How to Teach Children the Elements of Art

Children can learn different elements of art at any age.

Children can learn different elements of art at any age. Even babies can distinguish colors, shapes and patterns within artwork and, as they grow older, they can distinguish textures within paintings and drawings. To help children learn the elements of art, you can use certain activities to help enhance their ability to distinguish each element of art as well as appreciate the different forms of artwork.

Things You'll Need

• Internet
• Art museum

Instructions

1. Go to the website "Scholastic: Upside Down Art" to print out the upside-down art activity (see Resources). Children will draw upside down first and then, as they see the result, they will be amazed. In this activity, children learn a variety of lines such as curvy lines, straight lines, wavy lines and all types of shapes as elements of art in drawing.

2. Watch demonstrations of artwork that shows how the elements of art are formed. Go to "The Artist's Toolkit" website (see Resources). Children can watch illustrated demonstrations of the elements of art, find examples of the elements of art and also create their own works of art. You can create a custom menu for the children to work with.

3. Check out the "Art Access" website to get lesson plans to help children understand the elements of art within artworks (see Resources).

4. Go to an art museum. Have the children point out different elements of art within the paintings or drawings. This will help them identify the elements of art already learned.

References

• Scholastic: Upside Down Art
• The Artist's Toolkit: Explore
• The Art Institute of Chicago: Activities
• The Getty: The Elements of Art

Resources

• Scholastic: Upside Down Art
• The Artist's Toolkit
• Art Access