Arts and crafts activities help children express creativity, develop fine motor skills and build confidence. Drawing, painting, cutting and building projects encourage imagination while improving coordination and problem-solving abilities. Best of all, they're brilliant screen-free activities that children return to again and again.
We've put together the 12 essential arts and crafts supplies that belong in every child's craft box — covering everything from washable paints and markers to modelling clay, origami kits and bead craft sets, all available on Amazon UK.
Cutting, drawing and moulding build hand strength and dexterity
Art gives children a powerful outlet for thoughts and feelings
Open-ended craft projects develop planning and critical thinking
Completing creative projects builds self-esteem and pride
Building the Perfect Kids Craft Box
A well-stocked craft box gives children the tools to create anything, anytime. Here are the four essential categories every box should include:
Markers, crayons, coloured pencils and paints — the foundations of any craft box
Pipe cleaners, pom-poms, googly eyes, wooden sticks and beads for open-ended making
Play-Doh or modelling clay for hands-on three-dimensional creativity
Easels, origami kits, bead sets — structured activities for focused creative sessions
Crayola Inspiration Art Case
The single best all-in-one art kit available for children — the most gifted art supply in the UK year after year. The beautifully organised portable case contains crayons, coloured pencils, fine-line markers, broad-tip markers and watercolour paints — everything a child needs to draw, colour and paint from day one. Crayola's renowned washable formulas mean parents can relax about accidental marks. Ages 5+.
Price: £15.99
View on Amazon UK →Quick Comparison
| Product | Best For | Rating | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Crayola Inspiration Art Case
🏆 Best Overall & Best Starter Kit |
Best Overall & Best Starter Kit | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £15.99 | View |
|
Crayola Super Tips Washable Markers
✅ Best Everyday Markers |
✅ Best Everyday Markers | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £8.99 | View |
|
Crayola Washable Kids Paint Set
💰 Best Budget Paint Set |
Best Budget Paint Set | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £2.99 | View |
|
Melissa & Doug Double-Sided Tabletop Easel
⭐ Best Art Station |
⭐ Best Art Station | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £59.95 | View |
|
Play-Doh Ultimate Colour Collection
🏺 Best Sculpting Toy |
Best Sculpting Toy | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £18.99 | View |
|
Creativity for Kids Awesome Origami Kit
📐 Best Craft Kit for Focus |
Best Craft Kit for Focus | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | £7.99 | View |
|
Aquabeads Beginners Craft Studio
✨ Best Bead Craft Kit |
✨ Best Bead Craft Kit | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | £17.99 | View |
|
Funtopia Jewellery Making Kit for Kids
💎 Best Jewellery Craft Kit |
Best Jewellery Craft Kit | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | £9.88 | View |
|
3000+ Piece Kids Arts & Crafts Kit
✅ Best All-in-One Craft Materials |
✅ Best All-in-One Craft Materials | ★★★★☆ 4.0 | £22.99 | View |
|
Pipe Cleaners Craft Kit
💰 Best Budget Craft Material |
Best Budget Craft Material | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £5.99 | View |
|
Baker Ross Wooden Craft Sticks
🏗️ Best Building Craft Material |
️ Best Building Craft Material | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £7.07 | View |
|
Self-Adhesive Googly Eyes Craft Set
💰 Best Budget Craft Accessory |
Best Budget Craft Accessory | ★★★★★ 5.0 | £3.99 | View |
Drawing Tools & Paints
The foundations of every craft box — washable, vibrant and loved by children of all ages.
Detailed Reviews
1. Crayola Inspiration Art Case
🏆 Best Overall & Best Starter Kit
The single best all-in-one art kit available for children — the most gifted art supply in the UK year after year. The beautifully organised portable case contains crayons, coloured pencils, fine-line markers, broad-tip markers and watercolour paints — everything a child needs to draw, colour and paint from day one. Crayola's renowned washable formulas mean parents can relax about accidental marks. Ages 5+.
✅ Pros
- Complete all-in-one kit in one organised case
- Multiple media: crayons, pencils, markers, paints
- Crayola washable formula — easy to clean up
- Portable — takes creativity anywhere
- The UK's most-gifted art kit for children
- Exceptional value at ~£20
❌ Cons
- Watercolour palette is basic — not for serious painting
- Some colours run out faster than others
Price: £15.99
View on Amazon UK →2. Crayola Super Tips Washable Markers
✅ Best Everyday Markers
One of the most versatile art supplies a child can own. Each marker works as both a fine-tip for detail and a broad-tip for filling in colour — depending on how you hold it. With 50 vibrant colours and a fully washable formula, these are the markers that art teachers, parents and children all reach for first. The washable ink is genuinely effective on skin, fabric and most hard surfaces.
