Top 17 'Scribble-to-Storytelling' Craft Supplies to learn about with your preschooler for boosting creative expression - Goh Ling Yong
Have you ever watched your preschooler grip a crayon with their whole fist, a look of intense concentration on their face, and create a whirlwind of colourful squiggles on a fresh sheet of paper? It might look like a random burst of energy, but what you're witnessing is the very beginning of a profound journey. This is the first chapter of their visual language, the raw material of imagination. This is where storytelling is born.
We often separate "scribbling" from "drawing" and "drawing" from "storytelling." But for a young child, these are all part of the same beautiful, messy, and essential process. Every line, dot, and smudge is a thought, an emotion, or a character waiting to be discovered. This is the core philosophy of what I call 'Scribble-to-Storytelling'—the magical process of transforming simple marks into rich narratives, empowering our little ones to become creators of their own worlds.
To embark on this adventure, you don't need a fancy, expensive art studio. You just need the right tools—simple, open-ended supplies that invite exploration rather than demanding perfection. This guide will walk you through 17 essential craft supplies that act as catalysts for creative expression, turning your kitchen table into a launchpad for incredible stories. Let’s dive in!
1. Jumbo Crayons: The Classic First Tool
It’s a classic for a reason. The jumbo or triangular crayon is perfectly designed for the palmar grasp of a toddler or preschooler. Their chunky size is durable against enthusiastic (and sometimes forceful!) scribbling, and the waxy texture provides satisfying sensory feedback as it glides across the paper. They are the foundational tool for making a mark and seeing an immediate, colourful result.
But a crayon is more than just a colour stick; it’s a magic wand. That blue line isn't just a line—it's a rushing river. That yellow zig-zag? It’s a bolt of lightning or a lion's spiky mane. The key is to move beyond "What are you drawing?" and instead ask, "Tell me about this line. Where is it going?" This simple shift in language validates their marks as intentional and full of potential.
Storytelling Tip: Try a "Scribble Start" game. You draw a simple, random squiggle on the page. Then, hand the crayon to your child and ask, "What could this be? Does it need eyes? Legs? Is it a silly monster or a fast car?" By starting with an abstract shape, you remove the pressure to draw something "real" and open the door to pure imagination.
2. Washable Markers: The Bold Communicator
If crayons are the gentle introduction, markers are the bold declaration. The vibrant, saturated colours make an immediate impact, which is incredibly rewarding for a young child. They don’t require the same pressure as crayons, making them excellent for children still developing their hand strength. And let's be honest, the "washable" aspect is a non-negotiable for parents' peace of mind!
Markers are fantastic for defining characters and settings. A thick black marker can outline a castle, while colourful markers can fill in the details—the red dragon, the green grass, the blue moat. The definitive lines they create help preschoolers organize their visual thoughts, creating clearer separation between different elements of their story.
Storytelling Tip: Use markers to create simple character puppets. Draw a few simple faces (happy, sad, surprised) on a piece of cardstock, cut them out, and tape them to craft sticks. Use these puppets to act out a story your child invents on the spot. "What is the happy circle going to do today? Oh no, why is the sad triangle crying?"
3. Play-Doh or Modeling Clay: The 3D Story World
Creative expression isn’t limited to a flat piece of paper. Play-Doh, modeling clay, or even homemade salt dough brings stories into the third dimension. The act of squishing, rolling, pinching, and pounding is a fantastic sensory and fine motor workout. It allows children to build the characters and objects from their imagination with their own two hands.
This is where storytelling becomes truly immersive. A child isn't just drawing a snake; they are rolling a long, green coil that can slither across the table. They aren't just drawing a cake; they are making a lumpy, multi-coloured creation and pretending to serve you a piece. This hands-on process makes their fictional world tangible and real.
Storytelling Tip: Challenge your child to build the "world" of their favourite bedtime story. Can they make the three little pigs out of pink dough? What about the wolf from a grey lump? Recreating a known story is a great stepping stone to building their own original tales from scratch.
