How To Organize Your Art Cart In 7 Insanely Easy Steps!

If you’re wondering how to organize your art cart, this post will tell you exactly how to set up your art supplies in 7 easy steps.

Hi friends,

Arts and crafts supplies can quickly get out of hand with kids and toddlers! A simple and minimalist way to organize all those markers, coloring books, pom poms, etc. is with an art cart!

An art cart is the perfect way to have all your supplies in one spot. They can easily be moved throughout your home which makes them super convenient!

Following these simple steps to set up your art cart will make it extremely easy for you feel organized and prepared for any craft or art project!

This post is all about how to organize your art cart.

1. Purchase a tiered cart with wheels

This is obviously a must. You might be wondering where to buy an art cart and the truth is, just about any tiered cart with wheels you can find is a great option! I personally purchased mine through Target but you can also purchase one through Amazon, Ikea or Walmart. I only have experience with this rectangular shaped one but there are also circular versions available as well.

3-Tier Metal Utility Rolling Cart

2. Figure out what to put in your art cart

What you decide to put into your cart is whatever works best for you and your kids! I’ll share what I put in our cart as well as some other ideas you might be interested in.

Top Shelf:

I like to store all of our basics right on the top so they’re quickly accessible and easy to find.

Paper, coloring books & sticker books
A roll of paper
Contact paper
Markers, pencils & crayons
Glue, glue sticks, mini stapler, pencil sharpener, scissors, hole puncher & tape

Middle Shelf:

We are subscribed to and love using The Magic Playbook and they tend to use many of the same materials each month for their project ideas so I keep a lot of those basics in our cart.

Pipe cleaners (colorful, glittery, fuzzy)
Pom poms
Wiggly eyes
Dowels and popsicle sticks
Gems
Glitter
Mini clothes pins

Bottom Shelf:

Technically I don’t think this is considered art or even a craft but we keep our play doh supplies in the bottom bin.

Play doh containers
Play doh accessories

Other ideas you may want to put in your cart:

Paint, paint brushes & smocks

Do-A-Dot markers

Clay

Ink & stamps

Chalk

Beads & buttons

Mini rolling pins for clay or dough

Eye droppers, sponges, q-tips

Yarn, ribbon & string

Tissue paper squares

Feathers

Rubber bands

3. Decide what you don’t want in your art cart

With toddlers and young kids there definitely some thing you simply don’t want them having easy access to without your help or knowledge. Figure out what those things might be and make a plan to find a better spot for them thats out of reach.

Some things you may not want in your art cart:

Markers

Scissors

Paint (this was a hell nah for me)

Yarn/string

Glitter

Glue

4. Use containers in your art cart

So now you have all of your art and craft supplies bought and gathered and you’re ready to organize it to be put in your craft cart. This is my favorite part! I’ll tell you and give you exact links to the containers I use in my cart as well as provide you with some other options I think would be great choices as well.

Containers I use:

Portable Craft Storage Organizer Caddy

Rotating Carousel Craft Organizer

File Folder Bin Storage Organizer

Desk Baskets and Organizers Tray

Plastic Storage Bin with Handles (4 pack)

Other container options:

Pen Holder Cup Containers

Cups are great storage options.. I like these because they’re square shaped so they would fit neater in the rectangular cart.

Storage Organizer Bin Box – 4 Divided Sections

I would probably use this to sort alike things.. Small, medium, large, jumbo pom pom balls. Wiggly eye sizes, button sizes, etc.

Create-a-Space Storage Center

This lazy suzan type organize container is similar to mine but obviously without lids which is a great option as well.

Paint Storage Tray

I love, love, love this! Even though I don’t store paint in my art cart but I still might purchase this for them.. I think another good option would be using this for Do-A-Dot markers!

5. Label your containers

This is optional and might not be something you want to do if you plan to frequently switch out and rotate your arts and crafts supplies but if there are at least a few things that will stay consistent no matter what, I highly encourage you to labels them. In our post about tips for toddler organization, we talked about the importance of labeling (even for those who cant read yet)! My own containers don’t have labels on them right now because I am planning to make myself with my Cricut really soon.

6. Set rules

Lay some basic, ground rules for your kiddos when you introduce them to their new craft cart. For us, we have 3 key rules for our cart:

Put things back in their container & spot
Do not dump items
Leave the cart where and as you found it

A good idea may be to type up and print out the rules to be posted where you plan to store the art cart. Another idea is to print and laminate a checklist of items that belong in the cart that the kids can refer back to in order to make sure everything is put away.

7. Create!

Step #7 is to have fun and create awesome projects and memories with your children! Let this art cart be a tool to allow you the freedom of worrying less about all the million tiny art supplies things you need to find a home for. Use it to help encourage your children to use their imagination, be creative and make things they love.

If no one has told you yet today, you’re doing an amazing job! Always be kind to yourself & keep being awesome.

Talk soon,

– Angie