Elementary Art Projects & Creative Lessons for Kids

Welcome to Art is Basic, a blog full of elementary art lessons, easy art projects, and teaching ideas for K-5 classrooms. Browse hundreds of engaging activities designed to inspire young artists.

A box of 32 colorful crayons with various shades visible through a transparent window, ideal for All About Me projects.

Henri Matisse Art Projects for Kids – Shape Collage and Flowers

Henri Matisse is one of my favorite artists. I love his bold colors and beautiful shapes. While teaching about patterns, painting, collage and shapes, I recently introduced his artwork to my kindergarteners and 1st graders. First, we learned…

December 22, 2014
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Square piece of salt dough with a heart imprint, on a purple background with the recipe for making No-Cook Salt Dough.

Easy No-Cook Salt Dough Recipe

My daughter had a make-your-own play doh night at her preschool (YMCA, which has been really great so far!) and I thought it would be a fun activity for my little students right before winter break. We used…

December 20, 2014
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Quote on a yellow background: "When you think you have made a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to create something beautiful. Celebrate Oops Day!

Celebrate Beautiful Oops Day!

Have you read the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg? Celebrate Oops on January 15, 2015! It is a super fun, interactive book that teaches kids that it’s OK to make mistakes! From their website: “CELEBRATE OOPS! is…

December 15, 2014
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Three hand-drawn characters: a bald man in sunglasses, a panda-masked figure, and a girl with blue eyes and brown hair showcasing Manga Faces style.

Manga Faces: 3rd Grade

The creative students at Artisan des Arts made manga self-portraits and I loved them so much I wanted to try it with my own students. The students used the website Face Your Manga to create an avatar. (Of…

December 14, 2014
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Abstract art inspired by Piet Mondrian, featuring bold black lines and primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

Primary Colors & Piet Mondrian

Are you looking for an easy way to teach about the primary colors or about a famous artist like Piet Mondrian? This is an art project I teach every year because I love its simplicity! Materials you will…

November 30, 2014

Colorful abstract sculptures with whimsical shapes, patterns, and eyes on a plain white background.

Kid’s Gift Guide: Make an Art Kit for a Holiday Gift!

As an art teacher, I’d like to encourage you to give gifts that inspire creativity in children. Instead of more plastic trinkets, stuffed animals or electronics, how about something that will get your kids building and creating? An…

November 26, 2014
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A vibrant collage of five colorful mandalas with the text "Mandalas: 3rd and 4th Grade" in the center.

Mandalas | 3rd & 4th Grade

Materials you will need: Compass Pencil White paper Things to color with like markers, crayons, colored pencils Sharpies (optional) Crayola Twistable Neon Crayons (optional) Goals: understand the meanings and purposes of mandalas in other cultures learn to use…

November 22, 2014
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A three-fold art display with colorful abstract swirls, a 3rd-grade drawing of a flower, and a green elephant plant leaf.

Accordion Books | Drawing Scientific Specimens | 3rd Grade

Did that get your attention? How about this? The Science teachers at my school often have the kids create drawings about what they are studying. One of them asked if I wanted to coordinate and have my third…

November 15, 2014
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Hand-drawn US map filled with flag pattern, text says “Thanks Veterans” on a red background, ideal for Veteran's Day posters.

Veteran’s Day Poppy Posters

Have you seen the art installation of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London? It is amazing! If you follow that link, there is a video about how the installation was made. The poppy is a remembrance symbol…

November 10, 2014
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Abstract artwork featuring colorful squares, rectangles, and various paintbrush strokes in purple, blue, green, and orange. This mixed media piece captures the playful essence of a 3rd grade art project.

Mixed Media Self Portraits by 3rd Grade

My students made self portraits with construction paper, tissue paper and paint. This project is always a hit with the kids and parents. I love it because it involves lots of good art concepts such as color mixing…

November 7, 2014
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Two colorful children's drawings resembling symmetrical paper skulls on a black background.

Day of the Dead | Symmetrical Paper Skulls | 1st Grade

October 31 to November 2 is the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. My first grade students learned about the celebration a bit in their Spanish class and then in art class, we read a story about the…

November 1, 2014

A vibrant abstract face assembled from torn paper on a green background, showcasing a red jagged mouth and a blue arc as a smile.

Happy Halloween! The Scrap Box Challenge

Sometimes when the scrap box gets too full or it is holiday that gets the kids all hyped up (like Halloween) I will give the class a “scrap box challenge.” What can you make by using the scraps…

October 31, 2014

Abstract watercolor painting featuring colorful fall leaves and swirls in various shades of red, yellow, blue, and green.

Watercolor with Salt Fall Leaves Art Project

I came across this beautiful technique at the Happy Hooligans blog. She practiced letter writing with glue, salt and paint. I thought this technique would be a fun experiment for my third graders and make beautiful fall leaf…

October 25, 2014
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A variety of colorful fall leaves in different shapes and sizes arranged on a white background, creating a beautiful printable.

Fall Leaf Printable

Aren’t the colors of the fall leaves breathtaking? I scanned some of the leaves that I found on the trees here in Wisconsin. Feel free to print these out, color designs on them with permanent or paint markers,…

October 15, 2014