Let me start by saying that I by no means have this down. There are plenty of times when I say no to painting because I just don’t want to deal with the mess, or my kids want my help with a project but my to-do list gets in the way. Still, I continue to strive to create a place where my family is free to dream, explore, experiment, and create. I thought I would share with you a few things that I have done to help cultivate a creative environment in our home.
Buy Quality Supplies
There is nothing more frustrating than having colored pencils that constantly break or paints that are translucent and don’t offer good coverage. You don’t have the break the bank on art supplies, but spending a little bit extra on a few quality supplies is way better than having a boatload of supplies that are hard to work with or produce sub-par results.
Some of my go-to supplies:
- Good Paint Brushes like these
- Prismacolor Colored Pencils (Amazon usually has the best prices on these)
- Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint (Grab a basic set at Michael’s with a 40% or 50% off coupon)
- Watercolor Pan Paints (Prang, Crayola, even Artist Loft has lots of great colors)
- 80+lb Paper (Great for painting or drawing)
- Modpodge
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Craft Felt
- Scrapbook Paper (Michael’s puts their pads of scrapbook paper on sale 70% off pretty regularly)
- Card Stock
- Cardboard Boxes (Save cereal and other food boxes, amazon boxes etc.)
Make Supplies Accessible and Teach Your Kids to Respect and Care for Them.
You can find rolling carts like this at IKEA or Michael’s. They are a great way to have your supplies both accessible and mobile.
I keep our most used supplies in caddies or buckets that can easily be pulled off the cart and put on the table.
These shelves are filled with all kinds of crafting and sewing supplies…Fabric, paper, craft books and magazine etc. My kids know which supplies they are free to use whenever and which ones they need to ask to use first.
Carve Out Space to Create
You don’t have to have a dedicated space to create. We do all of our arts and crafts around our dining room table. The key is staying flexible and making it easy to clear a space to work and then clean it up when you are done.
Embrace the Mess
Let Your Kids Explore and Experiment! The more freedom they have the more creative they will be, and for me, that is way more important than having a Pinterest perfect house!
Maybe the most important thing on this list, Create with your kids!
Your kids love to be a part of what you are doing. If they see you making, they will want to create with you. Don’t miss out on those precious moments together. These are the memories and traditions your kids will take with them and hopefully carry on with their own children!
