Free Arts and Crafts Resources for Home Learning

Did you know that students who study art are four times more likely to earn academic honors? Arts and crafts have been around for centuries, and there are many different ways that you can make art. From scrapbooking and sewing to painting, sculpting, and drawing, there are lots of different types of arts and crafts to enjoy, and you can explore many of them at home.

Take a Virtual Field Trip!

One way to really enjoy and appreciate arts and crafts from around the world is to take a virtual field trip to some of the world's most famous art museums. These tours can take you through museums and their collections without ever leaving home.

  • Louvre Museum: Take a virtual tour through the Louvre and learn all about art and history.
  • Smithsonian Learning Lab: Through this website, you can learn about art, history, and science using the Smithsonian's exhibits.
  • LACMA at Home: Look at and learn about art with resources from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
  • MetKids: Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art by following a virtual map, hopping in their time machine, or watching videos.
  • Museum of Modern Art for Kids: This website provides virtual tours for kids through an animated museum where kids can learn about art.
  • British Museum of the World: This online tour will take you through time!

Interactive Art Games and Activities

A fun way to engage with arts and crafts is to try some fun games and activities online. These activities give an inside look at different types of arts and crafts, provide some history, and allow you to make your own art, too.

  • A. Pintura, Art Detective: Solve a mystery while looking at famous paintings and learning about the different styles of famous painters in history.
  • Create Your Own Picasso Head: Test your art skills by creating your own Picasso head.
  • Tate Kids: Learn about art and history through fun activities and videos.
  • Art History Puzzles: Play fun and creative art games and learn about famous artists and paintings along the way.
  • Color With Leo: Use the portrait-making machine to learn how to draw yourself or someone you know.
  • Beautiful Curves: Check out this interesting take on a classic free-drawing pad with vine-like lines.
  • Thisissand: Create sand art online with this interactive tool.

Projects and Crafts

Crafts give art a little more dimension, rather than just a flat image. These projects can decorate a room or an entire home and make for an out-of-the-box crafting experience.

Drawing and Painting

If an individual wants something quicker and easier to make at home, drawing and painting are great options. One of the most basic options in art, drawing and painting can still be complex and beautiful. And there are plenty of resources online to help young artists learn how to draw and paint.

  • Lunch Doodles With Mo Willems: Learn about drawing and create some art of your own with Mo Willems, author of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and other classics.
  • Draw Mickey Mouse: This website teaches the steps to draw Mickey Mouse.
  • How to Draw Faces: Take a beginner course on how to draw faces here.
  • Colorful Tape and Watercolor: Grab a canvas, some watercolor paints, and some washi tape and get creative! This website teaches how to make some unique paintings everyone is sure to love.
  • Popsicle Painting: A fun summer project is right around the corner with some easy (and easy to clean up) Popsicle paintings.
  • Balloon Painting: Get creative by using balloons to paint.

Explore Careers in Art

If you've thought about a career in the arts, you have lots of different options to choose from. There are plenty of resources to help determine what options are out there and what might be the best fit for each person.

  • Careers in Art: Check out this resource for some ideas on careers in the art field.
  • Art Careers: This is a list of more than 150 careers in art.
  • Career Paths in Art: This website provides a chart with art career options as well as an interview with a famous comic book writer about his career choice. 
  • Art and Design Careers: Learn about some of the most popular and unique careers in the field of art and design.
  • Art Careers: Learn about different careers in different segments of the arts.

Top 5 Places to Get Arts & Craft Supplies for Your Home (On a Budget)

Whether you’re just looking for some fun activities for your little one or to take your own arts and crafts or other hobbies to the next level, there’s a few great options to get supplies for yourself or your family on the cheap.

Hobby Lobby is home to thousands of Arts and Crafts supplies. Additionally you can get supplies for other hobbies including picture framing, jewelry making, sewing, scrapbooking and much more! They often offer free shipping and sometimes a 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon on any one regular priced item which is a code online or as a printable coupon for in-store use. 

If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, a couple other options are Michael's and JOANN Fabrics. These are both great options for scoring your arts and crafts supplies on the cheap. You can often find 20% to 40% off JOANN coupons (online and in-store) so we suggest not shopping without them (they come up almost all the time so waiting is worth it).

Kohl's offers an Arts & Crafts section with hundreds of products from popular brands including art supplies, crafts, kits and more. From creative candle making kits to letters there are many fun kits available. The best part is that Kohl’s often has discounts available and even allows for stacking coupons. Most often you can find 15% off, but sometimes up to 30% off, when entering a Kohl’s promo code during online checkout when shopping from your desktop or mobile device.

Target has a robust Arts & Crafts section where you can shop by age as well as by type. They also have a Kids' Crafts deals section and over 1000+ products for under $15 bucks. They offer craft kits art supplies, but also project ideas. To save at Target you can enroll in their RedCard (RedCard holders get 5 percent off both in-store and online orders when using the card). Additionally you can save 10% to 20% off on various categories by using a Target promo code during checkout. Note that Target frequently changes their offers and most only last a limited time.

Staples also has a pretty robust Arts & Crafts section with hundreds of items including a wide assortment of kids' craft kits, games, and toys from popular brands like Melissa and Doug. Easily find supplies for painting, drawing, scrapbooking, and more. Often there is a 20% off Staples promo code available for a discount you can use online or in-store, so be sure to apply that before you checkout!

Additional Resources

  • Art Supply List: Here is a list of art supplies to keep in the house to stay prepared.
  • Recycled Crafts: If you don't have a lot of art supplies, you can still make art using things you might find around your house.

Got additional arts and crafts, virtual experiences, or other free educational resources for home learning that we haven't mentioned? If so, please get in touch and we'll consider adding to our list!