When it comes to creativity in the classroom, the best art supplies aren’t necessarily the newest or the most expensive. What really counts is whether they’re versatile enough to work across multiple grade levels and invite experimentation! These art room staples can help your lessons engaging from the first week of school through the last.
1. Get Less Mess with Tempera Cakes
Managing a classroom of young painters isn’t always easy—especially with liquid paint. That’s why teachers turn to semi-moist tempera cakes. They produce the same vibrant colors, while also helping students control how much paint they’re using. Plus, tempera cakes make cleanup a lot faster, which is a huge bonus when you’ve got classes back-to-back.
If you haven’t made the switch to tempera cakes for your kindergarten kiddos through upper elementary, it’s definitely worth the investment. They’re perfect for landscapes, flowers, animals, abstract paintings, and just about any lesson that calls for bold color.
2. Upgrade from Crayons to Oil Pastels
There’s nothing quite like using oil pastels in an art lesson. They’re great for capturing students’ attention because the rich colors just glide across paper. Crayons really can’t compete.
Kids can use oil pastels to play with blending, outlining, and creating texture. Then teachers can introduce shading and color mixing with landscape projects, self-portraits, and still-life drawings too. Plus, the finished pieces are always a hit with parents!
3. Fine-Line Black Markers
They’re simple, yet effective. Every art teacher needs a reliable stock of trusty black markers.
Your students might want to outline their watercolor paintings. Or maybe you’re designing patterns together or adding comic illustrations to the year’s curriculum. Having some fine-tip markers on-hand is key. They’re a no-brainer art supply that can make all types of finished artwork look even more polished and display-ready.
4. Quality Brushes in Multiple Sizes
Letting students try out a variety of flat brushes, round brushes, and detail brushes helps them build confidence. Not only that, with the right supplies, you’re able to expand the types of projects you can teach. It’s about having options to explore different techniques. With an assortment of brushes, you’ll be able to guide students through using broad strokes for backgrounds and smaller brushes for details.
5. Modeling Materials
What about artwork that students can actually hold? Modeling materials introduce an entirely different set of skills. When you move away from two-dimensional pieces, they can practice sculpting, and even balance and construction in interesting ways. Even simple projects help strengthen fine motor development. And when you don’t have access to a kiln, air-dry clay is an excellent alternative.
6. Tools for Printmaking
Printmaking is one of those experiences that students remember, even years down the road and long after they’ve forgotten other classroom projects. Investing in simple foam sheets, printing plates, brayers, washable markers, or monoprinting materials can give students a brand-new artistic process.
7. Organization Supplies
One of the most overlooked parts of a great art room isn’t your paint or drawing materials. It’s your organization. You can run your classroom more efficiently with clearly labeled drying racks, handy rolling carts, stackable bins, supply caddies, and tabletop organizers. It’s about making it easy for students to find and return materials. Then you’ll get to spend less time managing supplies, and more time planning, teaching, and researching your next fun lesson!
Stretch Your Art Budget Even Further
As an elementary art teacher, you’re always looking to make the most of a limited budget. That’s one reason so many schools partner with Art to Remember. We help make your art supply wish list a reality!
Whether it’s new printmaking tools, classroom storage, or specialty papers, having the right supplies can open the door to even more creative learning. Our keepsake fundraising program helps classrooms generate meaningful funding while celebrating the artwork students are already creating. Instead of relying solely on limited school budgets—or purchasing supplies out of your own pocket—you can build resources for future lessons while giving families personalized keepsakes they’ll treasure for years to come. Let us show you how! Visit Art To Remember to get started.