How to Teach Art to Elementary School Students
Teaching art in elementary school should reflect the attention span and skill level of the students, while also challenging them with new ideas and projects. Elementary school is a time to introduce students to simple art history, and provide a grounding in artistic techniques. By the end of elementary school, children should understand the basics of warm and cool colors, shapes, lines and texture as it pertains to art, as well as having familiarity with a selection of famous artists.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Collect a library of elementary age appropriate books that deal with artistic movements and art styles in a fun and engaging way. Choose books that have illustrations and explain concepts in a simple fashion that will be understandable by elementary school age children.
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2
Read books from the art library during class, and encourage discussion about the various artists and art styles covered. Ask children to describe what they like or don't like about a particular type of art, and challenge them to explain why. Introduce concepts such as complimentary colors, texture, line quality, and shapes through your readings.
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3
Create art projects based around the artists and artistic styles your students are learning about in class. Simplify complex artistic styles to create projects appropriate for elementary school age children. For example, in a unit about Georgia O'Keefe, students could practice their complimentary colors by doing large flower drawings in O'Keefe's style using their choice of warm or cool palettes.
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4
Stock a supply closet with safe, non-toxic art supplies for students to work with. Teach responsibility by assigning students jobs such as distributing various art supplies, preparing the class room for art time, and cleaning up after projects.
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5
Post completed art projects around the classroom as decorations, and switch them up as students finish new projects. Decorate your classroom with posters that teach about the artists and art styles student are learning about to keep students thinking about art during the day.
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References
- Photo Credit learning basics image by Sergey Mostovoy from Fotolia.com
