The Best Art Supplies for Kids [2026]

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As with most things, art supplies are not a one-size-fits-all for kids.  There are age-appropriate art supplies for all age groups.  You know your child best, always use your judgement for which art supplies are safe and appropriate for their use and always monitor your child.  Here are some of the Best Art Supplies for Kids, that my kids love and use time and time again.

The Best Art Supplies for Toddlers

When it comes to toddler-friendly art supplies, washable is the name of the game!!  Other must-haves include bright colors, non-toxic, easy for little hands to hold, roll-proof, and easy to clean. 

Crayons for Toddlers

We love these egg-shaped crayons, as they are easy for developing hands to grip.  They are Crayola, so non-toxic and washable.  When my kids were little, they only came in a few colors. But Crayola now offers the toddler-friendly Palm-Grasp Crayons in 12 colors! 

For those ready for “real crayons,” Crayola offers these large crayons that are easier to grip for toddlers.  There is an 8-Color Large Crayola Crayon Pack for around $5, or a 16-Color Large Crayola Crayon Pack for about $10. These crayons are a great deal for budding artists who need a little extra bulk to avoid breaking crayons when coloring.  

Crayola also makes thick, Triangular-Shaped Crayola Crayons that won’t roll away from your little one. These are especially useful in restaurants and on airplanes, when you don’t want to be chasing runaway crayons on dirty floors. 

Dot Markers for Toddlers

Dot markers were favorites for both of my kids as toddlers. Their daycare center introduced us to these, and they quickly became a highlight of our art kits.  While there are many brands of dot markers, I can only speak to these Do A Dot Art! markers as they are easy to wash out of clothes and off surfaces. 

Play-Doh for Toddlers

Think non-toxic sculpting for beginners.  Play-Doh offers what feels like infinite colors, including those with glitter and other fun types.  While non-toxic per their label, if your child tends to put things in their nose, mouth, ears, etc please use your judgment and do not leave them unattended.  Play-Doh accessories are ever-growing as well, with cooking sets being my kids’ favorite.

For little ones, I love these small packs of 1 ounce Play Doh. If left open and they dry out, it’s only a small amount versus a larger container. You can grab a 42 pack of the 1 ounce Play Doh containers in a large variety of colors for less than $20. These are great for Easter baskets, Valentine’s, and travel.

The Best Art Supplies for PreSchoolers

For our preschool artists, we still need vibrant colors, but given their increased dexterity and hand grasp, we can expand our art supplies to include safe markers and other fun materials.

Crayons for Preschoolers

Both of my kids love Brilliant Bee Crayons.  These crayons have the most beautiful colors, glide smoothly on paper, and are quite resilient, even when used by little kids. They are triangle-shaped and on the wider side, but because they are so rich and smooth, they have the feel of an older kid’s art supply.  

Crayola also offers a wide array of washable crayons.  Offered in both thick and thin crayons and a multitude of colors.  My kids still utilized the Triangular-Shaped Crayola Crayons and Large Crayola Crayons in preschool as in my experience, the standard Crayola crayons break very easily with preschool and even young elementary kids. The Brilliant Bee Crayons are another option, that offer the smooth glide of big kid crayons, but are wider and harder to break in our experience. 

Markers for Preschoolers

There are many marker options for young kids, but I prefer Crayola because I know they will wash out every time and are non-toxic.  Crayola offers large “broad line” markers for preschool kids. They come in a 40-pack of Washable Crayola Markers. We love these markers and feel like they last forever. Pro tip, store them cap down for longer life.

Art Accessories for Preschoolers

There is more to art than just coloring. These art accessories can add flair, and fun to your artist’s creations.  

Stamps are a fun way to create scenes or even things to color with crayons/markers/pencils.  We love these Melissa and Doug stamp sets. They come in a variety of different styles and scenes, with stamp pads included.

Pipsticks makes a book of 600+ color-your-own stickers that my kids love.  There are two volumes offered, for around $10 each that provide hours of entertainment. Check out Pipsticks Color Your Own Stickers Volume 1, or Pipsticks Color Your Own Stickers Volume 2.

When it comes to paper, there are many options, but we tend to lean towards plain printer paper at this age.  It’s affordable, comes in large containers, and is literally a blank slate for kids to create.  

Be sure to keep the Play-Doh rolling for preschoolers.  They will be able to use more advanced Play-Doh sets and start sculpting more unique pieces by themselves as well.  Leave them out to dry and preserve your favorites!

Scissors for Preschoolers

A note on scissors, this is truly at the parent’s discretion and dependent on the child. I have two kids who at the same age, one wouldn’t dream of cutting anything but paper, and other but both their hair and a doll’s hair. You know your child best, so trust your gut and always supervise scissor use.

We have safety scissors similar to these that worked great. They cut paper but really not much else, and thick paper can be tricky. For little hands, I think it’s safer to use kid-sized scissors, so we continue to have those in our art room at ages 7 and 10 years.

The Best Art Supplies for Kids

When it comes to kids between preschoolers and teens, there is a wide range of ages, skills, and available art options. There are art supplies for beginners, moving on up to the more advanced art supplies for teenagers below. 