✅ Pros
- 50 colours — exceptional variety
- Dual fine/broad tip in one marker
- Genuinely washable — tested and trusted
- Suitable from age 3+
- Long-lasting tips that handle heavy use
- Excellent value
❌ Cons
- Tips can dry out if lids are left off
- Some colours very similar — hard to distinguish
Price: £8.99
View on Amazon UK →3. Crayola Washable Kids Paint Set
💰 Best Budget Paint Set
At around £4, one of the most extraordinary value products in any child's craft box. Bright, vibrant colours in squeeze bottles with Crayola's genuinely washable formula. Perfect for finger painting, brush painting, sponge printing and mixed media projects. Often the first paints a child uses — and they set the tone for a positive relationship with painting.
✅ Pros
- Exceptional value at ~£4
- Genuinely washable formula
- Vibrant, true colours
- Easy squeeze bottles for young hands
- Safe and non-toxic
❌ Cons
- Smaller bottles — run out with heavy use
- Limited colour range vs professional sets
Price: £2.99
View on Amazon UK →4. Melissa & Doug Double-Sided Tabletop Easel
⭐ Best Art Station
Gives children their own dedicated art station — one side is a chalkboard, the other a dry-erase whiteboard. The solid wood construction is built to last for years, and the compact tabletop design means it works on any table or desk without needing a dedicated room or floor space. Having a personal easel fundamentally changes how children engage with art — encouraging longer and more committed creative sessions.
✅ Pros
- Double-sided: chalkboard + whiteboard
- Solid wood — built to last years
- Compact tabletop design — no floor space needed
- Trusted Melissa & Doug brand
- Transforms children's relationship with art
- Works with multiple media
❌ Cons
- Higher price point at ~£49
- Chalk and dry-erase markers not included
- Smaller surface than floor-standing easels
Price: £59.95
View on Amazon UK →5. Play-Doh Ultimate Colour Collection
🏺 Best Sculpting Toy
Contains 65 individual cans of Play-Doh across the full colour spectrum — from vivid primaries to pastels, neons and metallics. Play-Doh is one of the most researched and developmentally recommended craft materials for young children: the squeezing, rolling, moulding and shaping motions build hand strength and fine motor control that directly supports writing readiness. Suitable from age 2.
✅ Pros
- 65 colours — the most comprehensive collection
- Suitable from age 2 — long play lifespan
- Proven developmental benefits for fine motor skills
- Non-toxic and safe
- Endless creative possibilities
- The world's most trusted modelling compound
Price: £18.99
View on Amazon UK →6. Creativity for Kids Awesome Origami Kit
📐 Best Craft Kit for Focus
Origami is one of the most quietly powerful craft activities available to children — it demands precision, patience and spatial reasoning, while delivering the profound satisfaction of turning a flat sheet of paper into something three-dimensional and beautiful. Includes patterned origami papers and a clearly illustrated step-by-step instruction booklet covering animals, flowers and decorative figures. Brilliant for screen-free focus time.
✅ Pros
- Builds concentration and patience powerfully
- Develops spatial reasoning and fine motor skills
- Patterned origami papers included
- Step-by-step illustrated instructions
- Budget-friendly at ~£8
- Enjoyable for adults and children together
❌ Cons
- Best for ages 6+ — under 6s may find folding frustrating
- Some projects require adult help
Price: £7.99
View on Amazon UK →7. Aquabeads Beginners Craft Studio
✨ Best Bead Craft Kit
A beautifully designed bead craft kit where children arrange colourful beads into patterns and pictures on a tray, then spray with water — the beads fuse together without any need for heat or ironing. Safe, satisfying and spectacularly engaging. Unlike traditional iron bead sets, Aquabeads requires no adult assistance for the fusing step — children complete the entire process independently. Builds exceptional concentration and fine motor precision. Ages 4+.
✅ Pros
- No ironing needed — completely child-safe
- Children complete projects entirely independently
- Builds outstanding fine motor precision
- Creates beautiful keepsake pieces
- Starter set includes beads, tray and sprayer
- Highly expandable with additional refill sets
❌ Cons
- Small beads — not suitable for under 4s
- Beads run out — refill sets needed for ongoing play
Price: £17.99
View on Amazon UK →8. Funtopia Jewellery Making Kit for Kids
💎 Best Jewellery Craft Kit
A colourful bead and charm set for making bracelets, necklaces and accessories. Children thread beads, charms and spacers onto elastic cord to create wearable pieces — for themselves, friends or as handmade gifts. The kit includes a generous selection of beads in various colours, shapes and sizes, plus cord, clasps and storage. The wearable, giftable output is a huge motivator — children work with more focus and intention when they know the finished product is something they can actually wear. Ages 6+.
✅ Pros
- Wearable output — massively motivating
- Generous bead and charm selection
- Develops fine motor skills and patience
- Makes beautiful handmade gifts
- Excellent value at ~£8
❌ Cons
- Small beads — ages 6+ recommended
- Threading cord can be fiddly initially
Price: £9.88
View on Amazon UK →9. 3000+ Piece Kids Arts & Crafts Kit
✅ Best All-in-One Craft Materials
A massive mixed craft materials box containing over 3,000 pieces — pom-poms, pipe cleaners, foam stickers, googly eyes, craft sticks, tissue paper, feathers, buttons and more. The ultimate "never run out of craft supplies" solution: one box contains enough variety to fuel months of spontaneous creative projects. Excellent value for money and brilliant for school projects, rainy day activities and home-school art sessions. Ages 4+.
