If you ever wonder what our go-to, must-have art and play materials are, this is our list!

What kind of makers do you have in your classroom? Do you have collectors, arrangers, or attachers? Read on to find out what we mean.

Clay is a flexible and responsive material and offers a comforting, satisfying means for expression and communication, encouraging children to shape their thinking into tangible forms.

Stickers and tape are an easy and wonderful addition to any process art or play experience. Read on to better understand how early learning skills are developed through open-ended exploration with tape and stickers.

Incorporating shells into process art and play-based learning is a fantastic way to spark curiosity and creativity in children. They can practice fine motor skills, develop their sense of wonder, and connect with nature.

Pattern-making is an interdisciplinary practice that builds critical thinking skills. It helps children make predictions about what happens next and hone their reasoning skills, both of which help in early literacy and math, and of course, are elemental and innate in art-making.

Cardboard is free, abundant, and sturdy! It never rips like easel paper, and it is actually quite absorbent. These are all the qualities that make it the perfect choice for beginning painters.

Are you looking for ways to support your students’ creativity in the classroom? Working alongside teachers in a variety of contexts (early childhood, elementary, out of school), we’ve learned a lot about what instructional strategies are both easy for teachers and effective in real learning environments.

Children’s lives are busy and at times stressful: transitions from home to school, classroom to classroom, each space with its specific expectations and rules.

When children are accustomed to teacher-directed projects, it can take time to adjust to the flexibility and open-ness of more creative experiences.

I have been thinking a lot recently about how much of a child’s day is spent doing isolating, independent tasks.

Using chalk pastels on wood is instantly captivating for young children. The feel of the chalk gliding on the wood, the vibrant colors that chalk pastels create, and the 3-dimensional exploration of color and blending make these materials so compatible.

Transform recycled and repurposed materials into a giant heart shaped, multi-texture, multi-dimensional painting experience.

Homemade playdough is so easy to make and lasts for months! You can also change its color and add scented oils or glitter for an even fuller sensory experience.

A curriculum filled with opportunities for art and creativity boosts a child’s narrative and writing skills, strengthens vocabulary, and engages the brain in higher-level thinking such as questioning, generating ideas, and problem solving. But more importantly, an art-filled education that is child-led brings joy, and develops skills that worksheets and formalized schooling can’t teach.

A creative invitation is a simple set-up with a few appealing or interesting materials that spark your child’s curiosity and invite them over to create and explore.

Children love painting on an easel. Painting in a vertical position is also important for building arm and wrist strength, developing spatial awareness, engaging the core, crossing the midline, and more.