41 Affordable and Absolutely Essential Art Supplies for Preschool You Need for Your Next Ocean Theme

IMAGINE…

You’ve got sand and shells in the sensory table, books about ocean animals on the library shelves, a beach set up in the dramatic play area, and sea glass pattern strips in your math center. Your lesson plans are ready to go, including a sink and float science experiment and a sandcastle sequencing activity. It looks like you are ready for an amazing Preschool Ocean Theme! 

But wait! What about ocean art activities?! Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with a quick and easy list of everything you need right here!

In my blog post, 7 Simple Way to Get Started with Process Art, I wrote about Rachelle from Tinkerlab’s categories of art supplies:

• Bases – paper, wood, clay, cardboard, styrofoam
• Connectors – glue, tape, string, yarn
• Tools – paintbrush, sponge, scissors
• Treasures – sequins, glitter, beads, fabric, ribbon, bubble wrap
• Mediums – paint, pencils, crayons, markers

Below, I have listed my suggestions and easy shopping links for you, organized by each of these five categories, and suggested ocean art activities for preschool. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Base Art Supplies for Preschool

1. Corrugated Cardboard – A strong base for our Sea Glass Mosaic, Seashell Collage, and Egg Shell Sculptures.
2. Finger Paint Paper – This paper holds up very well to our Textured and Scented Finger Paint Art activity. 
3. Mat Board – An pricier alternative to cardboard for mosaics, collages, and sculptures. The colored pieces make a nice display for an art show.
4. Pastel Paper – A pricier base than sulphite paper for our Monochromatic Chalk Pastel Art
5. Plain White Paper Plates – These are a great base for our Air Dry Clay Narwhals and our Modeling Clay Sea Turtles. And they are perfect for our Crayon Resist Turtle Shells too!
6. Sulphite Drawing Paper – An inexpensive, but high quality drawing paper that accepts both dry and wet mediums.
7. Watercolor Paper – I find that watercolor paper holds up to the wettest art activities, such as Colorful Milk Designs and Salt Watercolor Art.
8. White Porcelain Tiles – Combine permanent markers and rubbing alcohol on this base for an art project that extended our learning about squids.

Connector Art Supplies for Preschool

1. Colored Glue – I love using colored glue for our Egg Shell Sculptures. Why paint AND glue when you can do BOTH at the same time?!
2. Washable School Glue – This dries clear and holds materials in place for our Seashell Collage and Sea Glass Mosaic activities.

Tool Art Supplies for Preschool

1. 3 oz. paper cups – These little cups are the perfect size to hold watercolors, glue, and rubbing alcohol for so many projects.
2. Art Trays – These art trays are sturdy and stackable. I especially love the tall sides which work great for holding milk when making Colorful Milk Designs.
3. Bubble Wrap – Bubble wrap provides a tactile, sensory experience as well as interesting patterns for our Bubble Wrap Prints
4. Clay Tools – Provide greater fine motor strengthening and more specific detail work when making Air Dry Clay Narwhals and Modeling Clay Sea Turtles.
5. Cotton Balls – Watch what happens when you dip a cotton ball with dish soap into the mixture when creating Colorful Milk Designs!
6. Cotton Swabs – These create a bit more control with our Colorful Milk Designs.
7. Craft Sticks – Craft sticks are an excellent alternative to touching a medium that some children may have an aversion to. This way, they can still participate in the art without feeling uncomfortable!
8. Disposable Drinking Straws – These are a must-have for making Blowhole Watercolor Art!
9. Foam Brushes – These work nicely for spreading tempera paint when making Bubble Wrap Prints
10. Geometric Shape Stencils – For children who are not yet familiar with shapes, these are great for designing a Crayon Resist Turtle Shell.
11. Paintbrush Set – We always need good paintbrushes, right?!
12. Pie Tins – Disposable pie tins are perfect for holding tempera paint and embellishments.
13. Pipettes – I love these for coordination and fine motor development and they work really well for Hatching Turtle Eggs and Permanent Marker & Rubbing Alcohol Tiles.
14. Toothpicks – These are great for dipping into dish soap for Colorful Milk Designs and they make a great material for building and for collages.

Treasure Art Supplies for Preschool

1. Glitter – Glitter brightens up any art and is just so messy and fun!
2. Mini Seashells – These are the perfect size for our Seashell Collages.
3. Sea Glass – I love the colors these come in for our Sea Glass Mosaics.
4. Sequin & Spangles – An embellishment that never gets old!
5. Small Sand Dollars – These are a nice addition to the Seashell Collages.
6. Small Starfish – These too.

Medium Art Supplies for Preschool

1. Air Dry Clay (Colored) – Model Magic is so kid-friendly! It is malleable and comes in great colors. Wait until you see the variety of Narwhals your preschoolers will make with this Air Dry Clay!
2. Bleeding Tissue Paper Squares – Tissue paper is one of many types of paper used in our Torn Paper Collage, inspired by the illustrations in It’s Seashell Day by Dianne Ochiltree.
3. Finger Paint – To experience textures and scents the way sharks do, we add food-based materials such as oats, sugar, and coconut to finger paint.
4. Food Coloring – A deeper and brighter alternative to liquid watercolors, perfect for our Ocean Waves Bottle, Hatching Turtle Shells, and Colorful Milk Designs
5. Modeling Clay – I love this clay because it does not dry out! It takes a bit more fine motor strength than Air Dry Clay, but allows the children to take more time when creating their Sea Turtle Figurines.
6. Permanent Markers – While I generally go for the name brand, I find these to hold up really well and you can’t beat the price!
7. Watercolor Palette – In my opinion, Prang makes the best watercolor palette out there.
8. Tempera Cakes – I absolutely adore these tempera cakes! They actually work more like a watercolor than your typical tempera. And they come out much brighter!
9. Liquid Watercolors – A pricier alternative to food coloring. But, a little bit goes a long way!
10. Soft Chalk Pastels – This is a material we don’t use very often, but is really great for developing control of fine motor skills in order to create light, medium, and dark color. During our Ocean Theme, we use these pastels to create Monochromatic Art.
11. Tempera Paint – A staple for anyone working with preschoolers! Washable and versatile, this is a great paint straight up or mixed together to create new colors for Water Balloon Painting and Bubble Wrap Prints.

And there you have it! These art materials will take you far beyond your Ocean Theme. Please use them in good health and creativity! Please write in the comments your favorite supplies!

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Related Posts:

My Three Favorite Process Art Activities Perfect for an Ocean Theme (published 7-3-22)

7 Simple Ways to Get Started with Process Art (published 7-10-22)