Lakeshore Learning Arts and Crafts Supply Center

BEST ART SUPPLIES FROM LAKESHORE LEARNING: Check out these amazing supplies from Lakeshore for making art easy, fun, and manageable.

Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Lakeshore and am compensated for my work. I received product free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions on the best art supplies from Lakeshore Learning are 100% mine.

What are the best art supplies from Lakeshore Learning? I've got them all.

My best tip for art activities with kids?

Have the right materials and great organization.

Seriously, doing art with kids doesn't need to be scary or messy – and I've got the best art supplies from Lakeshore Learning to help you out.

DON'T MISS MY COUPON FOR LAKESHORE LEARNING. Use my COUPON CODE "2525" at checkout to GET 25% OFF a non-sale item at Lakeshore! Valid for one-time use in stores or online. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid on items with shipping restrictions. Other exclusions may apply. See http://bit.ly/39YALq3 for details.

Kids doing art using supplies from Lakeshore Learning.

Having the right supplies can make or break art time

When it comes to art activities, the right supplies and the right organization can mean the difference between fun and memories and scrubbing paint out of your carpet.

I'm not trying to be dramatic… more like poignantly realistic.

Supplies that are organized, accessible to kids, and easy-to-use can take art time from difficult to manage to smooth sailing.

RELATED: Looking for other amazing toys at Lakeshore? Check out this list!

Think thoughtfully about the supplies you have for your kids

With seven years of parenting, eight years of teaching, and loads of chances for trial and error along the way – trust me when I say: you need to think about the art supplies you have and how you share them with kids.

Art supplies are best when they are:

Easy to use
Durable
Kid-friendly
Accessible

That's why I get most of my art supplies from Lakeshore Learning (and I always have).

Lakeshore Learning has been my supply go-to for 15+ years (through my teaching career and into my parenthood).

The toys and supplies are teacher-designed, kid-approved, and it shows. There's nothing better than items from Lakeshore – it's why I've been a customer for so long.

So what are the best art supplies from Lakeshore Learning?

In no particular order – here are the favorite favorites from my art supply set up. Many of these are items I've owned since 2016 when I had a 3 year old and a 19 month old. Now, with a 3.5-, 5-, and 7-year-old, these are STILL THE SUPPLIES we use today.

THE BEST PAINTING SUPPLIES

I say it all the time: Painting with kids can feel like herding cats.

Paint covered cats.

But not if you have the right supplies.

No-Spill Paint Cups and Nylon-Bristle Paint Brushes

We've had these since 2016 and I can't image life without them.

The No-Spill Paint Cups live up to their hype: containers for paint that help kids from mixing colors, spilling paint, and wasting it. These lids snap shut so you can use the paint again.

Add in the Nylon-Bristle Paintbrushes because they are LIFE.

My first set, from 2016, is still alive and with us today. In fact, I can't tell that set apart from the other two sets I've bought over the years. Why buy more? Because with multiple kids and many neighbor friends painting with us, we needed more brushes. We've never had a brush not come clean – and they use these outside and hard.

They're the best paintbrushes for kids. Period.

But what kind of paint is best?

My preference is always for washable tempera paint and the Lakeshore Fully Washable Liquid Tempera Paint is the best.

Yes, it really is washable. And the colors are so vibrant compared to other kid washable paint. It makes for the best final product.

Worried about your toddler painting?

You need a Heavy-Duty Adjustable Vinyl Paint Apron (or two – that's how many I have). They make indoor painting so easy and provide such great coverage.

Plus, my kids like wearing them – they feel so fancy and like really artists whenever we use ours.

The Best Supplies for Art Organization

How do you organize basic supplies?

My kids LOVE to grab supplies and color / draw quickly. Organizing these kind of quick supplies (markers, crayons, scissors, etc) was a disaster in our house. There was no clear boundary for the supplies and messes were everywhere.

So I ordered the Classroom Carry-All Supply Caddy – something so many of my teacher friends had back when I taught. I had a hunch this would be the right solution.

Instead of putting it on a classroom desk, I set it in a storage closet in our house for my kids to grab supplies from. AND IT WORKED.

It's been months of using this caddy and it has changed our lives as far as organizing these supplies. This is an absolute must-have if you have kids that love to quickly grab supplies to color.

How do you keep art activities organized?

Keep the kids in their own art space with the Easy-Clean Craft Trays, set of 4. These were my favorites as a teacher and my favorites as a parent.

We use them for: individual art, messy play, science experiments, and kinetic sand. I love owning these. They make an easy boundary for art and other activities, and just like the name suggests – they're super easy to clean.

Here's my best tip for keeping paper accessible for kids:

Try the Super-Safe Paper Center. It lets the kids quickly get to paper, keeps the paper rolled tight, and stores easily.

My kids are now old enough to cut their own paper from this roll and that is amazing.

They can also decide just how much or how little they need – having that kind of decision making is crucial.

How do you store kid art work?

In the My Keepsake Portfolio – and I have since 2016! They can even come personalized. I have one for each of my kids.

Every time my kids make something that I want to save, I toss it in here. It makes for a great, easy, and compact way to save precious work.

Just this year (it's 2020), I finally went through everything I'd been saving for each kid. I was so thankful I had this space to save what I did. I reorganized them and set them back in our closet for easy access.

I'm sure it'll be another 4 years before I check our portfolios again (wink), but just like now: I'll be so grateful for having this easy way to save memories.

Having the best art supplies from Lakeshore Learning is so helpful

I can't tell you how much easier art is for my kids (and me) with all these great supplies and simple organization.

When art is chaotic, or supplies are hard to find, or kids don't know where to put things – it makes up less likely to let kids create.

Having amazing art supplies from Lakeshore Learning means we feel successful (and so do our kids) and more likely to invite art into our home.

Looking to grab some amazing art supplies? Use my COUPON CODE "2525" at checkout to GET 25% OFF a non-sale item at Lakeshore! Valid for one-time use in stores or online. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid on items with shipping restrictions. Other exclusions may apply. See http://bit.ly/39YALq3 for details. . To learn more about Lakeshore, find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.