Elementary Art Lessons, Projects & Teaching Ideas for K–5

Because art is fundamental to who we are. Art has always been a basic form of human communication. From cave walls to classroom walls, art helps us express ideas, tell stories, and better understand the world around us. I believe art is an essential part of every child's education, which is why I chose the name Art is Basic. Here you'll find K–5 creative art lessons, teaching ideas, and printable resources to help K–5 art teachers inspire young artists.

Hand holding a colorful, foldable squash book.

All About Me Foldable Explosion Books

One of the first projects my 4th/5th grade students created this year were personal “About Me” folded squash books. The kids were introduced to a simple foldable bookmaking technique and then they personalized them with drawings and collages…

October 17, 2017
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Caricature of a female artist singing passionately into an old-fashioned microphone, wearing a white dress with red polka dots.

Interview with an Artist: Justin Bua

Today I have a special artist to introduce to you. His name is Justin Bua. I was able to get an exclusive interview with him, so keep reading to learn more about his art.. in his own words!…

October 15, 2017
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Texture Rubbing Practice Sheet with various shapes and a happy crayon illustration, framed by a blue border.

New! Texture Rubbing Practice Sheet

Easy, simple, fun! Brand new in my shop, a texture rubbing practice sheet. Use this handy sheet as a practice for making texture rubbings. Kids love using crayons to make texture rubbings, but they don’t always realize that…

October 3, 2017

A watercolor paint set and brush beside a colorfully painted paper showcasing various shapes in different hues, ideal for kindergarten creativity.

Kindergarten Watercolor Shapes

I am always trying to come up with new ideas for my youngest students to experience painting in a successful way, learn about important art concepts and still be able to use their creativity. In this lesson, the…

September 29, 2017
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A colorful abstract drawing with various shapes and a set of watercolor pencils beside it.

Art Video: Doodling with Watercolor Pencils

In this video, I give a demonstration of how to use Maped Watercolor Pencils to make a beautiful doodled painting. If you are reading this through email or a blog reader, you may need to pop on over to…

September 25, 2017
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Watercolor Pencil Review

Hi friends! I was given a free set of Maped Watercolor Pencils to review. I decided to practice my skills at making videos and I did a review of these pencils. Stay tuned! In my next blog post,…

September 23, 2017

Free Fall Leaf Printables

Two pages of high resolution downloads are available for free at my Teachers Pay Teachers shop. This is fun for fall leaf inspired projects!

September 17, 2017

A child's drawing of a unicorn with a pink mane and horn stands under a night sky with stars and a crescent moon, capturing the scene with the intricate detail of batik art.

Toothpaste Batik on Fabric

My creative and wonderful blogging friend, Phyl, has posted several times about her toothpaste batik process. I have admired the results for years and decided to try it last year for our Wild about the Arts Fine Arts Night.…

September 8, 2017
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A child's hand is coloring a large letter "C" with crayons on a piece of paper, creating delightful Letter Art ideal for Pre-K projects.

Back to School Letter Art for Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade

Hi all! I hope your school year is off to a great start. This project is how I began the year with my youngest students. First, I read them two short books about creativity and making art. First,…

September 3, 2017
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A vibrant poster filled with motivational quotes and illustrations about creativity, learning, and maintaining a positive mindset.

Positive Mindset Posters

Growth Mindset… Positive Thinking.. whatever you want to call it, there is power in changing the way you think about your day. This package has 24 colorful, positive posters to hang in your classroom. I choose to be…

August 18, 2017

Colorful hand-drawn illustration with the text "Dreams don't work unless you do," incorporating various geometric shapes and patterns. This piece promotes a growth mindset and is also a free coloring page for added creativity.

Free Coloring Page: Growth Mindset

I have been having fun this summer making coloring pages! These coloring pages have been very popular in my shop: Emoji Coloring Pages 5 pages Growth Mindset Coloring Pages Set #1 10 pages Growth Mindset Coloring Pages Set #2:…

August 11, 2017
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Three painted rocks with positive messages: "DISCOVER," "make," and "BRAVE." The colorful rocks are decorated with magazine cut outs, adding a unique touch.

Painted Rocks with Magazine Cut Outs

At the end of the school year, my students had fun painting rocks and using magazine words to decorate them. We used acrylic paints to paint the rocks. Then, we used Mod Podge to glue down the words…

August 4, 2017

Children's Art featuring colorful cylinder sculptures made from paper and cardboard, displayed with the text "Cylinder Sculptures".

Cylinder Sculptures for Kids

I saw this post by the Art Bar Blog which gave me the idea to make these cylinder sculptures with my 1st graders. We started with toilet paper tubes and paper rectangles rolled into tubes. The best way to…

July 26, 2017