Creative Family Living, Parent Resources

Create a Kids’ Craft Room that Gets Used!

January 4, 2025

Create a kids craft room that will get used. Learn how to choose a location, make an art cart or caddy and get started creating with your kids!

Updated February 2025

I often get asked by friends where they should create an art space for their children. And you wouldn’t believe how simple the answer is!

You don’t need a fancy studio or a big budget to make it happen. In fact, what matters most is making it accessible and inviting for your child.

Here are three tips that I like to give parents when they are trying to introduce more creativity into their home. I hope you find them helpful, too!

Create a Kids’ Craft Room that Gets Used

Child painting at kitchen table — Photo by Rachel Withers

1. Choose the best space.

That’s right. When setting up a kids’ craft room, choose the space where everyone gravitates already. That might be: the kitchen table, the corner spot by the living room window, the ______(insert your own best space here) and find a way to make it an art space as well. Or to create an art space nearby.

There are two main reasons why this is the best spot to create an art space for your children:

Children want to be where you are. Sure they have more independence than babies or toddlers, but they still gravitate to where the action and companionship is.

Children (adults, too!) want to be in an inviting atmosphere. If given the choice between the dark basement that is half turned over to storage and the light-filled sun room, where would you spend time?

children painting in art room — Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

2. Don’t choose an unused spot.

Sometimes when we decide to set up a craft room for our children, we choose any currently unused space in the house.

I think that’s a mistake. Often that space is the least desirable and is unused for a reason.

If you are setting up an art room for your kids, you’re doing it because you want to encourage their art and creativity. You want to show them that you value creativity in general and their creativity specifically.

Since you are going to a certain amount of time, effort, and expense to set up this space, you want it to be used. Right?

So don’t choose the cast-off, unwanted space in the house.

3. You can also set up an art outpost!

Another way to think about it is, where do your kids do their art now? Likely it’s a good candidate for an art outpost. Maybe it’s a place to pull up an art cart or keep an art caddy stocked – even if the kids have a more dedicated art space elsewhere.

Sure, it might be hard turning over your prime real estate to the kids’ art. But if you’re creating a craft room at all, you’re doing it because you believe in the importance of creativity.

Choose an inviting space near the heart of the family action and it will actually be used.

Choose an unused, undesirable corner away from the action, and it likely won’t. It’s as simple as that.

How about you? Do your kids have arts and crafts room? Where do they like to do their art?