Essential Craft and Homeschool Supplies: Tested Favorites for Creative Learning

Crafting and family projects are a huge part of our homeschooling. It sparks creativity and provides hands-on learning for my children. Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of supplies, and I’ve discovered there are great supplies and not so great supplies. In this list, I’ll share my favorite essential craft supplies that my children and I have personally used and loved, highlighting what makes them superior to other options. I will not share items I have not personally tried. I will add to this list over time as I continue to learn and experiment more with the supplies we work with. I hope this list helps you determine what supplies to get for your home, and maybe which supplies to pass on!

Ticonderoga Pencils

Ticonderoga Pencils – These have to be at the top of my list for sure! If you are frustrated with those pink streaks when you try to erase, you have to try Ticonderoga Pencils! These erasers work like a charm and the pencils are easy to sharpen. I was told by a fellow homeschooler to buy these pencils when I first started homeschooling and I cannot go back to anything else!!

Kwik Stix

Kwik Stix – No mess paint sticks! These dry in 90 seconds and wipe off of easily. They are washable too. We use Kwik Stix all the time to paint our crafts like our Helicopter Craft and Rainbow Twirlers.

Paint Brush Cleaner & Organizer

Paint Brush Cleaner & Organizer – Game changer!! This paint brush cleaner is amazing. We fill one side with water and put our brushes in the other side. The lines at the bottom act as a scrubby to get all of the paint off your brush. It even comes with a paint pallet and top for storage. We use this with our acrylic, tempera, and watercolor paints. Just make sure you wash out the acrylic before it dries.

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic Paint – This acrylic paint comes with lots of color choices and is easy to paint with. We have used it to paint on paper, wood and rocks. It’s very weather proof.

Dry Erase Markers

Dry Erase Markers – We use dry erase markers with our worksheets that are laminated or in a plastic sleeve like our Alphabet Tracing Cards and Cursive Writing Practice Worksheets. These are small markers, easy to grip like a pencil and have an eraser. They work perfect for writing practice.

Plastic Sleeves

Plastic Sleeves – We use plastic sleeves to keep worksheets in that we like to reuse like tracing our Alphabet Cards and Cursive Practice Worksheets. These work great with dry erase markers.

Elmer's Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks

Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks – These are the only glue sticks I buy. They apply purple so you can see where and how much glue you have on the paper and then the glue dries clear. It’s magic! Elmer’s glue sticks also hold so much better than competitors like Cra-Z-Art.

Crayola Colored Pencils

Crayola Colored Pencils – This may seem like a no brainer but if you try cheaper or competing brand (like the one I mentioned above), you will notice the difference! Are there more professional colored pencils that are better? Of course! But for our needs, Crayola colored pencils are perfect. The color is nice and the pencils are easy to sharpen.

Tru-Ray Construction Paper

Tru-Ray Construction Paper – Have you ever bought Crayola construction paper and thought the colors were washed out? That is not the case with Tru-Ray! I love this construction paper and use it for my business as well as for the kid’s crafts. The colors are very bright and saturated and don’t become washed out over time. Tru-Ray is also sturdier and doesn’t have the rough texture that Crayola has.
Check out the difference: We used Tru-Ray Construction Paper for our Paper Turkey Craft, Mother’s Day Card, and Rain Cloud Bead Craft. We used Crayola Construction Paper for our Paper Plate Fish Craft, Paper Ice Cream Cones, and Fall Paper Crafts.

Smooth Ballpoint Pens

Smooth Ballpoint Pens – I am a sucker for a smooth writing pen (my family can attest that I am very possessive over my favorites!) and these glittery pens do not disappoint! I am constantly writing lists and taking homeschool notes so a comfortable, smooth writing pen is a must. I have purchased these more than once and love the way they write.

Neenah Cardstock

Cardstock – I wish I could print everything on this cardstock. We use this cardstock for printing coloring pages, craft pages like our Let’s Build An Alphabet Crafts, painting, and making cards. I love that my kids can color their pages without worrying about the paper ripping.

Googly Eyes

Self-Adhesive Googly Eyes – These are the best googly eyes! I hate waiting for the glue to dry and watching the googly eyes droop off the craft or seeing the kids get hot glue on their fingers from trying to glue them onto their crafts. These are easy, just peel and stick! Plus, they come in a few different sizes.

Fiskars Hole Punch

Fiskars Hole Punch – I love these Fiskars Hole Punches because you can see where you are “punching”! No more guessing if you are in the right spot. There are many different shapes and sizes, 1.5-inch Circle, Flower, Snowflake, Round Corners, Heart and more! I love using mine to create pieces for crafts that would otherwise be frustrating and timely to cut with scissors. We made these Paper Plate Fish and Rainbow Twirlers with our circle hole punch.

Plastic Craft Trays

Plastic Craft Trays – I bought these when the kids were little for sensory play but we still use them today for crafts. These are perfect for crafts that have small or round pieces that roll. I love to use them as a barrier between the table and paint or clay. We used these while making Invitation to Craft Spring Flowers, Egg Carton Caterpillars, If I Lived in a Snowglobe, Snowman Cards, and so much more!

Wikki Stix

Wikki Stix – These are pieces of yarn covered in wax and they are wonderful for crafts! We have used Wikki Stix with so many crafts and activities like tracing our Alphabet Cards in plastic sleeves, making our own Nature Paintbrushes, Marshmallow Bunnies, Twig Stars, and so much more!

Laminator

Laminator – I love this laminator! It works perfectly for standard sized paper and heats up very quickly. I have used this laminator at least 50 times and it never disappoints! I have laminated our Farm Animal Puzzles, Fake Money, the Biomes and Biome Animals Activity, and lots of other pages. Laminating is great for protecting pages (like centers and activities) that will be handled a lot.

Laminator Sheets

Laminator Sheets – These sheets work perfectly with the Crenova Laminator. I don’t get any bubbles. They also work perfectly with the Dry Erase Markers for reusable worksheets and centers.

3 Ring Pencil Cases

3 Ring Pencil Cases – I love to store my centers and activities in these 3 ring pencil cases. They make organization so easy with their bright colors, windows and storage in a 3 ring binder. I keep my centers like Let’s Build An Alphabet Center, Fake Money, Farm Animal Puzzles, Biomes & Biome Animals in these as well as small craft supplies like brass fasteners and pom poms.

Flisat Table

Flisat Table – This table is a must have for young children. It has 2 spots for containers to store things or for use as a sensory bin. With the lids on, it becomes the perfect surface for crafts or worksheets.

Printable Sticker Paper

Printable Sticker Paper – I always make sure to keep sticker paper on hand. There are so many uses! We make Bottle Cap Letters, Reward Chart Stickers, Jar Labels for sorting activities, labels for planting seeds in spring, and stickers for the kids to cut out and play with. I’ve never had an issue with this sticker paper.

That’s my essential list for our homeschool and family projects for now. These are my favorite and tested products that I feel confident recommending to you. I will continue adding to this list as we continue our homeschool journey so be sure to check back! I hope this list helps you decide the best supplies for your home!

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