Beginning of the year art lesson

The first days of school are always hectic and stressful. If this is your first year teaching elementary art it probably feels downright overwhelming. For me it is about getting to know my students, getting them comfortable with me, introducing rules, and giving them a quick drawing activity. I do it the same every year and it works great for me. I have 30-40 minute classes. I move very quickly through the following activities. I also have these steps outlined on the board, so that I don't…

Use our step-by-step drawing tutorial to create a unique and colorful name art project for kids. Great for upper elementary & middle school!

Need a back to school elementary art lesson? Or need one for a sub? Here’s a fun lesson that’s good for the beginning of the school year. Click to see the blog post on this lesson.

This is a great project to try at the beginning of the year or as your students are reviewing the alphabet and beginning to learn to write words and phrases. I got this idea from the book Dynamic Art Projects for Children. Ours are not exactly as the ones in this book, but very similar. We started by looking at the art of Stuart Davis and reading the phrases, words and numbers that we saw in his artwork. The … Read more... →

Looking to provide more diverse art lessons? Here are six contemporary black artists your students can explore for creative inspiration.

A quick lesson that's great for first graders, this lesson is a fun and engaging lesson that implements our unit on color & line. Use puck tempera paints

Art projects that are fun for both parents and children.

395 likes, 12 comments - all_hale_art on May 3, 2024: "3rd Grade Watermelon Collages 🍉 inspired by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera! To begin, students followed along with a video by @artforkid...".

Are you nervous about starting the school year? Or are you excited to get things going? Even though this is my lucky 13th year teaching, I still get anxious to go back. It’s a combo of nerves, excitement and anxiety about getting back into a different routine. I still have dreams that the class is out of control, I forget that I am scheduled to teach or I oversleep. Recently, I asked readers to share their top tips for starting … Read more... →