Skip the 150-Piece Mega Set: Better Art Supplies for Kids and Teens

Introduction

There is a familiar scene in many homes at Christmas: a plastic case folds open to reveal 150-plus pieces of crayons, pastels, pencils, felt tips, and watercolor cakes, and it looks genuinely impressive. A few days later, the pieces are scattered everywhere, nothing gets used, and the set quietly disappears.

This is not about blaming parents or the companies making these sets. Many of us bought them year after year precisely because they look like great value. The problem is what happens when a child actually uses them, and there are better ways to spend a similar or slightly higher budget.

Why Cheap Mega Sets Work Against Kids

Young children have short attention spans, and the only thing they care about is whether the color they see in their hand transfers to the paper with minimal effort. On the thin, newsprint-style paper included in these sets, that simply does not happen. Colored pencils and crayons require heavy scrubbing to leave any visible color, and the included felt tips actually pull the paper apart when a second layer is applied.

The rest of the set has the same issues. The plastic sharpener flexes and snaps, the nylon brush does little more than push water around, and the eraser is scratchy. The result is frustration, and a frustrated child puts the product down and walks away. A set like this can turn a child off art supplies entirely, which is the opposite of what the gift was meant to do.

Best Picks for Ages 6 to 12

For younger kids, the goal is instant, saturated color with zero effort. These options do that far better than a mega set, and each one costs roughly the price of a takeaway meal.

Faber-Castell Jumbo Grip Crayons

A set of 12 Jumbo Grip crayons sits around the £6 mark and delivers the bright, saturated color transfer young children actually want. The chunky format also suits smaller hands.

Stabilo Trio Thick Colored Pencils

The Stabilo Trio thick, short colored pencils come in a 12 pack for around £5 and are designed specifically for little hands. They are a strong choice even for children younger than six, depending on the individual child.

Giotto Mega Chunky Colored Pencils

Giotto Mega chunky colored pencils, available as a 12-set, follow the same idea: a substantial barrel that is easy to grip, with color that goes down on the page without a fight.

Crayola Supertips Felt Tip Pens

If felt tips are the preference, Crayola Supertips come in a 24-set for around £5 and are washable, which matters a great deal at this age.

Shuttle Art Watercolor Pan Sets

Instead of the unusable watercolor cakes bundled in mega sets, a Shuttle Art watercolor pan set offers genuinely well-saturated pans. Larger sets of around 58 pans sit near £12, with smaller sets available for less, so a child can lay down color instead of scrubbing a dry pan.

A budget alternative in the crayon category is a 64-count Crayola crayon box at around £7, and Lyra water-soluble crayons in a 24-set near £4.50 are another saturated option that works dry or activated with water.

Best Picks for Ages 13 to 17

For teenagers approaching GCSE-level art, a couple of thoughtfully chosen materials will beat a drawer full of half-broken budget tools every time.

Caran d’Ache Neocolor II

A set of 10 Neocolor II water-soluble crayons costs around £15. That may not sound like much, but because they are water-soluble, ten colors can be mixed and activated into far more, making them a genuinely versatile starting point.

Mungyo Water Soluble Oil Pastels

Mungyo’s water-soluble oil pastels come in a 12-set and punch well above their price. They can be used dry like traditional pastels or blended out with a wet brush, which gives a teen two techniques in one product.

Faber-Castell Black Edition Colored Pencils

The Faber-Castell Black Edition colored pencils, available in a 36-set, offer strong, saturated laydown on both light and dark paper, which makes them a popular step up for school-age artists.

Other solid options at this level include a Giotto 36 colored pencil set at around £23, a 60-set of Faber-Castell Classic Red pencils at around £13, Shuttle Art dual tip markers in a set for around £21, and an Ohuhu 48 dual tip marker set at around £19. The marker sets are essentially budget versions of the Copic-style alcohol markers older students often want. Lyra aqua crayons in a 24-set, around £26, suit 16 to 17 year olds particularly well.

Paper and Extras Matter Just as Much

The medium is only half of the equation. Cheap printer paper and newsprint pads undermine even decent pencils and crayons, so pairing these supplies with an inexpensive mixed media pad is the single most useful extra purchase. Brands like Daler Rowney or Canson make affordable mixed media pads that will accept dry media, markers, and light watercolor work without tearing or pilling.

One practical note for parents of younger children: always check the age guidance and safety details on any art supply, and confirm there are no allergy concerns for your child.

Conclusion

The mega art set is not a scam; it is simply the wrong tool. A frustrated child who has to scrub color onto paper that tears will stop, while a child whose pencils and crayons perform instantly will keep going. Spend a similar amount on two or three quality items from the lists above, add a mixed media pad, and whatever your child decides about art later, at least they will have made that decision with materials that gave them a fair chance.