Crayons for Kids

Elementary-aged kids may be able to better use the standard Crayola crayons without them snapping.  But if not, Brilliant Bee Crayons remain a thicker alternative that doesn’t look “babyish,” as per my kids. 

There is now a Crayola Ultimate Crayon Box Collection with 152 crayons including their metallic and glitter crayons. At around $20, it includes a crayon caddy to use when the box inevitably falls apart!

Another option is Crayola Twistable Crayons. They have a more pointed tip than a standard crayon, but are on the softer side and safer for little ones than colored pencils.  Our kids’ teachers have actually requested these for second and third-grade school supplies.

Markers for Kids

I love the standard Crayola washable markers for my elementary school aged kids. They come in a wide variety of colors, but remain non-toxic and washable. I also find that the Crayola markers don’t dry out as quickly as other brands, especially if you store them cap down. 

There are so many Crayola markers nowawayds, from Retractable Tip Markers to Super Tips Fine Point Crayola markers in 150 colors (?!?). I’ve linked you to the Crayola brand markers page on Amazon to shop!

Colored Pencils for Kids

Colored Pencils allow the precision that older kids are capable of achieving with their art, more so than crayons and markers.  Amazon Basics offers a Premium Colored Pencil Set of 72 pencils that is reasonably priced.  The shading range on them is great and Little A enjoys using them. 

For a less expensive option, of course Crayola makes colored pencils. Crayola offers a 50-pack of colored pencils, for less than half the price of the Arteza pencils. There is also a huge 120-count pack of Crayola colored pencils now available.

Crayola Twistables Colored Pencils are a happy medium between crayons and colored pencils. Twistables colored pencils come in 50 colors. They do not require a sharpener, and the therefore the points aren’t as sharp as tradiaional colored pencils.

Art Accessories for Kids

Fun art accessories for kids include glue sticks, glitter glue (yes, I said it-we love glitter!), and kid-friendly scissors.  Always use your judgment when it comes to safety scissors, and never leave your kids unattended with scissors. 

At this age, glue sticks can attach anything to art- pompoms, beads, paperclips the options are endless! We also love glitter glue and washi tape for extra pops of color.

When it comes to paper, there are many options out there, but we continue to prefer plain printer paper at this age.  It’s affordable, easily accessible and comes in large containers. For special projects, colorful printer paper or contruction paper adds extra flair.

The Best Art Supplies for Teenagers

Once you get into Middle and High School kids, most can use art supplies meant for adults.  They are less likely to eat the art supplies or color on themselves.  Again, you know your child best, so make the best choices to support your young artist.  

Colored Pencils for Teenagers

We love these Arteza colored pencils.  There are 72 in a pack, come in a metal carrying case, and the colors are beautiful. The pencils are wax-based which makes them glide beautifully. The pack even includes some metallics, which are always a huge hit. These are on the pricier side for colored pencils for kids. They were a gift for my kids, but they color a lot nicer than other colored pencils we own.

For a bit more artistic creativity, Arteza makes watercolor pencils.  The 72-color Arteza Pro Series Watercolor Pencils advise to be break-resistant, for those a bit tougher on their art supplies.  I will say we have not had any break, but full disclosure- we’ve never had a Crayola or Amazon colored pencil break either. The colors are blendable with a paint brush, pairing the beauty of watercolors with the precision of colored pencils. 

Watercolor Paints for Teenagers

My kids haven’t been very into watecolors, but Amazon has a variety of watercolor paint sets available. Some come with brushes and the little paint pots are refillable. There are a variety of price points for these paints. 

Markers for Teenagers

Ohuhu markers are amazing for older kids and teenagers!  We love their 64 Color Dual Tip Water-Based Markers, and I have had no trouble washing them out of clothes.  They are non-toxic and offer double-ended bursh and chisel tips for artists. The included plastic carrying case snaps closed with little clasps and has a handle. Ohuhu also offers alcohol-based markers, but we have not used them so I cannot speak to their washability.

Pastels for Teenagers

More experienced artists may want to try working with pastels.  Pentel makes a set of oil pastels with 50 colors for around $10.  Little A has these, but hasn’t used them much, and hasn’t gotten them on her clothes so I cannot speak to their washability. I think once she starts to use them in school, she will feel more comfortable using them at home.

Art Paper for Teenagers

When you are getting into pastels, watercolors, and more advanced art supplies. Higher GSM paper is ideal to avoid bleeding. Amazon offers a variety of sizes of 200gsm paper options. There is sketch pad by U.S. Art Supply for mixed media that we like. It comes in a large 9 x 12 inch size, as well as a more portable 5.5″ x 8.5″ size sketch pad.  These are 160gsm papers, but we have not had bleeding in our experience.

The Best Art Supplies for Kids

I hope this post has helped decrease some of the overwhelm when searching for the best art supplies for kids.

Now that you have the perfect, age-appropriate art supplies for your kids, you need an art space!  Check out my 20 Tips for Creating an Art Space for Kids in your home to support and encourage your child’s inner artist.