Do you have a kiddo in your life interested in art? Who is always drawing or coloring? The kid whose eyes light up when there’s a craft project at school or the kid who proudly displays artwork on the fridge? I was that kid growing up and nothing made me happier than to receive art supplies on my birthday or at Christmas. Updated Nov 2025.
Here’s a list of items I would have loved to receive when I was a young artist and some items I recommend now as a parent.
Before we start…
One thing I would AVOID: those big art sets that have a little bit of everything… colored pencils, watercolor, oil pastels, acrylic or oil paints, markers, etc. They are a “try everything” set for artists. They are some of the cheapest quality materials out there and when you’re learning how a medium works, they are really frustrating to create with. I remember receiving a these when I was a kid and thinking I hated oil pastels or watercolor or colored pencils because I didn’t understand that the quality was so low.
Instead, find out what they are playing with at the moment and buy some higher quality versions; depending on your budget of course. If you can only spend $20 or $30, get a smaller set of high quality markers like Copic or Tombow. Get some fine line or calligraphy pens. Consider some nice watercolor pencils and a brush or a dabbler set of paints from a brand like Grumbacher, Daniel Smith, Holbein, or Winsor & Newton. You can usually buy these at Michael’s or shop online at Blick Art Materials or even Amazon. Blick has a couple of brick & mortar stores in the US.
Still not sure what to get? Reach out to an artist and ask. I’m always happy to make recommendations!
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Sketchbooks - Sketchbooks come in a seemingly infinite number of sizes and styles from pocket-sized to oversized with just as many varying types of paper. If your budding artist likes to do both painting and drawing, consider a sketchbook filled with mixed media paper or watercolor paper. If they are only into drawing, charcoal, and/or markers, then a drawing pad or sketchbook would be great. I’d stay away from newsprint because the paper is very low quality; think of the quality of newspaper. You can even level up on your gifting game and head to Etsy for a personalized sketchbook with the artist’s name on it.
Drawing Set - Different from low-quality art sets. I was in middle school when I learned about the different hardness and softness of pencils and what I could do with them… and why I always smeared my drawings with the palm of my left hand. A drawing set along with a subscription to Skillshare or another online learning platform would make for a wonderful gift.
Mini Canvases - My kids and I love to paint on little canvases. We have some 4x4 inch canvases right now, but I have seen as small as 3x3. And some of these little canvas kits come with a tiny easel to display the canvas. They are seriously so cute and can make for fun, custom ornaments if you can add a string or hook to the top.
Calligraphy/Lettering Book - A lot of creative kids these days are interested in learning calligraphy and stylized lettering. How about getting them a book that is geared to learn just that? This book is designed to help teens learn how to write in cursive too, since many schools aren’t teaching it anymore.
Brush Markers - If you’re gifting a book on lettering or calligraphy, how about some markers to go with it? Pricing can vary from brand to brand, but the ones I’ve used and love are Tombow, Prismacolor, and Copic. I have often seen Tombow and Prismacolor markers on sale at Michael’s. For black, waterproof markers I use Zebra Fude and Faber Castell. If I’m doing an ink drawing that my son is going to paint on top of, having waterproof ink is essential.
Books about Art History or How-to-Draw Books - There are so many out there. These are ones I either love or looks interesting to my kids and me. Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World, The Arts: A Visual Children’s Encyclopedia, The Story of Paintings: A History of Art for Children, Mini Masters Boxed Set (board books), This Book Will Make You An Artist, Small Stories of Great Artists, and endless How to Draw books on Amazon. My son also loves to watch How to Draw videos on YouTube.
Tie-Dye Kit - How about teaching your kiddo how to tie dye? Tulip makes wonderful kits that use a powdered dye that is meant to last longer after washing and the dye won’t bleed onto other fabrics when the directions are followed. The same cannot always be said for Rit Dyes. This tie dye kit from Dharma Trading Co only has three colors, but it uses super high-quality dye and includes soda ash; an ingredient that guarantees more vibrant and colorfast results.
