The Newest and Coolest Art Supplies for Young Artists

Give your small fry an age-appropriate table for their art projects. Parents are going wild with the five-star reviews for The Play Table by the popular brand Lalo. This is an investment gift for sure, but one that’ll be used and loved for years. It’s meant for kids aged 12 months and up, but it’s best for kids who can use it independently so I’d start with toddlers and preschoolers. It looks adorably modern in your home, and there’s minimal assembly — you just attach four table legs with eight screws.

This is made of real-deal wood. It stands almost 43 inches high and weighs almost 25 pounds — it’s a legit art cart and work space for kids who love to paint and draw. One side has a magnetic whiteboard and the other has a black chalkboard; paper can be pulled down on either side for painting. We love that so many art supplies can be stored underneath, which saves space and also means that older kids can self-serve and get themselves started on a project with minimal help from you.

If you’re buying for a kid who just never stops drawing, doodling, and painting, this is the ultimate gift. This box is stuffed with premium adult-quality supplies including 24 gel pens, 10 glitter markers, 18 oil pastels, and 12 watercolor pastels, plus three pads of paper and much more (like stickers). They’ll absolutely love having this many supplies to work with!

This two-sided, 23-inch-long art smock will fit kids from age 4 to the preteen years. Pottery Barn Kids will personalize it with the child’s name for no extra cost, which is a great touch during the holidays. There are three pockets sewn into the front and the whole thing can be machine-washed and dried for easy cleanup.

Is your kid more of the crafty kind? This kit, for ages 6 and up, is packed with more than a thousand pieces for projects of all kinds — we’re talking Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, googly eyes, glittery paper, bead, and string — plus glue to help hold homemade ornaments and animal crafts together. We especially like that kids can make some friendship bracelets, as those are so popular right now.

Filling your artist’s stocking with all of these cool projects and supplies would be thrilling. We can also see just boxing these up as a fabulous stand-alone gift. There are some hard-to-find things like a sunprint kit and a DIY make-your-own-erasers project. There’s also an interesting 48-page “kids' drawing passport” full of ideas, space for journaling, little lessons about color theory, and more. Plus, there are temporary tattoos! And colored pencils!

This is some next-level coloring for kids ages 7 and up. After using the six included markers to bring the four fantastical drawings to life, kids can slip on 3D glasses and see their artwork in a whole other dimension.

Scribble Scrubbies made my artistic little niece so happy from the time she was a preschooler, and it’s great for older kids, too. Kids can draw all over these animals, then rinse them clean, and draw again. This big set has 12 animal figures (multiple cats, a unicorn, a turtle, a bunny, and more) and 12 washable markers.

For kids 10 and older, this is a cool lesson in creating pixel art. Start each project with a photo (the simpler the better), then help them create an online Mosaic Maker account, and upload a photo to get pixelated. We had to try several images before we found one that looked like anything when turned into dots! Then when your kid downloads the pixelated image, it works as a guide for creating the image with their LEGO pieces, one square at a time.

Preteens ages 10 and older can dive into needlepointing this dapper cat and then stuffing him to create the finished project — a cat-head pillow. It’s a beginner needlepointing kit packed in a little suitcase with needle, yarn, and stuffing all included. The final pillow is about 12 x 11 inches.