Check out our art supplies list so you can choose the best art supplies for your homeschool.
When it comes to school supplies for homeschool, art supplies can often be an afterthought. That’s why we’ve created this simple art supplies list for you!
Also, incorporating art into your homeschool is much easier when you already have the art supplies you need on hand.
Keep reading to check out our three different art supplies lists:
- Recommended Art Supplies for Upper Elementary (3rd grade and up)
- Recommended Art Supplies for Lower Elementary (PreK through 2nd grade)
- Nice to Have Art Supplies
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Free Printable Homeschool Art Supplies List
To get a printable version of this homeschool art supplies list, click right here on this link or on the image below!
You’ll also get access to over 90 other great printables to help you organize your homeschool!
Recommended List of Art Supplies for Upper Elementary
Art Paper
The type of art paper you use totally depends on how seriously you’ll be looking at homeschool art.
You could go the less-serious route of using regular printer paper and white card stock from time to time, or you could invest in real high-quality sketchbooks and specialty art paper.
Here are our recommendations if you’re looking for really good art supplies:
Sketchbooks
This double pack of hardbound, spiral sketchbooks is the best deal we can find! Simply pulling it out of your backpack makes you feel like an artist!
Drawing Paper
One of the most well-known brands by artists, this Strathmore drawing pad is 9×12 and features top spiral binding, making it perfect for use by left-handed artists too!
Pastel paper
If you’ll be trying oil or chalk pastels (which we highly recommend), it is definitely worth it to have some good-quality pastel paper on hand. Pastel paper is highly textured, so it grabs the pastels and pulls them into the paper.
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paper is great at sucking up the moisture from watercolor paint. This three-pack of small watercolor paper notebooks is a great way to help your kids create small-scale watercolor masterpieces.
Pencils
There’s a reason why pencils are always near the top of the list: you’ll use TONS of pencils! Whether it’s for artwork or schoolwork, there is always a need for pencils.
This giant pack of 150 pre-sharpened number two pencils from Amazon Basics has lasted us two years. They’re high quality, inexpensive, and a great bargain.
Colored pencils
Colored pencils are a great option to have on your homeschool art supplies list, especially for older kids.
They can be used for adding color and shading artwork, of course, but they’re also great for map work and lots of other schoolwork as well.
This 50-count of colored pencils from Crayola has been one we’ve purchased every other year for 6 years now.
Watercolor paints
This beautiful watercolor paint set has 48 different colors and 3 wooden brushes, a huge improvement over the typical plastic brushes that come with watercolor paint sets.
Due to the nature of watercolors, it’s a good idea to have one paint set for each child.
Acrylic paints
If you’re painting a small project on canvas, clay, or ceramic, this set of 24 acrylic paints would be ideal!
Additionally, acrylic paints also dry relatively quickly, so they’re great for most of your painting needs.
Paintbrushes
This inexpensive double set of paintbrushes makes it so that your kids won’t have to wait to get their hand on the one brush that they need!
Related post: The Ultimate List of Homeschool Supplies You’ll Need This Year
Paint Palettes
It is definitely worth it to buy a few paint tray palettes for your homeschool art projects. This cuts down on mess, especially paint colors getting mixed in the pots or splashing across your working surface.
This pack of four paint palettes is a great (and inexpensive) addition to your homeschool art supplies!
Canvases
Buying real canvases for your homeschool painting projects can really help your kids to take art more seriously.
This pack of 12 9×12 canvases is the best-selling canvas pack on Amazon and one that we’ve used ourselves.
Easels
Investing in some simple wooden easels is definitely worth it if you have a painter in your homeschool! This 3-pack of wooden easels is a really good deal!
Chalk pastels
Chalk pastels are a great addition to a homeschool art supplies list because they can stand completely on their own. You don’t need brushes, paint, or water to easily mix colors and create a beautiful work of art!
Chalk pastels are very soft and are used mostly on pastel paper or cloth. They can rub off, so use our trick of spraying your completed project with hair spray to keep your color in place!
