Safe and Non-Toxic Art Supplies for Kids

Unfortunately, art supplies are often full of harmful chemicals and contaminants that a child shouldn’t touch or eat. Of course, like many parents, you want to let your child use art supplies, get creative, and have fun in the process. Creative play is crucial for brain development, along with fine motor and coordination skills.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Toxic Ingredients in Conventional Art Supplies
How to Pick Non-Toxic Art Supplies
The Best Non-Toxic Art Supplies
Buying the Best Non-Toxic Art Supplies

That said, before you unleash their creative spirits over paints and crayons, it’s important to do your research and make sure their supplies are actually child-safe. Over the years, I’ve done some research on the best, non-toxic art supplies for all the budding artists out there.

Toxic Ingredients in Conventional Art Supplies

Children are more vulnerable to chemicals and toxins. And, yes, this includes those in conventional art supplies—even those marketed to children and labeled “non-toxic”. The non-toxic label you see on crayons and other art supplies is a bit of a stretch; take that to mean “this won’t cause immediate or obvious damage” but that doesn’t mean it’s actually “clean” or “safe”.

Chemicals in art supplies can easily be absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or even eaten. (Trust me, some kids (ahem, child number 2) will experiment with eating crayons.

And because children are still undergoing rapid brain development, any exposure can have a significant health impact on a child. Sadly, some of the most toxic substances are hiding in kid’s art supplies. These can include:

PVC
Phthalates
Formaldehyde
Toluene
Xylene
Ammonia
Lead
Cadmium

Now, even though the CPSC works to ensure that children’s products are free of hazardous chemicals, occasionally there are recalls for lead and asbestos. In fact, the Environmental Working Group published an article stating that asbestos was found in six brands of crayons. USPIRG also reported on finding both asbestos and benzene in markers.

Here is a closer look at some of the toxic ingredients you might find in art supplies.

Petroleum: Kids love paints, playdoughs, clays, and other materials. And many of those materials are made with petroleum. Unfortunately, these petrochemicals can contain trace amounts of heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium.
Solvents: To make products bright, companies often add solvents. You can find these solvents in supplies like markers, paints, and pens. And, as you might guess, solvents are known to off-gas, which can cause problems with a child’s brain development. Solvents can also aggravate allergies and asthma.
Synthetic Clays: If you give your child playdough or clay, chances are they’re playing with synthetic clay that contains PVC or PVC-like materials. Often, companies added phthalates to soften or scent the dough. Not something you want your child to get into. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and can lead to hormone disruption, early puberty, and more.
Synthetic Dyes and Fragrances: More products than we can count contain artificial dyes and fragrances. Conventional pigments are often synthetic and petroleum-based, which means they may be contaminated with heavy metals.

How to Pick Non-Toxic Art Supplies

With all of the potential toxins in art supplies, it can definitely make you question whether or not they’re worth getting for your child! Lucky for us, there are a bunch of safe, non-toxic art supplies on the market that may make you more comfortable when it’s time for art projects.

Here are a few key things to look for when considering non-toxic art supplies for your toddler.

Water-Based: Look for water-based paints and markers. And, say no to any oil-based products you might see. Oil-based paints contain chemical solvents, such as methyl alcohol and toluene. You’ll find that these chemicals emit higher levels of VOCs.
Natural Earth Clay: If you want store-bought dough, look for those made with natural ingredients such as flour or natural earth clay. That ensures you skip all of the petroleum-based parts.
Natural Pigments: Whether you want paints, crayons, or clays, pick ones that use natural pigments. Natural pigments often use plant or mineral-based extracts, which are far safer than their synthetic counterparts. And, they still give off beautiful, vibrant colors! If you look at conventional products, you’ll definitely come across synthetic dyes. Unfortunately, synthetic pigments and dyes can be contaminated with toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Not something to mess around with!
No Varnishes: If you purchase pencils, colored pencils, or crayons, skip any type of toxic varnishes on the outer part of the pencils. They should be natural and bare. When shopping, you’ll see that most eco-friendly options do not use varnish.

For example, regular crayons are made with petroleum-based paraffin wax and chemical-based colors. Instead, our goal is to look for crayons made with soy wax or beeswax and non-toxic pigments.

Most markers contain toxic chemical solvents, such as xylene. They’re often alcohol-based, too. So it would be better to look for water-based markers.

And I was disappointed to learn that many conventional playdoughs are made from polymer clay that contains PVC and phthalates. They’re also colored with artificial colors. Instead, opt for those that contain vegetable-based clays with food-grade ingredients. (Oh, and most contain gluten so if your little one is gluten-free, you may need to avoid conventional playdoughs for that reason as well.)

I’m a bit less concerned about traditional colored pencils, but they do use chemical-based pigments and might be coated with toxic varnish. Instead, it’s ideal if you can use pencils made from sustainable wood and non-toxic dyes.

And when choosing paints, look for water-based paints that use natural pigments. Thankfully there are some great options for non-toxic art supplies.

The Best Non-Toxic Art Supplies

Check out these wonderful non-toxic art supplies for your little one! I promise you’ll be offering your child some creative time to explore various art projects without risking exposure to dangerous chemicals.

1. Eco-Dough Play Dough

Eco-Dough is one of the first natural playdough on the market for kids, created in 2008. I love that their playdough is made with ingredients like plant, fruit, and vegetable extracts. The colors are vibrant and keep their luster. Also, Eco-Dough adds essential oils to help give them a lovely scent!

