How to Make Independent Access to Art Materials Work For You (& Not Be A Disaster)

A few weeks back I shared on my Instagram that we give the boys free access to art materials.

Based on the comments I received, and on my own impression prior to setting this up in our home, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the ways we have made this work for us.

Without it being the complete and utter disaster you might expect it to be.

Honestly, both my two-year-old and my three-year-old have free access to almost all of our art materials (and we have a lot) and it isn't a disaster.

With this setup, they are more than likely to freely choose to create art at least once a day. Something they definitely did not do before. And I call that a huge win.

If you are ready to get your kids doing more creating independently, and don't want it to be a huge disaster, here are my three tips.

1. Choose a Set Up That Works For You

Have everything organized in a way that keeps little components nicely corralled. This could be a shelf, a cupboard, a caddy, drawers or a cart.

This will be based on your available space and what you feel will work best for you. Don't be afraid to start small.

I have a whole Pinterest board of ideas here.

We have everything in jars on this shelf. Some of it is moved around now that Ignatius (our nine-month-old) is able to reach things on the shelf (such as the scissors) but for the most part, we simply have lids on the items he cannot have access to, and he is free to shake jars, dump, and take things from the shelf if he would like.

The rest of our art materials that do not fit on the blue shelf are in this cupboard (as I said, we have a lot). Jerome can freely access anything from here, but I have things higher up, like paint and extra playdough, so that Benedict has to ask for these things.

2. Prepare the Environment

I try to think through the process of possible projects and provide everything necessary for the children to independently gather the materials for themselves. Along with this, I have set up the space so that it is easy for the children to follow the cycle, which I will talk about in the next section.

For us this looks like:

• In front of the shelf with the art materials, we have a low table and chairs for the boys to do their work at. 

• On a shelf beneath this table are large trays for them to use when they are doing a craft.

• We have paper trays with different kinds of paper accessible to them.

• For painting, there is a hook with painting smocks, paintbrushes, and paint pots.

• For pasting there is stick glue as well as white glue, and a glue brush.

• In our bathroom, there is a stool for them to reach the water so they may clean their paint brushes, wet cloths for wiping the table and their trays, and wash their hands when they are finished.

LARGE TRAYS!!!

The large trays I mentioned above are my secret weapon for keeping the boy's crafting under control. In our house, the boys are expected to use trays when painting, pasting, using clay or play dough, and when doing something with many small parts such as beading, googly eyes, or feathers.

With the use of trays, big projects like that completely purple page Benedict is painting below (which inevitably ends up with a good deal of paint framing it) are confined to the tray and make it wonderfully easy to pop the entire thing into the kitchen sink if necessary.

3. Implement the work cycle

This is the most important step to reducing mess and making crafting less stressful for you as the parent. With the work cycle, an important concept in Montessori, your child will learn to set up their craft and create in a designated area, and then clean up after themselves.

Sounds like a dream, doesn't it?

It's possible, and it really is the key here. With a bit of consistency, you can do it, too.

In the beginning, it will look a little like this:

Walk your child through the proper steps for doing a particular craft the first couple of times they do it. At the very beginning, only have what they know how to use properly accessible to them.

Start with something easy like a sticker craft.

Have the stickers in a jar or container. 

Provide paper. 

Provide a little dish or basket into which the child can place any garbage pieces. 

Provide a tray. 

Step one: When the child would like to work with this material, show them how to place the tray on the table and then gather everything necessary for this craft.

Step two: The child makes their craft. Try not to interfere in their process, let them feel in control of what they are creating. 

Step three: When the child is finished with their project, show them how to put everything back to order. 

Eventually, they will know where and how they are expected to do their crafting, and how to clean up after they are finished, with little to no interference from you, as long as you are consistent with your expectations and boundaries.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. I would also love to hear any suggestions for posts you would like me to write about. And if you are interested in following along in our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram where I post daily.



God bless,
Olivia Fischer