Window Crayons or Markers - Where were these when I was a kid?! I would have been ALL over these to decorate my window for every holiday. These are supposedly very washable and super fun to use. I may be getting those markers for myself this Christmas.
Scratch Boards - My my youngest son told me I needed to add this to the list. He loves these black scratch boards to draw on. He’s done a few that have drawings already on there and some where he just draws what he wants and he loves them. Best of all, these are fantastic for travel as they use minimal supplies and are relatively mess-free.
Friendship Bracelet Kit - I have so many memories of making friendship bracelets when I was young. Most summers I had a bracelet-in-progress in my pocket or safety-pinned to my jeans. You can buy embroidery floss at craft stores inexpensively and put a kit together or you can spend a few bucks more for a kit that includes an instruction book. I would typically opt for the embroidery floss on its own and then head to YouTube for instructional videos. For younger kids who might need help with the fine motor skills needed for friendship bracelets, I’d look at one of the looms out there, like this one.
Paint-by-Number Kits - There are loads of different paint-by-number sets out there with difficulties ranging from preschool to holy-crap-this-is-hard-for-adults. I spent a few months on a rather advanced one that I made for my son and even with my experience with painting, it was a really fun challenge. There are so many out there to choose from, so have fun. They are great for kids who don’t think they are “artistic” or they can’t think of what to paint when given a blank canvas. And this still gets them working on fine motor skills and helps them learn about color theory and using different colors to show depth.
Spirograph - I had a Spirograph when I was a kid and I would spend hours playing with it; creating fun designs. It’s a wonderful tool that uses gears to create beautiful tessellations. There are countless ways to create artwork. I remember learning about mandalas and applying them to my Spirograph creations. Drawing with a Spirograph also helps build fine motor skills and I’m sure there’s a math lesson in there too.
Travel Watercolor Kit - Many brands make travel-sized kits for travel that can be perfect for kids who are getting into painting. Teaching painting en plein air is a wonderful way to instill a love for painting and travel together and can teach about composition. These kits fit wonderfully in backpacks, fanny packs, and some are even small enough to fit in your pocket. My favorite travel kit comes from Art Toolkit and they have a handful of different options for watercolor kits.
Paint Your Own Craft - Craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby (RIP JoAnns!) usually have an aisle like this with wood projects that are fun to paint. One or two of these along with a set of inexpensive, acrylic paints and a couple of brushes can make for a great gift. Melissa & Doug makes kits for kids where they can paint their own race car, airplane, or train and the kits come with paints and a brush. There are kits where kids can paint wooden magnets, resin trinket boxes or a resin dinosaur or unicorn bank. How about a ceramic fox, elephant, or turtle?
Watercolor Pencils - Watercolor pencils are a great way to introduce a young artist to watercolor and color theory. They draw or color with these pencils and then go over it with a wet brush to blend colors together. These are great to teach how different colors blend without having to be aware of what paint is on their brush. I’ve seen kids get frustrated with colors getting muddy because they forget to wash the brush when going for a new color. Using these kind of skips that step. These ones from Faber-Castell have an ergonomic grip to help little hands hold the pencils easier.
Tattoo Markers - These are so much fun! Markers designed for drawing on skin. We have a blast with these during the summer. I get requests for skulls, dragons, and more. They can get tricky when kids are already wearing sunscreen, but they’re totally worth playing with. I ran across this artist who creates temporary tattoos that are meant to last longer so you can color your arm too.
Craft Kits - Every craft store like Michael’s have a variety of different craft kits designed for kids. There are kits on how to make paracord keychains or bracelets, making jewelry, kits on crocheting, quilting, or knitting. An at-home pottery wheel, a kit for modeling clay, rock painting, and window sun catchers, and I have seen kits that introduce sewing, counted cross stitch, and embroidery too.
Whether your child is in preschool, high school, or in between, receiving a gift that helps fuel a passion for creativity sticks with them for a long time.