Encourage Art with Cool Art Supplies

Encourage Art with Cool Art Supplies

Here are some great art materials with which to experiment for your special needs child. Since you may not be an artist, you may not even know some of these great products are out there. Your child can create some cool art just by trying out a new art material. We included affiliate links to products we like.

1. Watercolor Pencils

Watercolor Pencils are perfect for tweens or older kids. They are a good way to transition your artist from drawing to painting. Watercolor pencils look similar to regular colored pencils and can be purchased in most craft or art supply stores and come in various price ranges. Once you color in the area with a color, you can run a wet paintbrush across it and get the effect of watercolor paint. Experiment with a more dry brush or more water on the brush to create different effects.

2. Tempera Paint

Tempera Paint is a nice way to introduce your child to paint. It is inexpensive and can be a nice medium for learning basic painting skills. It can be mixed from powder and comes in liquid form or cake form in a tray. I especially like the paint trays that contain the cakes of paint. It is easy for kids with fine motor challenges to stir their brush in to get paint and it doesn’t spill like the liquid form.

3. Chalk Pastels

Chalk Pastels are especially a great art medium for kids with limited hand mobility. Chalk sticks can go in between fingers of a fist or stick out of a clenched fist. The powdery effect creates neat blending combinations of color. Use a Q-tip, or tissue, rubbed over the colors for blending if you have an artist with sensitive sensory issues. Anyone can make interesting color designs and get their hands in this art material even with severe fine motor limitations. Chalk pastels can easily be found in most art supply or craft stores.

4. Oil Pastels

Oil Pastels similar to crayons, have a “waxier” form and the colors are more intense. These are good for any age and good for fine motor skills. Oil pastels can be thicker or thinner; thicker pastels do not break as easily. These can be found in most art supply or craft stores. Paint over the top of oil pastels with your child’s watercolor paint set or watered down tempera paint and you will get some cool effects of wax resist over the paint.

5. Clay

Clay is always a nice medium to just start playing around with. Practice rolling clay into balls or strips which works well for improving fine motor skills. Carving with various tools your child may find laying around can create some cool projects. I like a product by Crayola called “Air Dry Clay” because it is easy to work with, and a little sturdier than other kinds when it dries.

Related: Let’s Clay

Danelle Griner is the founder of Art Shop. She specializes in therapeutic art instruction for individuals with disabilities. Go to Artshop to find easy to teach adapted art projects for children with special needs. www.artshoptherapy.com

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This post originally appeared on our November/December 2014 Magazine