4. Washable Tempera Paint: The Expressive Medium
There is something liberating about paint. Using fingers, brushes, or even sponges to spread colour across a surface is a full-body experience for a preschooler. Washable tempera paint is perfect for this age—it’s thick, opaque, and cleans up easily. It’s less about control and more about emotion and movement.
A painting session can be a story in itself. The colours they choose might reflect a mood—bright yellows for a happy day, dark blues for a quiet, sleepy time. The way they apply the paint—big, energetic splatters versus soft, gentle dabs—can tell you a lot about the energy of their narrative.
Storytelling Tip: Lay out a large piece of paper on the floor. Put on some music (instrumental works best) and invite your child to "paint the music." Is the music fast and exciting? Maybe that looks like red zig-zags! Is it slow and dreamy? Perhaps that looks like soft, swirling blues. Afterwards, ask them to tell you the story of their musical painting.
5. Construction Paper: The Colourful Foundation
Construction paper is the unsung hero of the craft box. It's more than just a background; it's a versatile material for creating entire scenes. Its sturdiness makes it ideal for cutting, folding, and gluing. A blue sheet instantly becomes the sky or the ocean. A green sheet is a field of grass.
By providing a variety of colours, you give your child the power to build environments. They can layer paper to create landscapes—a brown strip for the ground, a green hilly strip on top of that, and a blue sky above. This act of "world-building" is a fundamental part of storytelling.
Storytelling Tip: Practice "rip and tear" art. Instead of using scissors, encourage your child to tear construction paper into different shapes to create a collage. A torn blue piece can be a cloud, and a jagged white piece can be a snowy mountain. This is a fantastic fine motor activity that results in beautifully textured story scenes.
6. Safety Scissors: The Tool of Transformation
Introducing safety scissors is a major milestone in a preschooler's creative journey. It gives them the power to transform materials. A square piece of paper can become a house with a door. A long strip can become grass or a monster's hair. Learning to cut—even if it's just snipping at the edges of the paper—is an exercise in control and intention.
Cutting shapes, even clumsy ones, allows a child to create the specific components of their story. They are no longer limited to what they can draw; they can now construct their vision. This transition from mark-making to building is a huge cognitive leap.
Storytelling Tip: Create a "Cutting Bin." Fill a small box with scraps of paper, old magazines, and yarn. Let your child freely snip and cut the materials (with supervision, of course). Then, use the resulting pile of interesting shapes and textures to create a "found object" collage story.
7. Glue Sticks: The Story Connector
What good is cutting if you can't put it all back together? The humble glue stick is the magical connector that brings all the disparate elements of a story collage to life. It’s relatively mess-free and easy for small hands to manage, giving them autonomy over their creations.
Gluing is an act of decision-making. Where does this red circle go? Is it the sun, or is it a ball for the paper dog to play with? Each placement is a plot point. It teaches children about composition and spatial relationships, helping them arrange their thoughts visually on the page.
Storytelling Tip: Make "Story Kits" in zip-top bags. In each bag, place a few pre-cut shapes (circles, squares, triangles), a few googly eyes, and some yarn. Give your child a bag, a piece of paper, and a glue stick, and challenge them to create a character or a scene using only the items in the bag.
8. Googly Eyes: The Instant Character Creator
There is no faster or funnier way to bring an object to life than by sticking a pair of googly eyes on it. A rock, a leaf, a splash of paint, a crumpled piece of paper—add googly eyes, and it instantly has a personality. This simple supply is pure storytelling gold.
Googly eyes help children understand the concept of "character." They invite questions: "Who is this little guy? Is he feeling happy or surprised? What's his name?" It’s a hilarious and effective shortcut to personification, a key element of any story. Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that simple tools that spark big ideas are the most valuable of all.
Storytelling Tip: Go on a "Character Hunt" around the house or in the backyard. Take a sheet of self-adhesive googly eyes with you. Let your child stick eyes on "inanimate" objects—a spoon, a flowerpot, a fire hydrant—and then ask them to tell you a short story about the new character they've discovered.
