How to Organize Kids Arts and Crafts Supplies

Today, I am back with Keri for another Clear the Clutter Challenge! Last month we talked about book and magazine organization and this month we are talking about kids arts and crafts organization! We intentionally picked kids stuff for the last two challenges of the year, because this time of year, the kids acquire so much new stuff. It is the perfect time to de-clutter these things before the avalanche of gifts!

Our arts and crafts area was in need of a clean up, so this challenge was perfect motivation for us to get this done. Our main spot for storing craft supplies is in a closet in the kids playroom. You can read more about our playroom over here. It is one of my favorite spots of the house! I love having the supplies in a closet because things usually stay pretty organized. Plus, if things do get messy I can just shut the door on the closet:)

Throw away Any Unused Supplies

To start with, we got rid of art kits and supplies we longer use (or have never used). This is honestly one of the hardest steps because it’s hard to part with supplies especially ones that have never been used.

Evaluate if you have really used the particular item in a while. We do keep a bin of random supplies that we might need for a school project. But we keep this random stash to one bin. Once the bin is full, we do not add more items.

Don’t forget to include coloring books in your purge! It’s hard to part with these especially if barely used, but pick a couple of favorites and get rid of the rest. I always keep some books in the car–so you might want to save a  few for other spots around the home.

Consider donating never used supplies to a charity or passing along to friends. It’s nice to save a few kits for a rainy day project, but if you honestly won’t use them, don’t hang on to them.

Sort Supplies Into Groups

Once you have narrowed down the supplies, sort the items into groups of similar items. Groups might include stickers, paints, glues, fabric, writing utensils, etc.

  

This step will help you determine what kind of storage solution you will want and need.

Determine Storage Solutions

Decide on how many bins and baskets you need to organize the supplies. My go-to bins are these inexpensive ones from Walmart. I have used them all over our house including our baking supplies in our kitchen and they work great! I spotted this storage bin set at Michaels and it looks so fun and functional. This system would be great if you don’t have shelves for your supplies.

I also have one bin for each of the kids with specific books or activities. These bins are most used in the summer when we try to do a little school work every week.

 

Look around your house for extra bins and baskets. The space doesn’t have to match perfectly, it just has to be functional. So try not to get hung up on making it look perfect. 

Have a Caddy for Most Used Supplies

We keep all of our most used supplies out around the house. The kids use markers and crayons daily, so there is no point in keeping them stored in our craft closet. Our favorite art supply solution is having a caddy with our most used items! We keep this bin close by to the kitchen, so the kids can easily grab when working on homework or art projects!

If you don’t have room for a craft closet or big storage area, consider purchasing a caddy to store your art supplies. Besides a caddy, a tiered tray would be a functional and pretty way to display art supplies. The bonus of having art supplies on display is that kids are more likely to use them!

We always have a spot for crayons and markers and then I try to rotate out a few of the sections with different supplies. I love having a caddy with a handle, so the kids can grab and go.

This colorful caddy is kept in our art room. It is a fun and functional storage solution!

My daughter has one of these rolling carts in her bedroom and it is perfect for storing her most used art supplies. These would be great as a homework station too!

Kids Art Supply Organization Tools

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Next month we will be wrapping up the year by decluttering kids toys. I can not believe the year is coming to a close! Next year, we have something fun planned, so we will keep you posted. In the meantime, be sure to check out Keri’s ideas for arts and craft organization!