As a homeschool mom, I have spent years amassing a collection of items to keep kids busy. I will list some of my favorite items below, but first I want to encourage you that you can do this. If you have to be home with your children, it may seem like this is something that may make you lose your mind. But with the right supplies, you can turn any situation into a positive one.

When I tell you that I was not a patient person and that there were days that I threatened to send my kids to school, and sometimes there were days I even picked up the phone and threatened to call the school to enroll them. But I never did pull the trigger. Keeping a Top 10 List of Reasons to Homeschool can help with moments like that.

And I am glad that I got the opportunity to teach them at home. One of the best things you can do (outside of having an arsenal of the best supplies to keep your kids busy), is to have a mindset that says, “I am blessed that I get to spend this time with my kids,” and say every day, “I can do this.”

The following supplies will be great when looking for arts and crafts online, but more importantly, having a wide range of supplies enables you to give your kids supplies and let them be creative on their own.

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So What are the Best Homeschool Supplies to Have at Home to Keep Kids Busy?

Free Supplies – Items to Save:

Supplies that You Probably Have on Hand:

Tape – Scotch, Masking, Duct

Cotton balls

Paper towels

Coffee Filters

Markers = Scented, Watercolor, Window, Fabric, Washable

Pens

Pencils

Crayons – New, but save old crayons for projects

Chalk – Regular and Chalk Pastels

Eraser

Craft Sticks

Q-tips

Ingredients for slime – gak – play-doh

Elmer’s Glue

Paper Plates

Dixie cups

Plastic cups of various sizes

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Pipe cleaners

Glitter

Watercolors

Paper – White printer paper, Construction paper of all colors, Watercolor paper, drawing paper

Cardstock

Toothpicks

Paper clips

Yarn, String

Additional Supplies I Recommend Having on Hand for Homeschool Arts, Crafts and Fun

Dropper

Acrylic Paints, Watercolor Paints, Tempera Paint, and Fingerpaints

Rice

Shaving Cream

Sand

Good Colored Pencils

Old broken toys – these are ideal to incorporate into other crafts or to take apart to see how things work. We had an old-old-old See-N-Say that we took apart. We also had some old pull toys that we disassembled. Kids love taking things apart and trying to put them back together.

Magnets

Items to paint with – feathers, leaves, sponges, fruits, vegetables

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE CRAFT HOMESCHOOL SUPPLIES THAT I HAVE FORGOTTEN? Drop me a message below and I will add them to my list. Make sure to read my post about the Things You Don’t Need in Your Homeschool.