9. Yarn and String: The Flexible Line
Yarn is a wonderfully tactile and versatile supply. It can be a line, a border, a texture, or a three-dimensional object. It can be glued down to make the outline of a shape, the hair on a paper-plate face, or the wiggly path a hero must follow.
Unlike a drawn line, yarn can be moved and rearranged before being glued, allowing for experimentation. It can be twisted to show anger, looped to show happiness, or laid straight to show determination. It introduces a textural element to art that engages the sense of touch as well as sight.
Storytelling Tip: Use a long piece of yarn to create a "story path" on the floor. Lay it out in a winding shape. The beginning is "Once upon a time..." and the end is "The end." Have your child place toys or drawings along the path to mark different events in a story they create as they walk along the yarn.
10. Craft Sticks (Popsicle Sticks): The Structural Builder
Craft sticks are the building blocks of a preschooler's imagination. They can be fences, log cabins, stick figures, puppet handles, rafts, or railroad tracks. They are uniform and easy to glue, providing a sense of structure and order to creative projects.
Using craft sticks encourages problem-solving and basic engineering skills. "How can we make a square house using these sticks?" This type of structured play builds a foundation for more complex narratives that have a clear setting and framework.
Storytelling Tip: Create a set of "Storytelling Sticks." On one set of sticks, draw simple characters (a king, a frog, a child). On another set, draw settings (a castle, a forest, a house). On a third set, draw objects (a key, a sword, a cake). Have your child pick one stick from each category and weave a story that connects the three elements.
11. Stickers: The Thematic Detail
Preschoolers love stickers. They offer instant gratification and a sense of accomplishment. While sticker-by-number books can be rigid, a simple sheet of themed stickers (animals, stars, vehicles) can be a fantastic storytelling prompt.
Stickers can add detail and specificity to a scene. A drawing of a blue sky becomes a starry night with the addition of a few silver star stickers. A green page becomes a jungle scene with a few animal stickers. They allow children to add complex details they may not yet have the fine motor skills to draw.
Storytelling Tip: Start a story with a single sticker. Place one animal sticker in the middle of a blank page. Ask your child, "This is our main character. Where does he live? What is he doing?" Then, have them draw the rest of the world around the sticker.
12. Sidewalk Chalk: The Epic Canvas
Why limit stories to a piece of paper? Sidewalk chalk takes creativity outdoors onto an epic scale. The driveway or a sidewalk becomes a massive canvas where stories can sprawl and even become interactive.
Drawing with sidewalk chalk is a big-muscle activity that involves squatting, stretching, and broad arm movements. You can draw a huge racetrack for toy cars, a life-sized castle to play in, or a winding river to jump across. The stories created with chalk are often physical and immersive, inviting the storyteller to literally step inside their own creation.
Storytelling Tip: Create a "Story Walk." Draw a series of connected boxes on the sidewalk. In the first box, draw the beginning of a story (e.g., a sad-looking dog). As you walk to the next box, ask your child, "What happens next?" Then, draw their idea in the second box. Continue down the sidewalk, building the narrative one box at a time.
13. Nature Items: The Found Treasure
The best art supplies are often free. Leaves, twigs, pebbles, flower petals, and seed pods are a treasure trove of textures, shapes, and colours. A scavenger hunt in the backyard can be the first step in an amazing art project.
Incorporating natural elements connects children to their environment and shows them that art can be made from anything. A smooth, grey stone can become a turtle's shell. A maple leaf can become a monster's hand. A twig can be the arm of a stick person. These items bring a piece of the real world into their fantastical stories.
Storytelling Tip: Create "Nature Portraits." On a piece of cardboard, draw a simple outline of a face. Then, use glue to attach nature items to create the features—acorn caps for eyes, a blade of grass for a mouth, and dried leaves for hair. Give this nature-person a name and a story.
