, chunk, bulky crayons. Make sure that you are selecting non toxic crayons as everything eventually ends up in a two year olds mouth. Crayons are the best first art supply.

Next comes paper. Toddlers love paper and they'll need something to color on! Sketch books are great, as are coloring books meant for younger kids which have fun shapes and such in them.

Once your child is a little older, say around age three, it's time to add some more supplies. Finger paints are as fun as they are colorful! A three year old loves to dip their hands in and create!

Wait until your child is four or so to introduce things like pencils, glue and scissors. Crayons and paints are still essentials, just the list is getting longer. At four years old children are preschoolers. This is the most important time to get your child used to using things like pencils to write with, crayons, markers and colored pencils to color with, glue to paste with and scissors to cut with. Why? Because a four year old is one year away from being school age. School age children need to know how to use these supplies in school. There are many skills required in kindergarten. Holding and pencil and being able to write their name is only one. Cutting a straight line and also cutting out shapes with scissors is another. Knowing and using different colors of crayons and markers is another. Children need to know these things before they enter school.

Once your kids get older you can advance their supplies to oil pastels, acrylic paints with fine paint brushes, and even charcoal pencils to keep them creative and having a love of art.

Art supplies do more for children than just keep them busy. As kids use the supplies they are learning much needed motor skills. Introduce art supplies such as paper and big, nontoxic crayons around age two. Gradually add in more supplies like finger paints, markers, textured paper, and pencils. Lastly add in the preschool aged supplies such as scissors and glue. Once your child is older keep them hooked on art by offering advanced supplies like oil pastels and acrylic paints with canvases and sketch books. Art adds beauty to the world just as art supplies enhance young children motor skills. Both are necessary and wonderful! Thanks for reading and take care!