✅ Pros
- 3,000+ pieces — enormous variety
- Covers almost every craft material type
- Excellent value at ~£22
- Ideal for school projects and rainy days
- Encourages open-ended creative combining
❌ Cons
- Needs sorting into containers for easy access
- Small pieces — supervise very young children
Price: £22.99
View on Amazon UK →10. Pipe Cleaners Craft Kit
💰 Best Budget Craft Material
Flexible wire coated in soft fibre that can be twisted, bent and shaped into almost anything — animals, flowers, glasses frames, jewellery, puppet armatures, miniature furniture and much more. The creative possibilities are genuinely limitless. At under £6 for a large multi-colour set, pipe cleaners are one of the best-value craft investments possible. A simple, tactile material that children of all ages return to again and again. Ages 3+.
✅ Pros
- Limitless creative applications
- Outstanding value at ~£6
- Works for all ages from 3 to 12+
- Strengthens finger dexterity
- Combines beautifully with other craft materials
❌ Cons
- Wire ends can be sharp — supervise young children
- Colours fade with heavy handling
Price: £5.99
View on Amazon UK →11. Baker Ross Wooden Craft Sticks
🏗️ Best Building Craft Material
Classic lolly-stick style wooden sticks used in countless school and home craft projects. Children build mini houses, picture frames, bridges, boats, rafts, log cabins and puppet handles — combining sticks with glue, paint and other craft materials into impressive three-dimensional constructions. Baker Ross is a trusted UK educational craft supplier and these sticks are a staple of primary school art rooms across the country. Ages 4+.
✅ Pros
- Trusted Baker Ross educational brand
- Endless building and craft applications
- Paintable and glueable
- Excellent bulk value
- Great for engineering-style craft projects
❌ Cons
- Need PVA glue to be most useful — not included
- Splinters possible on cheaper packs — Baker Ross quality is reliable
Price: £7.07
View on Amazon UK →12. Self-Adhesive Googly Eyes Craft Set
💰 Best Budget Craft Accessory
No craft box is complete without googly eyes — and self-adhesive ones are the most child-friendly version. Peel and stick onto paper animals, sock puppets, cardboard characters, toilet roll creatures, rocks, pine cones and anything else that needs a personality. At under £4 for a large mixed-size set, they're one of the cheapest craft buys available — and have an outsized positive impact on the fun and creativity of almost any project they're added to. Ages 3+.
✅ Pros
- Self-adhesive — no glue needed
- Peel and stick — instant, child-independent use
- Mixed sizes suit different projects
- Under £4 — outstanding value
- Makes any craft project more fun immediately
❌ Cons
- Adhesive can weaken on rough surfaces
- Very small sizes are a choking hazard for under 3s
Price: £3.99
View on Amazon UK →🧠 Why Arts & Crafts Are Important for Children
Creative activities are far more than just a way to pass the time — arts and crafts support some of the most important developmental milestones of childhood, from physical dexterity to emotional intelligence.
Cutting, drawing, threading and moulding all develop the precise hand and finger control that children need for writing, typing and everyday tasks. Craft activities are one of the most effective ways to build these skills naturally.
Art gives children a powerful, non-verbal outlet for emotions, ideas and imagination. Children who engage regularly with creative activities tend to approach problems more flexibly and with greater confidence.
Open-ended craft projects require children to plan, make decisions, adapt when things go wrong and persist to completion — all core problem-solving skills that transfer directly to academic and life challenges.
Arts and crafts are one of the most effective screen-free activities available. When genuinely engaged in a creative project, children self-select craft time over screens — the ultimate goal for many parents.
🎯 How to Build the Perfect Kids Craft Box
Markers, crayons and paints are the foundation — the Crayola Art Case covers all three in one purchase. Add the washable paint set and Super Tips markers for a complete drawing toolkit.
Pipe cleaners, googly eyes, wooden craft sticks and the 3000-piece kit give children raw ingredients for free-form making. Keep these in a labelled box or tray for easy independent access.
Play-Doh is ideal for under 6s; older children benefit from air-dry clay or Plasticine for more permanent creations. Sculpting develops spatial thinking and motor skills that flat artwork can't.
Aquabeads, origami or a jewellery kit gives children a structured creative challenge to focus on. Rotate kits as gifts throughout the year to keep creative sessions fresh and exciting.
Comments (3)
Great guide, especially the craft box section, which is exactly how I think about stocking up. I would add that the Baker Ross wooden sticks are incredible value, my son built an entire log cabin village with them over the Christmas holidays!
Aquabeads are genuinely brilliant. My 7-year-old sat quietly making patterns for two hours straight. I have never seen her so focused on anything. The no-ironing aspect is a massive plus as a parent. Would give 6 stars if I could.
The Crayola Art Case was the best birthday gift we ever gave our 6-year-old. She uses it every single day after school, drawing, colouring, making cards for people. The case keeps everything so neat and she loves having her own kit. Highly recommend.
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