14. Watercolor Paints: The Magic of Blending
If tempera is about bold statements, watercolor is about magic and discovery. Preschoolers are fascinated by the way colours bleed into each other on wet paper, creating new shades and soft, dreamy effects. It teaches them about cause and effect in a gentle, beautiful way.
Watercolors are perfect for creating backgrounds and atmospheres. A wash of blue and purple can be a twilight sky. A blend of green and yellow can be a sun-dappled forest. The unpredictability of the medium is part of its charm, encouraging children to adapt their story to what appears on the page.
Storytelling Tip: Try "wax-resist" magic. Have your child draw a secret picture or message on white paper with a white crayon. Then, let them paint over it with watercolors. As the image magically appears, ask them to tell you the story of their hidden drawing.
15. Oil Pastels: The Rich and Creamy Mark-Maker
Oil pastels are a wonderful bridge between crayons and paint. They have the rich, blendable quality of paint but in a much tidier stick form. The texture is incredibly smooth and creamy, and the colours are more vibrant and opaque than wax crayons.
They are fantastic for teaching colour-blending. A child can draw a yellow circle for the sun, then add a ring of red around it and use their finger to smudge them together, creating a fiery orange glow. This hands-on blending process makes the art deeply personal and sensory.
Storytelling Tip: Use a "scratch-art" technique. Have your child cover a piece of cardstock with patches of bright oil pastel colours. Then, paint over the entire thing with a layer of black tempera paint mixed with a little dish soap. Once it's dry, use a craft stick to scratch a story into the black paint, revealing the brilliant colours underneath.
16. Contact Paper: The Sticky Canvas
Clear contact paper is a wonderfully versatile and low-mess material. Simply tape a piece to a table or a window, sticky-side-up, and you have an instant canvas for creating collages and suncatchers.
This is a fantastic tool for young children who are still mastering glue. They can stick all sorts of lightweight materials—tissue paper, yarn, feathers, leaves—directly onto the sticky surface. When they're done, you can seal it with another piece of contact paper. The process empowers them to create without the frustration of a messy glue bottle.
Storytelling Tip: Create "story windows." Tape a large piece of contact paper, sticky-side-up, to a window. Provide your child with torn pieces of coloured tissue paper. As they stick the pieces on, the light will shine through like a stained-glass window. Ask them to tell you the story of the scene they are creating.
17. Stamps and Ink Pads: The Power of Repetition
Stamping is a satisfying action: press, and a perfect shape appears! This cause-and-effect is thrilling for preschoolers. Stamps with simple shapes, letters, or animals can be used to create patterns, build scenes, and tell stories through repetition. A washable ink pad is, of course, a must.
Stamping can help a child build a scene quickly. A few tree stamps create a forest. A few fish stamps create an ocean. This allows them to focus less on the mechanics of drawing each individual element and more on the overarching narrative. As early childhood experts like Goh Ling Yong often emphasize, reducing frustration with the how allows a child's creativity in the what to truly flourish.
Storytelling Tip: Use stamps to create a patterned story. For example, use a frog stamp to make a path of jumping frogs across the page. Then ask, "Where are all these frogs going? Are they going to a party? Are they hopping away from something scary?" The pattern itself becomes the prompt for the plot.
Your Story Starts Now
These 17 supplies are more than just items to keep your preschooler busy. They are keys that unlock doors to new worlds, tools that give shape to fleeting thoughts, and catalysts that transform a simple scribble into an epic tale. The most important supply, however, isn't on this list—it's you. Your gentle questions, your genuine curiosity, and your willingness to see a story in every squiggle are what will truly boost your child's creative expression.
The goal is not to create a refrigerator-worthy masterpiece every time. The goal is to create a moment of connection, to honour their ideas, and to show them that their voice, whether spoken or scribbled, has the power to create something wonderful.
So, the next time your little one proudly presents you with a page full of chaotic lines, lean in close and ask, "This looks so exciting! Can you tell me the story?" You’ll be amazed at the adventures that await.
What are your family's favourite 'Scribble-to-Storytelling' supplies? Share your go-to tools and a story your child has created in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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