How to Set Up an Art Cart for Kids

You have markers in three different rooms, googly eyes stuck to the floor, and a constant mess in every room.

It seems impossible to keep things neat for more than 20 minutes.

The fact is, we’re all LIVING in our homes a lot more now. That may sound weird – haven’t we always lived in our homes? Yes, but you’ve probably had more people spending more time in the house over the last few months.

That’s why today we’ll discuss how to set up an art cart for kids.

Is this just a pretty Pinterest project? Hell no! Honestly, I don’t believe in doing things just so they look pretty for other people. I did this for me, friends. (And my kid, of course.)

This is something I desperately needed in March, but didn’t realize it right away. Now, life feels a little less messy. The art cart has been a game changer for us.

First, let’s talk about the WHY.

The Benefits of a Kids’ Art Cart:

1. It saves you time. At the beginning of quarantine, I kept going from the dining room to our tiny home office to the basement and back, trying to locate different art materials for my 4 year-old. Our stuff was everywhere. The art cart helps me centralize the essential materials we use over and over. Stop looking for glue – now you know there are always two bottles right there!

2. The art cart helps organize your train station. What does that mean? Your train station (or your hub) is where your family spends a lot of the day. Where does your child like to get creative? Where do you have room to set up your laptop and churn out some emails? For us, it’s the dining room. My kid usually does art after breakfast with a children’s podcast on while I get some early work done. But we ALSO eat in the dining room, so I couldn’t leave the art materials out all the time. It got frustrating to change things back and forth every day. The art cart helps you get realistic about your space, regardless of what other uses it has.

3. Less waste. If kiddo has only used one side of a piece of paper, I flip it over and put it in the bottom tray. She knows that’s where all the paper is. Any unused popsicle sticks go right back to their container.

4. Your child will play more independently. As you know, I’m a major proponent of independent play. (Read here about why independent play is a critical part of feminist parenting, and 4 myths about independent play.) When your child can SEE materials out in the open, not hidden from plain view, they are more likely to play with them. Tell your child that these materials are always available to use, unless it’s bedtime, etc. My kiddo sometimes meanders back and forth during dinner from the table to the art cart. Yes, our parents’ generation would be horrified, but I believe it’s better for children to have an outlet for their extra energy, whether it be physical, emotional, or creative – than to expect a young child to sit at the table for 30 minutes.

Ok, so now that you know the wonderful benefits, how do you get started?

How to set up an art cart for kids:

1. Trim your materials. This art cart does not need to carry every single art material in your household. What are the ones your children use most? Which materials are versatile? Think pom pom balls, beads, crayons, markers, glue sticks, tape, unfinished wooden shapes, and pipe cleaners.

2. Purchase a cart that fits well in your home and space. There are several affordable options out there! This white one is the Pipishell 3-tier rolling utility cart (affiliate link). But there are other options as low as $29.

3. Group similar items together. For visual ease, try to group items together. I mixed buttons and beads, but most other compartments have just one item.

4. Look for containers that you already have at home. No need to buy too much stuff! I used an old tea tin, an empty vitamin container, a glass jar, a basket, and an unused magazine carrier to organize the shelf. I did purchase the clear plastic dividers for the middle shelf so that kiddo could see the contents. Mine are STORi clear plastic drawer organizers, 6x3x2. Measure first to make sure they’ll fit in your cart.

I thought about covering the silver tea tin and the white vitamin container with pretty wrapping paper, but it never happened! That’s real parenting here. But it still looks good.

The olive green magazine holder is old, but it holds her coloring books and activity books upright so that they don’t take up too much space.

5. Freshen up the art cart periodically. Be sure to encourage your children to put the items back where they belong. Every month or two, switch out a couple of the items to keep it fresh and interesting.

Perhaps the best outcome is that my 4 year-old will head over to the art cart, choose some materials, and put together her own project. Very little intervention from parents needed!

She set to work on her very first independent creation here.