Oil Pastels
Oil pastels are quite different from chalk pastels and definitely deserve a spot in your homeschool art supply collection!
Oil pastels are perfect for laying down vibrant colors, blend nicely, and don’t fade over time.
Recommended Art Supplies List for younger kids
While you’ll definitely want to have things like pencils and crayons for your younger kids too, here is a list of art supplies that are more appropriate for Pre-Kindergarten through 1st or 2nd grade.
Aprons
Aprons are a must for young artists! This six-pack of colorful aprons will help your kids stay clean while working with paints, glue, and more!
Crayons
While it’s great to have a large set of crayons in the 48-count, 64-count, and even 24-count boxes, I’ve found that we kept running out of the basic colors like red, green, and yellow, and had a crayon box full of burnt Sienna and yellow-green.
So last year I purchased this set of 12 boxes of the basic 8-pack of Crayola crayons that contains red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black.
Now we no longer run out of the basic colors my kids use the most!
Safety scissors
We love this super colorful 4-pack of scissors because it’s easy to keep track of which scissors belong to which child!
Do a Dot Markers
Do a Dot Markers are fantastic for young kids because they’re mess-free, non-toxic, and super brilliant. Kids can use them to make dots, lines, and many other awesome masterpieces.
We’ve had this 6-pack of markers since 2015 – and they’ve never dried out!
Melissa and Doug Sketch Paper
We really like the spiral binding on the top of this Melissa & Doug Sketchpad because it works great for kids who are right or left-handed.
Construction paper
Colorful construction paper is often the basis for so many wonderful elementary-school art projects.
This huge pack of construction paper from Crayola included both brown and purple construction paper – two colors that can be difficult to find.
Related Post: What You Do (and Don’t!) Need for Your Homeschool Room
Glitter glue
Don’t forget the glitter glue! Glitter glue gives kids an easy way to add a little bit of extra sparkle to their artwork! Just be sure to give it lots of time to dry before handling it.
Chenille Stems
Chenille stems – aka pipe cleaners – are great to have on hand in your homeschool art supply stash. They work great for adding texture to art projects and work great on their own as well. This 460-piece pack of chenille stems also includes a bonus of 100 google eyes!
Modpodge
Modpodge is a glue-like substance that works as a sealer or finisher for your art projects. This great Modpodge set includes two types of Modpodge, as well as three extra foam brushes.
Coffee filters
If your young kids are interested in watercolor paints, have them try painting with them first on coffee filters! They’ll absorb the water and can become beautiful creations.
Glue
What would a homeschool art supplies list be without a 12-pack of Elmer’s School Glue? Believe us, it’s worth it to buy it in bulk!
Air Dry Clay
Air dry clay is great for young kids because there’s no kiln required! This set has 24 different colors so your kids don’t even have to worry about painting their creations.
Nice-to-Have Art Supplies
This is a quick list of art supplies that aren’t essential, but definitely nice to have, especially for kids in 3rd grade and up.
Keep a lookout for sales at your local craft shops, on Facebook Marketplace, and in your community!
Sculpting tools – use these with lots of adult supervision or for older kids only
Sculpey modeling clay – choose all white if you want your kids to paint their creation themselves after it dries
Grayscale markers – great for drawing, sketching, shading, and learning about value
Kneaded erasers – especially awesome for blending oil and chalk pastels
Tempera paint sticks – another fun paint medium for younger kids to try
Final thoughts about this homeschool art supplies list
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of art supplies to consider for your homeschool!
While it can be nice to buy it all at once, that certainly isn’t necessary. We recommend starting with basics, depending on the age of your kids.
For older kids, start with pencils, a sketchbook, acrylic paints, and either chalk or oil pastels.
For younger kids, pencils, crayons, construction paper, and some glitter glue will do the trick!
Please tell us what you’d add to our list of art supplies in the comments below and don’t forget to grab your own printable art supplies list here.
Related articles about homeschool supplies, rooms, and more:
How to Easily Create a Fabulous Homeschool Library
15 Awesome Educational Toys to Keep Your Toddlers Occupied
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What would you add to this list of art supplies to have at home?
