Whether you’re a parent, grandparent or a teacher, you need crayon storage ideas that really work for all those crayons you’ve got. These are the best 65 tips and different ways to store crayons in an organized classroom, at home and for travel. Included are ideas to organize and store crayons for every situation, budget and DIY skill level.
Whether it’s my own personal love of crayons when I was a child (I still vividly remember receiving that glorious 64 pack of crayons with the built in sharpener!), being the mother of 3 or because I’m a professional organizer, but I could happily organize crayons and craft supplies all day long. I’ve got lots of crayon storage ideas for you, so you’re sure to find something that will work for your unique situation and needs.
Let’s start with the obvious answer to how to store crayons – in the box they came in. It’s the perfect answer for many people and situations
While the original box is the best thing for some situations, there are many times you need a different solution. With more than 65 ideas, you’re sure to find something that will work for you here.
How do you store lots of crayons?
If you need to store lots of crayons, it’s most like for a creative space in an organized classroom or for a homeschool space. In addition to storage, you need to create organization that works with the storage and you need it to be easily portable or located in an easily accessible place.
An art cart or any tiered rolling caddy works well to hold large amounts of crayons. The cart can be a storage area for only crayons or you can also store coloring books, construction paper, glue sticks and other art materials.
- These rolling carts are popular because of the modern design and reasonable price point.
- The rolling feature makes it easy to store in it’s own place and then roll to where ever you want to use it. This works equally well at home in a craft room or in a classroom.
- Adding baskets or bins to the trays of the cart further organize large numbers of crayons.
You can organize using different colored bins.
You can also place caddies with handles in the cart.
Baskets and caddies can be used in conjunction with a rolling cart and they are also easy storage options on a shelf or in a closet.
Crayon Storage Ideas
Organizing crayons, like organizing any item, is different for each person. Look over all the products and ideas below and chose the one(s) that will work for your situation.
You may find that you need to try several different options until you find what works best for your situation.
Most of the products and DIYs are versatile storage tools so if you find they don’t work for organizing your crayons, you’ll be able to to use the product for another organizing use.
Expert Tips for Crayon Storage Ideas
- Look for storage that meets your specific needs.
- Bulk storage
- Stationary storage in a specific area
- Located to be asily accessible in the middle of the table
- Inaccessible on a top shelf or on top of file cabinets (so you can control when and where the crayons are used)
- Options for travel
- Storage solutions for groups of children to share
- Options for individuals
- Look for solutions and storage containers that are flexible so they’ll still work as your storage needs change.
- Consider how you want to organize the crayons
- By color
- No color organization
- Organized by broad color families
- Organized by specific color names or numbers
- By size
- Thick crayons vs thin crayons
- Short crayons vs new, longer crayons
- By use
- Crayons for creating rubbings or heavy coloring vs crayons for drawing precise lines and light coloring
- By student or child
- By color
Crayon Storage Products
There are many creative ideas and budget-friendly products that make your crayon storage and art supplies storage neat and tidy.
If you’d like more information about specific products below, the images are clickable links that will take you to the product on Amazon.
These are products designed specifically for crayon storage
A crayon storage idea that rotates is often a great option to keep crayons easily accessible.
Bright colorful crayon holders are a fun way to stay organized with inspirational pops of color.
When you’re looking for a portable type of storage, look for one with a handle or that can easily be held by little hands.
Organizing bins designed for office supplies can be a great idea for crayon storage.
A caddy allows you to organize crayons in different compartments and also be able to carry them from storage to an art space or table to use.
Often storage designed for colored pencils also works well for crayons, too.
Other products that also work for crayon storage
There are many products used for bathroom organization that are a clever way to keep crayons organized.
Clear acrylic is a common crayon storage material because it’s sturdy, easy to clean and allows you to clearly see the contents of the container.
Small boxes and a small set of drawers can be a great way to organize crayons by color or type. You can find small plastic drawers in many discount stores, thrift stores and yard sales.
Containers with open tops such as caddies, cups and small buckets can be placed on a Lazy Susan turntable or in a tray to store crayons by color or type and provide easy access.
DIY Crayon Storage Ideas
There are many creative DIY and easy storage ideas available. These are some of my favorite crayon storage hacks.
Use scrap wood to make your own DIY crayon holder.
Repurpose a large metal or plastic bucket with handle to hold all crayons.
Use repurposed flower pots, craft buckets, mason jars or plastic cups to hold crayons. I advise choosing plastic containers over glass or ceramic ones for safety if young children are using the crayon storage.
Repurpose plastic wipe containers, gum containers, cotton swap containers and even decorate a clorox wipe container.
Use a metal or plastic lunch box.
Drill crayon sized holes in an old knife block or chunk of wood.
A decorated metal can is a great place to store crayons because they’re free and come is a large range of sizes. See how easy it is to decorate a can for free like I did with this Upcycled Comic Book Can.
Glue or nail plastic cups, even disposable plastic cups, to a plate or wood platter.
Add cups or small craft buckets to a Lazy Susan turntable.
Attach pencil cups together to make multiple compartments. You can create inexpensive decorated ones:
- DIY Computer Diskette Pencil Cup – Use recycled computer diskettes to make a DIY pencil holder. You can often find diskettes offered for free on recycling sites or online groups.
- Bazinga Pencil Cup – Made from a dollar store pencil cup.
Place cups, buckets or other containers in a repurposed wood crate or box. We decorated a clementine crate for free and it would be the perfect solution to create a diy crayon caddy.
Make a storage caddy with perler beads or with plastic canvas.
Use scraps of pvc pipe attached to a wood base or attached together to create storage compartments.
Place toilet paper tubes, tin cans or plastic cups in a shoe box or any box to create a caddy.
Use a repurposed chip can or other snack can.
Use zippered plastic bags. You can store them in one of the box ideas above.
Looking for more art supplies and craft supplies storage?
- Craft Room Storage Ideas – These craft room storage ideas from a crafter and professional organizer make it easy to organize your craft room for optimal creativity.
- Colored Pencil Storage Ideas – More than 25 colored pencil storage ideas and tips for children, adults and artists. Includes both DIY ideas and a wide variety of products.
- Washi Tape Organizer That’s Free – Washi tape organizing can be useful, free and earth-friendly. Washi tape organization makes it quick & easy to find what you need so you can create & craft.
Other craft organizing ideas you might have missed
- Declutter Your Craft Stash – Use this free printable and tips to help declutter your craft stash. It doesn’t have to be a difficult task when you have a professional organizer’s help.
- How to Plan Craft Room Organization – To create the perfect space for crafting, you first need to plan craft room organization for a functional space you love – includes free planning checklist.
- Organizing a Craft Room with Labels – Simple tips for organizing a craft room with labels. Keeping a craft room organized gives you space to be creative by making it easy to find craft supplies.
Be sure to pin these crayon storage ideas so you can find these resources whenever you need to organize (or reorganize).
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