Art Projects for K-1
Art lessons can advance dual objectives: children can learn about an art concept while simultaneously honing important motor skills. In their first years of school, children are still acquiring motor skills and will need practice with basic tasks such as cutting with scissors and coordinating hand and eye movements. Since children in kindergarten and first grade usually cannot write yet, visual representations are a useful way for children to express their understanding of curriculum material.
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Spray-Bottle Murals
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Teach children about mixing colors through an outdoor, collaborative art project. Tape large stretches of butcher paper along a fence or wall on the playground. If these surfaces are not available, sweep a clear spot on pavement for the paper. Fill empty spray bottles with paint and water. Make this paint mixture very thin so it can be expelled from the spray bottle. Instruct students to try spraying the paint to make a mural, paying attention to the colors created when primary colors blend.
Paper Bag Puppets
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Use paper lunch sacks to make puppets. Children can draw faces with crayon on the bottom side of the bag and draw a mouth in the bag's crease. For a more complex project, make an animal puppet by cutting out construction paper, ears, legs and tails to glue onto the bag. Children can paint the whole bag before adding body parts to their puppets. Glue yarn onto the puppet for hair and wiggle eyes onto the face.
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Beaded Wind Chimes
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To practice hand-eye coordination, assign a wind chime project in which students thread beads onto string. Tie a bell onto the end of four equal pieces of string. Ask students to paint small paper cups and punch four holes around the edge. Allow students to thread beads onto the strings, then tie them in the cup's holes. Tie one end of a fifth string around a pipe-cleaner and tie the other end to a metal washer. Poke the pipe-cleaner through the bottom of the cup as the hanger. The metal washer should bump the bells to ring them when the chime is gently pushed.
Rainbow Mosaic
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Improve children's skills with scissors by asking them to cut out many squares of paper. Let them choose construction paper, tissue paper, crepe paper or card stock. Outline the arcs of a rainbow on a piece of paper and show the children which colors belong in which arc. Display some pictures of mosaics as examples of this style of art. Ask students to glue their squares onto their rainbows in this same style.
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References
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