Top 6 Art & Craft Materials To Get You Through Lockdown

The shops may all be closed, but there are still lots of places online to stock up on supplies for the kids.

Online shops selling art and craft are treasure troves - full of fun, imaginative projects, as well as lots of other materials for making and creating.

Craft kits are a great way to get inspired - they come pre-prepared with all the necessary materials and tools to create a finished product that the kids can be proud of.

This period of isolation at home is the perfect time to fill the kids arts and crafts box with all the basics, and wait to see where their imaginations take them...

If you're running low on supplies - or ideas - then keep scrolling for the arts and crafts shops that are offering home delivery services.

All of the products featured in the below list were available at the time of writing - but be aware that lots of these items and kits are selling out quickly.

Baker Ross - Inspiring Creativity

For anyone looking for fun, Easter-themed crafts, Baker Ross has lots of different kits for children of every age. With kits for making Easter bookmarks, Easter Bonnets and many other Easter decorations for the dining table, house or garden, you are sure to find ways of making Easter a great celebration.

Why not search the website as a family to find the arts and craft activities that look the most fun?

Many of the kits are under £5 - with low delivery costs, between £2.95 and £3.95 - it's easy to try out a couple of different craft kits without investing too much money or time.

Make coasters, bird houses, cross stitch or stained glass decorations - anything that takes your fancy - there is sure to be a craft box to suit everyone, whether you like mermaids, unicorns, dragons or pirates.

If you have noticed drawings and paintings of rainbows in the windows around your neighbourhood, and would like to join in, then Baker Ross has a range of great rainbow-themed products.

One of the best is the Rainbow Mosaic Magnet Kit, £3.95, which contains a foam rainbow and lots of self-adhesive glitter foam tiles to decorate the rainbow template.

Once complete, attach the sparkly mosaic rainbow to the front door or any metal surface using the magnet that comes with the kit - or hang it in the window to bring a little cheer to anyone who walks past.

Ken Bromley Art Supplies

This website has helpfully divided their products by age - making it easy to browse for age-appropriate arts and crafts activities and materials. Basics such as packs of child-safe paints and easy-to-hold brushes are available, as well as no-spill water pots and plastic paint palettes - staples that can be used over and over again for years to come.

There are also a number of other fun activities that your kids might not have tried before, such as lino cutting and block printing kits.

'Block Printing Kit for Kids' contains 100 ml block printing ink, an ink roller, ink tray, pencil and 6 sheets of print-foam.

A great way to try out a new technique, the kit has everything you need to learn and experiment with, and you can top up on block printing ink and sheets of print-foam if your kids love block printing. Designed for ages 5 and above, the kit contains everything you need for just £13.45.

Delivery for orders under £45 is charged at £3.95, with free delivery for orders above £45.

Specialist Crafts

This website has a huge array of art and craft ideas, materials and supplies for creative types of all ages!

Find all the basics - such as packs of paper, pens and coloured pencils - as well as more complex crafts and projects, like jewellery making, stencilling, mosaic and glass painting.

The website has an excellent range of basic starter kits - which come with all the essentials for making beautiful paintings, sculptures and drawings. The 'Art Lesson Essentials Kit', £12.19 (ex.

VAT), contains a set of watercolour paints (in 14 different colours), an A4 sketch pad, a black fine-liner pen for detailed work, 12 acrylic paints, 12 watercolour pencils, a glue stick, brushes, 6 graphite pencils and a rubber - everything you need to recreate the classroom or studio at home.

Why not set the kids a challenge to fill the whole sketch pad, using the different materials in the kit,  during their time at home?

The '3D Picasso Kit' is excellent value for money, with all the materials your children will need to create a 3D masterpiece. Suitable for ages 7 and up, for the price of £23.99 (ex.

VAT) you will receive a pack of 4 mod roc rolls, string, PVA glue, a set of 18 acrylic paints, 7 brushes, a black permanent marker and a pair of scissors.

This 3D kids art and craft kit has everything you will need to make an amazing sculpture, so why not look for inspiration online by looking at sculptures made by famous artists before embarking on this fun, creative project...

Specialist Crafts charges £5.99 (ex. VAT) for their standard delivery service.

Join HobbyCraft's Kids Craft Club

HobbyCraft are taking to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at 11am every day for their Kids Craft Club - where they will set a creative challenge, as well as sharing ideas and inspiration.

With tips, tricks and tutorials, the Kids Craft Club is an excellent way to build creativity and fun into your at-home routine.

HobbyCraft have made it really easy for parents to shop for the supplies that their kids will need to use - with all of the materials and tools on one page, ready to be added to your basket.

Buy the whole kit - which includes a range of products, paints, pencils, crayons, coloured paper, PVA glue and a 100-piece craft  kit - or select and buy only the bits that you don't already have in the house.

Prices for individual items range from £1.15 to £16, and the whole kit comes in at £38.25.

Customers enjoy free delivery on orders over £20, otherwise, the price for standard delivery is £4.50.

Children of all ages are sure to love getting involved with the craft club, which is totally free to join - and parents can share their kids' creations by using the hashtag '#kidscraftclub'.

The craft club activities are set Monday - Saturday, and on Sundays HobbyCraft will put up their favourite creations from the week in a gallery on their Facebook page - as well as the itinerary for the following week...

Kitchen Crafts - Making Paper Mache and PlayDough using Cupboard Essentials

If you don't want to wait for the postman, or need something to do occupy the kids with immediately - then there are a couple of great products that are easy to make from simple ingredients and household items.

Paper Mache (or Papier-mâché) is a kid art and craft classic - it is almost completely free and the possibilities are endless. All you need is flour, water and a pile of old newspapers, magazines and comics.

First, tear the newspapers and magazines into small strips. Next, make the paste by mixing a cup of plain flour with a cup of warm water, stirring until there are no lumps.

Sift the flour first to make a smooth batter-like paste, and add more warm water if the mixture is too stiff. Cover your work area with newspaper, then dip the small bits of paper into the paste, wiping off the excess before sticking it to the side of a bowl or balloon.

Once dried, remove the bowl/burst the balloon, and then use your imaginations to decorate. For further instructions, follow the guide, or watch the video, on BBC Good Food.

Another material that can be made for free, using only store cupboard essentials is PlayDough.

Made using flour, salt, warm water, vegetable oil and food colouring, making DIY PlayDough is the perfect at-home activity.

To make the dough, mix 8 tablespoons of plain flour with 2 tablespoons of table salt - and in a separate bowl, mix 60 ml of warm water with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and a few drops of food colouring.

Add the liquid ingredients into the flour and salt, stirring until the mix comes together.

Sprinkle some flour onto a flat surface, and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and stretchy. The PlayDough is ready when the dough feels pliable - and it can be stored in a sandwich bag in the fridge to keep it fresh.

For full instructions on how to make your own PlayDough at home, follow the video on the BBC Good Food website.