All of their art supplies are made in the USA, too. This particular contains three colors: blue, yellow, and red. Their dough contains non-GMO flour, salt, cream of tartar, soy oil, organic rosemary oil, vitamin E oil, water, citric acid, potassium sorbate, and FDA-approved soy-based organic and inorganic pigments.

2. Green Toys Dough

One of the best-rated, non-toxic playdoughs on the market is by Green Toys. It’s made in the USA in an actual food facility. The primary ingredients are organic flour and food-grade coloring. Totally safe for young children! Plus, many parents rave that this dough lasts for months. If it gets a bit dry, you can add some water to it, and it’s good to go again. How awesome is that?

Green Toys Dough is phthalate and BPA-free, meeting FDA food contact standards. It does contain wheat though, so beware of any allergies. I also love that they use recycled and recyclable materials for the packaging.

This pack contains four colors: blue, green, red, and yellow.

3. Jovi Plastilina Vegetable-Based Modeling Clay

If you’re looking for modeling clay instead of playdough, give Plastilina a try. This vegetable-based clay is non-hardening and reusable. It’s malleable and has a smooth texture that’s perfect for young artists.

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Made in Spain, this set contains 15 rolls of clay in different colors. You receive colors such as white, yellow, orange, red, light blue, dark green, pink, and violet.

4. Faber-Castell Jumbo Broad Line Markers

If you’re looking for safe, non-toxic markers for toddlers, look no further than Faber-Castell. Their jumbo markers feature ventilated caps that prevent choking and a firm tip suitable for drawings and sketches.

Faber-Castell is made with food-grade dyes. They also don’t dry up! Simply dip them in water to restore the marker back to new. Made in Brazil.

5. Stubby Pencil Studio Colored Pencils

Made with sustainable wood and non-toxic pigments, these eco-dry highlighter pencils are awesome! Stubby Pencil makes their colored pencils with wood from managed forests in Austria. They are also biodegradable without any plastics, ink solvents, or VOCs.

They sharpen easily, and the core won’t crumble like other brands. Kids like that these pencils are jumbo-sized and have a hexagon shape that makes them comfortable to hold and use.

The set contains six neon colors: pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

6. Honeysticks Beeswax Crayons

Honeysticks are chubby, beeswax crayons made with natural, non-toxic pigments. These crayons are made from 100% pure New Zealand beeswax and food-grade pigments for their coloring.

You’ll notice their ergonomic shape that makes these crayons easy to use, but since they’re so large, they’re also harder to break. Each set contains 12 colors.

7. Crayon Rocks Crayons

Shaped like rocks, Crayon Rocks are a unique choice! The shape helps strengthen your child’s grip muscles. Kids love how vibrantly colored and textured these crayons are. Each set contains 16 non-toxic, soy wax crayons. You’ll find colors such as red, green, blue, egg yolk yellow, orange, lime green, sky blue, sunshine yellow, and peach. Made in the USA.

8. Filana Crayons

Filana sells paraffin-free, organic beeswax crayons. You won’t find any cheap fillers in these crayons. You also don’t have to worry about GMOs, additives, or chemicals that might harm your child. They only use certified organic beeswax.

Each crayon created by Filana is hand-poured in Colorado. It’s hard not to love these vibrant crayons!

9. Honeysticks Watercolor Paint

Honeysticks watercolor paints are made using food-grade and natural ingredients so you can be sure it’s non-toxic and safe for the youngest painters. This particular set comes with 8 colors including yellow, red, pink, purple, green, blue, brown, and orange. Made in New Zealand.

10. Natural Earth Face Paint

If you are looking for natural face paint for kids, Natural Earth created their face paint with certified organic ingredients, including shea butter and beeswax. These paints are non-toxic, safe, and hypoallergenic.

Each set contains six colors and three bamboo applicators. The collection includes red, yellow, green, blue, black, and white. These paints are high-quality, and they wash right off with water, but they’ll stay on the skin most of the day.

Natural Earth Paint is free of nano-particles, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, petroleum-based pigments, or animal products. Ingredients in these paints include distilled water, natural clay and mineral pigments, organic castor seed oil, certified organic beeswax, and certified organic shea butter.

11. Veggie Baby Finger Paints

Veggie Baby paint powders are eco-friendly paints created with natural, organic vegetables. They’re fun, easy to use, and even edible, so you don’t have to worry when your child sticks his fingers into his mouth. Their paints have rich, vibrant colors in mixable hues that all kids love.

These paints are vegan-friendly, created with organic veggies. All you need to do is add water to create fun paint for your child. Add a single teaspoon of powder to two teaspoons of water. Since you only need to use one teaspoon of powder at a time, these containers last for a long time!

Veggie Baby sells their finger paints in three colors – purple, orange, and green. You can purchase the larger set that also includes pink and yellow.

Buying the Best Non-Toxic Art Supplies

Any of these non-toxic art supplies will give your child the ability to be as creative as they want without you needing to worry about coming in contact with toxic chemicals. You can feel comfortable, and your child can be happy. That’s a win for everyone!

You might also be interested in:

The Best Non-Toxic Art Supplies for Creative (and Safe) Kids

Toxic Ingredients in Conventional Art Supplies

How to Pick Non-Toxic Art Supplies