In this post I link to the best preschool supplies, toys, books and products we actually use and LOVE in our home. Each and everyone of these items has been tried and tested and I would only recommend what I believe you too would love. I value you, my reader. I hope that this will make it easier for you to choose a gift for your child or find supplies that you may want to add to your Art Cart. Whether you have a homeschool preschool, will be going back to school supplies shopping, are looking for daycare supplies, or just a regular mom like me wanting to nurture art and creativity in your child… this list is for you.
This list will be constantly updated.
If you are looking for something specific that you may not see addressed here please go ahead and e-mail me at [email protected] I would love to help you.
Best Preschool Supplies and Toys
Please note that affiliate links are used in this post.
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Homeschool Organization:
- We love our Ikea Art Cart and organize most of our kids art supplies in there.
- I also organize kids craft supplies in these photo containers. You can find the organizer case here
Label maker and tape - I leave the box on my kids arts and crafts table.
I leave the box on my kids arts and crafts table.Basic Kids Art Supplies
We use a lot of these in our preschool activity packs, worksheets and alphabet packs.
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- – Washable Markers- the 12 Pack or the 40 pack for younger kids we love the pip squeak markers.
- Colored Pencils
- Crayons
- Twistable Crayons
- Scissors (for older kids). We use these scissors for our 3 year old and these for our older kids.
- Glue and glue sticks
- Watercolor paints (this is not too messy and is a wonderful individual activity for a child.
- Any stickers will do.
- Washi Tape
- Stamp Pad
- Do a Dot Markers (my favorite art material)
- Whiteboard markers (my daughters whiteboard is right next to the art cart.)
- Contact Paper
Paint Supplies
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- Biocolor paint – My most FAVORITE paint ever!! It drives with a glittery sheen and has the most beautiful and vibrant color payoff.
- Washable Tempera Paint
- Washable Fingerpaint
- Art Apron
- Art Easel
Paper
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- Plain Cardstock
- Colored Cardstock
- Construction Paper
Collage Material
- Pom Poms – for pom pom activities and pom pom crafts
- Googly Eyes (Mine were purchased from Lakeshore Learning)
- Colored Pasta (I purchased these at Lakeshore Learning)
- Feathers (mine from Lakeshore Learning)
- Craft sticks and q-tips
- Craft Buttons (if you have a younger child who still puts things in their mouth you need to be careful with these. I wouldn’t put them in the cart with younger kids.)
Preschool Math Manipulatives
We use these supplies in not only our math activities for preschoolers but also in our math lessons for my elementary kids too.
- Alphabet Threading Letters – We use these during almost all of our preschool letter activities. Check out how I used them in our simple Alphabet Fishing Activity.
- Counting Bears – One of my favorite tools to use for this is our counting bears. There
- Math Links – trust me… you’ll use for many years to come during math homework sessions.
- Color Sorting Figurines – I love that this set takes out all the prep work and provides you with different colored objects for your child to sort. It also comes in a wonderful crayon case.
- Sorting Trays
- Color Craft Buttons
- Pom Poms
- Sorting Food Toy – not only will you use this for color sorting but you will love this for imaginary play too!
- Color Snap Toy – This toy is great for color sorting and fine motor skills. My toddler really enjoyed this one.
Sensory Bin Supplies
We often do sensory activities for toddlers and preschoolers at home.
My kids love sensory bins! They love to explore while I love a few moments of downtime. You can see how to create a sensory bin. You can also find sensory bin ideas here.
We used many of the above materials in our alphabet letter fishing activity too!
Activity Supplies
- Trays – We paint on these so we have less spills and mess.
- Divider Tray for sorting
- Colorful Trays
- Stamp pad
- Uppercase Alphabet Stamps and lowercase stamps
- Plastic Tub for sensory bins
- Safari Toobs for Sensory Bin Figurines
- Play Dough – we make homemade play dough sometimes, we buy normal play dough and we also recently tried Z Dough and love it too! Z Dough comes in so many different scents and creates for a unique play dough experience. Don’t forget to buy play dough scissors.. trust me the little ones LOVE cutting play dough.
- Watercolor Paint Cups (These are great for using with food coloring mixed with water too!)
Prep Supplies
- Circle Punches: .75 inch, 1 inch, and 1.5 inch
- Laminator and Pouches
- Paper Cutter
- Velcro Dots
- Binding Machine – if you want to bind your worksheets into a book
- 1/2 inch binding spines, 3/4 inch binding spine and 1/4 inch binding spines
Puzzles
- Shapes Puzzle – see how we used this puzzle for my Shapes Hunt Sensory Bin Activity
- We love Melissa and Doug Puzzles!
Fine Motor Supplies
- Tools Set – These are the best tools we use during our fine motor activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
- Jumbo Push Pins
- Play dough scissors
Preschool Imaginary Play
Preschool Imaginary Play- Toy Kitchen – If you are looking for dramatic play ideas then a play kitchen makes a wonderful base! Make believe play is important in child development.
- Pretend Food
- Pots and Pans
- Cutting Food
- Learning Cash Register – every dramatic play center and school (even homeschool) should have a kids toy cash register.
Activity Books
- Preschool Workbook – Great for travel!
- Preschool Sticker Activity Book
- Melissa and Doug On the Go Books
- Kumon Lets Sticker and Paste – Also great for travel!
Our Favorite Bedtime Books
We have an updated preschool book lists category. Check it out.
- Owl Babies Book
- Goodnight Moon
- Mama Mama
- Llama Llama Misses Mama
- Knuffle Bunny
- Moo Baa La La La and Sandra Boynton books
- Tickle Monster Book
Preschool Toys
- Mini or Maxi Scooter – These scooters are my favorite preschool ride on toy.
- Tricycle
- Our favorite stuffed animal – we have the white one as you can see on our Instagram.
- Lego Tubs
Preschool Board Games
I have a list of the the best board games for families to play together. Here are a few of my favorite preschool board games.
- Balance Beams Game
- Sneaky Squirrel Game – wonderful first board game.
- Rush Hour Jr – One of my all time favorite kids games ever. Great for mathematical thinking.
- Connect Four
- Zingo – A major hit with preschoolers.
- Hi Ho Cherry-O– great beginner board game.
- The Game of Life – This is my kids favorite!
Preschool Science Supplies
Favorite Kids Subscription Box
- Kiwi Crate – Without a doubt my favorite kids subscription box is Koala and Kiwi Crate. You can read my review here and get a coupon code for 30% off.
Technology
- Ipad mini or Ipad
- Headphones
- Protective Case – This is the case we use to protect all of our iPhones and iPads from breaks and falls (Trust me it happens almost daily.)
Favorite Preschool Apps:
- Kidloland – Fun nursery rhymes, games and activities. My 3 year old loves to play with this.
- Check out my 12 Favorite Preschool iPad Apps blog post
Photography Supplies:
- Canon 5D Mark III – I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this camera.
- Canon 24-70L Lens
- Canon 50mm 1.4 Lens – great value for the cheap price. I LOVE this lens.
- Canon T5 – Entry Level DSLR Camera… a great camera for Moms.
Mom’s Favorites:
- Erin Condren Calendar and Organizer– I LOVE their life planner, notepad and journals. For me, there is something so therapeutic about using a paper and pen to organize your life. Use this link to get $10 off your first purchase.
- Kids School Years Folders – After each school year I add each child’s class picture and have the kids fill out all their information about each year. For example, who their favorite friends and I add in their report cards to the folder. I did a blog post on how to organize kids school papers here and it is definitely worth checking out.
