Tips for Organizing Art Supplies

In a classroom of twenty-five plus students, organization is imperative for successful transitions between activities. Deborah J. Stewart discusses several ways in which art supplies can be stored for easy access, distribution, and clean-up.

Supply Caddies

Supply caddies work great if supplies need to be shared among a group of students. Stock the organizer with a full set of washable markers, a full set of crayons, several pairs of kids scissors, a bottle of glue, several glue sticks, a ruler, a stapler, etc., store them on a shelf in the art cabinet, and instruct a student volunteer of each group to automatically retrieve the a caddy when needed. Students will practice taking turns and won't take up desk space with bulky art boxes. Individual Art Bags or Boxes

If you have room, help your students develop their own art supply bag or box. Keep it simple for younger children by providing a plastic bag and name card, having them store a glue stick and a full set of crayons. Collect the art bags in a plastic tote and keep in on an art shelf. When the children need their supplies, dismiss them table by table to find their own bag. The name tags will help them find their supplies (and encourage name recognition, literacy, etc.). Keep additional supplies in the art center including scissors, modeling clay & dough, paint, etc. for other projects.

Older children can keep a personal box of art supplies, providing their own markers, crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, erasers, etc. to be kept at their desk or work space leaving room in the art cabinet for other supplies used for projects and exercises.

Excellence in Early Childhood Education: Organizing your preschoolers art supplies