I recently finished a local project for a playroom art area/makerspace for 3 kids ranging in age from 5-10. Before this, they had an art area with toddler-sized furniture and art supplies dumped into drawers and unorganized containers. Their main goal was to update the materials to create an organized and inviting makerspace that will inspire creativity through accessible materials and provocations (or invitations to create). I created a plan for adding new supplies and organization so that the children will know where everything is (and know where to put it away!) and they will be able to easily access these items whenever inspiration strikes.
For older children, a wide variety of materials doesn’t have to be overwhelming (as it might be for younger children) if it is organized well and clearly labeled. The labeling also makes it easy to put things back when finished!
Making Art Prompts Always Accessible
I wanted to create a way to offer an ongoing flow of Invitations to Create. I did this for a past client (10 years ago!) that I shared about on this post here.
So I set up this shelf system (seen in the photos above and below) with trays that can have ready-to-go art prompts. To get my clients started, I set up a simple prompt with blank greeting cards, and various materials to use with the cards (drawing tools, stamps, & stickers). These prompts can be swapped out daily for other prompts or whenever the current ones get used.
(You can find over 55 art prompt ideas in my book The Art Playroom) or you can watch my free video series here.
Art Display
Another tip I want to share with you from this project is about creating an art display board. There are many ways that you can display kid’s art around your home. For this project I wanted to include something that would fit with the home’s modern aesthetic, but still be large and easy for the kids to hang their own artwork. To best fit this need, I ended up making an art display board. I started off with a large framed canvas (roughly 5×3 feet). I then glued cork tiles to the back using heavy duty craft adhesive, and then covered the front of the canvas with fabric (stapling it to the wooden frame in the back). In doing this, I turned a large canvas into a fabric corkboard. To make it easy for kids to display their own art (and to keep the art from having pin holes) I added colorful clothespins that are attached to thumbtacks. They can be moved around the board by sticking the tacks into the cork and when art is ready to be hung, you can just clip it up.
Storage
To add more storage, I swapped out the family’s toddler bookshelf for this large shelving unit (below) with adjustable shelves. This photo is from before I finished adding all of the books and art supplies, but I did leave some shelves empty in the end so the family will have room for new items in the future. The large bins on the bottom hold dress-up clothes and accessories for play.
Work Surface
I also included a new table with benches and chairs so the kids can have a large work surface (previously they were working on the floor). Another detail that I added is a drying rack for art projects (you can see it on the right side of the photo behind the table and next to the built-in shelving).
Overall, the biggest key to creating an art area/makerspace for older kids is organization. I talk more about this in my post about setting up a big kid art space (that shares how I updated our home art space when my kids were 6 and 10 years old). You can read it here.
If you’re ready to update your art space (or set one up for the first time) feel free to reach out with any questions!
