Ready, set, craft! Get your child’s creativity flowing and streamline your art-supply shopping with a ready-made crafting kit. Complete with all the materials needed to make a host of creations at home, craft kits usually come with some combination of pom-poms, scissors, stickers, glitter, paper, Popsicle sticks, and more. Whether your child is looking to make pipe-cleaner animals, a handcrafted card, or a Popsicle-stick house, a kit’s got you covered. Guaranteed to inspire boys, girls, toddlers, and tweens, craft kits are the answer to restless minds and fingers. Browse our selection of the best options below.
1. Kid Made Modern My First Arts and Crafts Library
This all-in-one craft kit includes more 200 pieces, enough to encourage creativity without overwhelming young makers. Meant for ages 3 and up, it includes sticky-backed jewels, felt circles, fuzzy pipe cleaners, straws, googly eyes, wooden sticks, and much more. The quality of materials is impressive: all similar shapes are precisely measured and cut, and surfaces are smooth and uniform. Pieces also come in an abundance of colors. Note that there are no instructions included, which is ideal for those seeking open-ended play. Everything is neatly arranged in a convenient cardboard carrying case for organized storage and travel.
2. Art with Smile Giant Art Case
If your kid is the type that likes some guidance, consider this supersized craft kit. It comes with a whopping 1,600-plus pieces, including beads, buttons, feathers, and more good-quality materials. There are plenty of supplies to make crafts like pipe cleaner animals and beaded bracelets, and the included booklet provides step-by-step illustrated instructions for about a dozen projects. This gives young artists a good jumping off point without overly dictating their direction.
3. Crayola Color Caddy
This is a wonderful kit for young artists who love to doodle and color. It includes some of Crayola’s most popular kid-friendly tools, including 24 crayons, 18 broad-line markers, and 18 colored pencils. The nontoxic supplies are high-quality, producing vibrant colors and fitting comfortably in small hands. You also get glitter glue sticks, a pair of scissors, and 15 sheets of paper. Our one critique is that the carrying case is made of cardboard, so it’s likely you’ll eventually need to replace it.
4. Kraftic Arts & Crafts Supplies Center
With 20 drawers filled with materials, this kit is a deluxe product meant for ages 5 and up. The red plastic box keeps supplies well organized and contained. It includes tons of craft materials, including 50 pom poms, 10 colored pencils, 10 markers, feathers, felt pieces, and stickers. Make sure you have a designated spot for it: The box measures 15 by 7.5 by 6 inches and, unlike most of our other picks, is not designed to be portable. Still, this option makes kids feel as though they have their own crafting studio and provides plenty of inspiration for myriad creations. The drawers glide out with ease and are transparent so kids can quickly find what they need.
5. Essenson Modeling Clay Kit
This modeling clay kit is a great option for kids age 3 and up who like tactile sensory experiences. It comes with everything needed to make complex mini sculptures: 50 pats of modeling clay in mixable colors; kid-friendly clay tools, like a nonstick roller and several plastic sculpting implements; and even accessories to make keychains and spring-mounted toys. The clay is consistently soft and easy to mold, and it dries without cracking.
