Back in August, I shared my tips for creating an art area for young kids, with a little sneak peek at our kids art room with ideas for organizing the space.  It was almost complete back in August, but we just had to finish adding some special touches like the kids artwork.  I was planning on doing a reveal of the space not too long after, so I could get some nice pieces of art up on the wall and paint the table using chalkboard paint.

As I am finishing up with the artwork and decorations, I had an idea that needed to be tested out.  I wanted to put a roll of paper hanging on the wall.  But we didn’t just want it on any wall…we thought a chalkboard wall would be perfect so the kids can paint, draw, and color without us worrying about ruining the wall.  Well, we needed to find a wall that would work in the art room, which meant rearranging the furniture in the office…again!  I think I have come to terms with the fact that this room will remain a work in progress.  I don’t think it will ever remain the same for longer than a few months.  So for now, this is how the space looks!  (And more on how I got the office organized next week.)

As I shared before, my inspiration was from Anna at The Imagination Tree.  Her art area is so inviting and inspiring, that I was hoping to do the same for my kiddos in our art area.  Anna’s belief totally syncs with mine, in that keeping materials easily accessible allows for the kiddos to explore, create, and build when they are inspired to do so.  To keep with that belief, I keep out colored pencils, crayons, paint brushes, paints, pencils, pens, and chalk so the kiddos can explore.

All the artwork can be displayed on our clipboard wall.  The clipboards also double as a drying rack for some of our artwork.  As the art work dries, it adds a nice touch to the space.  And they are easy to change out or add to so that the space always looks different.  We just keep putting new pieces of artwork on top of old pieces of artwork when we are tired of looking at them.  Pieces of artwork that are really wet or covered with paint get taken out to the garage to dry.  Since the door to the garage is right next to the art table, it makes it the perfect place to keep it safe so no one steps on it if it were just lying on the floor.

We also added some fun flare to the space by punching out colorful circles and sewing them together.  Then, we hung the circle garland from the ceiling using painters tape.  The kids each punched out different colored card stock paper, and helped me sew the circles to create paper garland by using the sewing machine.  I love the fun touch and pop of color hanging over the table.  I also added a glittery canvas that the kids helped me make.  They poured glitter all over the canvas with me, after we followed this tutorial but used canvas instead of plank boards to create a glittery canvas.

Under the table, which is painted in chalkboard paint, is where we are storing all the extra paper, paint, stamps, coloring books, and Play Doh.  Both kids are able open the bins, but Adleigh does need some help getting the bins out from under the table.  Storing the extra items under the table allows the kids to have access to things that don’t need to be out all the time and take up work space.  I found these bins at Costco, but Amazon has similar ones here!

I shared how I got the bins organized here.

The chalkboard wall has been a great addition to the room.  Both kids are using the area to create some really cool things.  And it’s really important for them to practice drawing standing up as it gives them a better perspective of what they are drawing, and allows ample space to practice crossing their body’s midline.  Crossing the midline of the body helps build pathways in the brain.  It is an important building block for various motor and cognitive skills.  Children who have difficultly crossing the body’s midline often have trouble with things like reading, writing, and playing  sports.  These skills need a type of coordination that comes from experience with crossing the body’s midline.

To paint a chalkboard texture on the walls, we used a large nap roller brush and did two coats of Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint.  Then we screwed in two hooks to the wall.  Ben cut a long dowel to create a spool for the paper roll.  We attached the dowel to the hooks using binder clips because we didn’t have big enough hooks, since the dowel is rather large.  But the binder clips worked really well to keep the dowel in place, so it doesn’t shift as the kids paint, color, and use the paper.

Now the space is truly inspiring.  I love sitting in the art room and crafting up things because the entire space gets your creative juices flowing.  The pops of color from the paper garland and the artwork hanging on the clipboard wall give a great touch of flare to the space.  The chalkboard wall and paper roll is the perfect area that allows the kids to draw, paint, and explore in a different way, along with helping practice crossing their midline.  The storage under the table allows for the work space to be clear, so there is more room to explore and create.  And keeping out drawing, painting, and writing utensils encourages the kids to get creative when they feel inspired.  So who wants to come over and get crafty with us?  We’d love to have you!

For More Art Room Organizing Ideas:

Easily Store Art Supplies

Sorting Art Supplies

Storing Artwork

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