Creativity is one of the most important skills children can have today. And according to Angela Eckhoff, PhD, author of the Gryphon House book Creative Investigations in Early Art, early childhood educators play an essential role in developing children's creative thinking skills from the start.
One of the best ways to foster these skills is through a dedicated art learning center. It’s a space where children can create, express themselves, and experiment with art materials while developing fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
But setting up learning centers and keeping them stocked with the right materials can be tricky, especially in a small space. In this article, we outline five steps for setting up a preschool art learning center that's just right for your classroom or facility.
How do you set up an art learning center in preschool classrooms—and why does it matter?
When children have space to think and work creatively, they develop skills that go far beyond the art table. They learn to express their emotions, solve problems, understand cause and effect, and see the world from different perspectives, according to a study titled “Promoting creativity in early childhood education.”
An effective art center doesn't happen by chance. These five steps will help you create a space that sparks curiosity, nurtures creativity, and fits seamlessly into your classroom.
1. Decide on the size and location of your art center
The first step in setting up your art center is to determine its size and location. Consider how big the room is, how many learning centers you’re planning, and the number of children in your care. Below are other factors to consider when setting up your art learning center:
- Desired capacity: How many children do you want at the art center at one time? As a general rule, aim for a space that fits at least three children, though room for four is better for side-by-side creating.
- Proximity to other learning centers: Art centers can be quiet or noisy, depending on the activity and the children. With that in mind, consider placing yours near centers that also vary in noise level—like the literacy or block center— so the energy feels balanced.
- Proximity to a sink: Art is messy. Placing your art center near a sink makes cleanup and handwashing easier and a natural part of the creative process.
Do you need more help mapping out your classroom space? Check out How to Plan a Great Classroom Layout (Preschool Edition) and our Floorplanner tool for additional assistance in planning the best layout for your classroom.
2. Pick out the appropriate furniture for your space
The furniture you choose for your art learning center does more than fill the space. It shapes how children move, create, and engage. Below are a few must-haves for a fully equipped art station:
Easels and/or art tables: Add furniture that allows children to sit or stand comfortably while creating. Whether you choose one or both will depend on the size of the art center.
- Double-sided and 4-sided easels are great choices for small art centers, while tabletop easels are ideal for multifunctional spaces.
- Art tables should have easy-to-clean work surfaces that are durable enough to withstand spills, smears, and everything in between. Messy mats can also help protect surfaces that aren’t as easy to clean.
Chairs: The right chair size matters. Make sure the chairs you choose are sized to fit the little bodies in your classroom and the tables they work at.
Storage cabinets: Leave room for storage units to keep paint, glue, and other materials safely out of reach until they're needed. This ensures that children can access only certain items at the right time, keeping the workspace less cluttered.
Drying racks: If children will be painting frequently in your classroom, a tabletop or floor drying rack is a great addition to your art space. It keeps wet artwork off tables and floors, and frees up space for creating.
Bulletin board: Consider adding a bulletin board to define the art space and to display children’s artwork. Be sure to hang pieces at children's eye level so they can easily see, appreciate, and take pride in what they've created.
With the right furniture in place, you’re not just setting up an art center. You’re cultivating a space where children are invited to create, explore, and use their imagination.
3. Facilitate easy cleanup with aprons and splash mats
No one wants to spend time cleaning glitter, glue, or paint off the classroom floor. Stocking your art learning center with the right tools and materials can help prevent a major mess. Here are a few essentials worth having on hand:
- Splash mats: Place splash mats under easels and art tables to protect floors, carpets, and tabletops from accidental spills.
- Art trays: Place these on tabletops to keep workspaces clean. These no-mess trays have raised edges to contain paint, clay, beads, and other loose materials.
- Aprons: Choose easy-to-clean aprons that fit the preschool-aged children in your care. Also, decide whether aprons with or without sleeves would be best for your art center.
These tools make it easier to say yes to messy, open-ended art experiences without spending valuable time cleaning up afterward.
4. Choose a variety of art materials and tools for children to use
Preschool classrooms include children with a range of interests, skills, and abilities, and your art materials should reflect that. Offering a variety of supplies not only meets every child where they are but also makes it easy to weave art into the topics and experiences they’re already learning.
Whether children are crafting, drawing, or painting, we suggest supplying your art center with the following materials and tools:
Brushes, crayons, and markers: These are important materials to have in any art center. Remember that large, easy-grip paint brushes, crayons, and markers are easier for younger children to grasp and use.
Chalk: Include chalk so children can create colorful works of art on indoor chalkboards or outdoor sidewalks. The easy cleanup makes it one of the most classroom-friendly art materials around.
Clay, dough, and modeling materials: Children will have fun shaping, molding, and creating imaginative forms and structures with clay and dough. Enhance their creativity with tools like rollers, cutters, and texture kits.
Collage and craft materials: Offer a variety of art supplies for any collage or craft projects. These include craft sticks, feathers, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, wiggly eyes, and more.
Glue, tape, and adhesives: Help children hold their creations together with essentials like tape, glue, and other adhesives. When messes happen, because they will, washable glue and glue sticks mean cleanup is quick and painless.
Paint and paint materials: No art learning center is complete without a variety of paints, including tempera, finger, glitter, and watercolor paints. Adding sponges, rollers, and paint markers dials up the fun and gives children more ways to explore and experiment as they create.
Paper and scissors: Offer paper in a variety of textures, colors, and sizes to engage children’s senses and inspire creative choices. When it comes to scissors, always opt for safety scissors designed to cut paper, not little fingers or hair.
Stampers and stamp pads: Provide a variety of stampers, including emotions, family, animals, letters, and numbers, to keep art projects fun, versatile, and aligned with what children are already learning in the classroom.
Explore Kaplan’s collection of art supplies to find everything you need to stock your new art learning center.
5. Find convenient art storage solutions
With all these art materials on hand in your art center, you’ll need simple ways to keep the workspace organized and clutter-free. These simple additions can help you do just that:
- Keep art supplies organized and easy to access with art supply storage solutions like art caddies, scissor racks, tape dispensers, and art tubs.
- Use a rolling storage cart if your art center is small or if you have to share art supplies between classrooms.
- Add a paper roll dispenser or a child-safe paper cutter, so paper is easy to access and within reach for every art project.
- Store extra supplies in clear bins and containers with pictures and words as labels so children can locate and return materials on their own.
A well-organized art center means less time managing materials and more time supporting young artists.
Build an inspiring preschool art center to nurture the creative thinkers of tomorrow
Early childhood educators play an important role in determining whether creative skills are stifled or flourish, and an art learning center is one of the most powerful spaces you can create. With the right furniture, tools, and materials, it becomes a place where children can create, experiment, and grow. Once you've completed these five steps, the children in your care will have everything they need to tap into their inner artists.
