If there is one gift we always hope our kids get unwrap this holiday, it's an art toy or craft kit, or something that encourages and help develops their artistic sides. For us, toys that build on children's natural creativity are as important to feeding their brains as educational toys that teach proficiency in reading, math and science.
If you're looking for a terrific selection of art toys for kids, one of the first places we always look online is Fat Brain Toys, our amazing sponsor for this third and final post in our Holiday Toy Gift Guide series. Fat Brain Toys has so more than 1,000 cool art toys (whoa!) for everyone from a prolific young crafter, to a more reluctant child who needs a little coaxing to to give an art project some attention.
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Though Fat Brain Toys has put together more than 7,500 of the best toys for kids, they actually make it easy to find what you need based on age or interest, or hey, they've got Toy Experts standing by live to answer questions. Or...just ask us! We've got plenty of gift ideas to share based on the art toys our own kids love, and we've pared it down to 14 great ones below for children of all ages. Cool Mom Picks readers save 10% at Fat Brain Toys on every purchase through 12/15/15, when you enter discount code ND-5626 at checkout. Yes!Traveler's Sketch & Draw Easel Case
Is there anything more thrilling to an artist than a brand new set of art materials that's all his or her own? This gorgeous and jam-packed Traveler's Sketch & Draw Easel Case will make any young artist swoon. Whether they take it to Grandma's, a friend's house, or grab some select media for an afternoon at the museum, they'll be ready to draw and sketch to their heart's delight with dozens of pencils, charcoal sticks, and color sticks. We love art gift so much for kids of all ages, we even featured it in our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide as one of our top picks for amazing craft gifts for kids.Enchanted Forest Coloring Book
More advanced coloring books marketing to adults are all the rage, if you haven't noticed, and one of our favorites is the intricate Enchanted Forest coloring book by Johanna Basford. It makes an excellent gift for a tween or teen who may have forgotten how much they love to color. And pssst: It certainly makes a great adult gift too for those of us who need a little more creative zen in our lives.Plan Toys Creative Dough Set
Lots of art toys for kids require you to make something specific, so we were really drawn to the the open-ended art exploration time kids will get from Plan Toys' Creative Dough Set. It will definitely get kids thinking creatively about what they can do with the seven different pieces included in the set; you just add your own store-bought or homemade dough. Use the cutter to make neat decorative edges or create a castle with cool shapes stamped all up and down the sides. Bonus: Plan Toys are all made from sustainable materials so no junky plastic stuff here. Check out the adorable Pastry Dough Set too! Yum, cupcakes.Action Plates Drawing Set
Not every kid is a freeform artist who can just put pen or paintbrush to paper and go. And that's totally okay. It's also why we love cool art gifts like Action Plates a fun spin-off of the Fashion Plates from our youth. Whether kids want to illustrate their own comic books or just create a wacky superhero of their own design, the mix-and-match plates makes it really easy to do. There are even cool background patterns to add to the action.Creatibles DIY Erasers
Cute little erasers are so in now -- but so expensive. So why not make your own? If your kids like to work with clay, we think they'll love the Creatibles DIY Eraser Kit. Just squish the clay into little shapes and bake for a short time to make one-of-a-kind erasers they'll want to show off and trade with friends. We think this small kit also makes a nice stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift.Illustory Make Your Own Book Kit
We found this amazing Illustory Make Your Own Book kit from Lulu a while back and it's still a top art gift for us. Because what's a kids' book without illustrations? Exactly. It comes with everything kids need to get really creative with the included markers on 20 blank book pages. Send in the finished product with the pre-paid envelope and a few weeks later, kids will get their very own, professionally printed, US-made, hardcover book. Not sure if it would stay in their room our ours!Cool Mom Picks readers save 10% at Fat Brain Toys on every purchase through 12/15/15, when you enter discount code ND-5626 at checkout.
