What Every Kid’s Ministry Craft Cupboard Needs…
With over 30 years of experience in Kid’s Ministry, here’s the craft items and equipment I always have in supply. And if it’s not at Church it’s in a cupboard at home!
- Cotton wool, cotton bud sticks
- Wool, string, ribbon
- Wooden pegs
- Paddle-pop sticks (plain and coloured)
- Matchsticks (plain and coloured)
- Pipe cleaners (long, short and the kind that has bumps)
- Paint, brushes of varying sizes
- Newspapers and cheap plastic tablecloths
- Glue sticks, PVA glue
- Collage materials
- Cleaning supplies (wipes, paper towels, soap, bucket, dish washing liquid)
- Garbage bags (clean up and as aprons)
- White and coloured paper
- White and coloured card stock
- Tissue paper
- Cellophane
- Sticky tape on dispensers
- Masking tape, packaging tape
- Straws
- Safety scissors, hole punches (single and double)
- Pencils (grey lead and coloured), rulers, erasers, sharpeners
- Felt pens, permanent markers
- Crayons (regular and jumbo)
- Sequins, jewels, stickers
- Fabrics
- Staplers and staples
- Beads, goggle eyes, buttons and pompoms
- Glitter
- I’m sure you can think of something I’ve missed!
Self-Serve
I like felt pens, pencils, crayons, sharpeners, erasers and rulers organised on shelves the children can access. It means the children can also put them away when it’s time to tidy up.
Organizing Your Craft Cupboard
Keeping your craft cupboard organized can save you money. Finding your supplies easily means you won’t go and purchase something only to find you had a container full of it buried under the cotton balls.
If you can manage it, clear, rectangular plastic containers make for optimal storage. They fit better on a shelf and stack easily. You can see what is inside so you don’t need to use labels. Old labels rarely peel off properly. And permanent ink tends to be permanent. If your craft cupboard looks well organized, hopefully volunteers will respect it, and keep it tidy. It’s worth a try! If your church rents a hall ask the landlord if you can keep your own locked cupboard in a storage room. It will save you carting supplies backwards and forwards. And if you have to give a shelf to the team that prepares Communion, don’t grumble!
Ask for donations
There’s usually someone in the church who’s on a mission to declutter their home or downsize. So let people know you’ll take donations. Members of your congregation would much rather you use their old hobby bits and pieces in Kid’s Ministry than have to throw them away. For convenience, have a drop off box in your foyer, but make sure it’s emptied regularly so it doesn’t become an eyesore. You may not find a use for all you’re given and will have to throw some of it out anyway, but sometimes you can be blessed with exactly what you need for an upcoming craft, or you’ll be inspired to create a new craft altogether. And it’s another way to connect Big Church with Kid’s Church which is always a good thing.