Art Lessons for Kids
We all dream of the perfect group of students listening attentively to our art instruction. We dream of children working creatively, thoughtfully and perhaps above all, quietly in our classrooms. Does it happen? Sure. Does it happen all of the time? Not really. Art room dynamics I love the active dynamics in my art room. [...]
I love teaching art to children. My philosophy is quite simple: To engage, inspire and teach art with age-appropriate techniques and subjects. I’ve only been teaching art to children for eight years but it feels like I’ve been teaching my whole life. I remember what I was attracted to as an artistic child: how-to-draw books, colorful [...]
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It’s 5 minutes before the end of art class and you know what comes next: clean-up time. That little phrase always puts me in panic mode. Why? Because I don’t have a system. By the end of my class, the area by my sink usually looks something like the photo above. I’ve always been honest [...]
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Today I received a question from a reader asking for advice on how to grade art work. Here is her question: I have been using your site for ideas, thanks a bunch. I have a question for you. I can’t give out grades like A’s, B’s or C’s, so how do I get them to [...]
Every year I attempt the same thing: create an art curriculum for my readers. It’s the request I get most often. New art teachers want to know how to plan out their year. Seasoned teachers want to change things up. Wouldn’t it be great to just print out a curriculum complete with multiple lessons [...]
I believe teaching art to children is what I was meant to do. As a child, I was drawn to all things creative. I lived in a creative household where boredom was my best friend and resourcefulness made up for the supplies I didn’t have. Art in my rural public elementary school in Eastern Canada [...]
Things had been going so well. Half the year over, successful lessons, sunny days and then…boom! Fifth grade clay day. Sound the drums! Fifth grade is a big grade level. Meaning I have two classes with about 30 kids each. Even the classroom seems crowded with my six tables occupying lumbering, growing bodies. But I’m [...]
I’ve been seeing some art lessons lately that feature shaving cream as a suspension for watercolor paints. This type of printing project looks like a good deal of fun and to be honest, was curious to see how it would turn out. I read a few basic instructions but essentially, the idea is to fill [...]
The Joys of Kinders Returning to the classroom after our holiday break was a joy. If I could teach any grade level all week long, it would be kinders. They are so adorable and they listen so well. I know. Seems contradictory, doesn’t it? The kinder teachers at my school have done an incredible job [...]
Free choice art. These words alone are enough to send an art teacher into a panic. That dreaded time when some children finish their lesson while others continue to work. For the last seven years, I’ve designated a “free-choice” area where kids can go, pick up a piece of paper and a few drawing supplies [...]
Do you ever arrive at work with a new and exciting lesson prepared only to have the class arrive with less than stellar attention spans? Don’t answer that. I know what you’re going to say. We all dream of the perfect class, filled with well-behaved, little angels (wink!) but then reality hits. Slowly and surely, all [...]
I’ve been asked many times how to finish art projects with a roomful of little artists when each one works at their own pace. Well, it’s not easy, but at the same time, it’s not impossible. Here are a few things to think about: Some children will always finish ahead of others. It may be [...]
