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.

A colorful triangle collage with various symbols and patterns in blue, green, yellow, and purple. This vibrant piece was created on canvas and will be showcased at the upcoming school auction.

Triangle Collage on Canvas for School Auction

Every year, my 5th/6th grade class carves rubber stamps with symbols they have designed. This year, we stamped extra prints on tissue paper with acrylic paint to make collaborative artworks. To stamp, simply use a foam brush to…

February 19, 2015
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Colorful handcrafted paper feathers with various vibrant patterns are arranged on a brown surface, creating a stunning display for a bulletin board against a pink background.

Group Eagle Bulletin Board with Patterned Feathers

Many of my students contributed feathers to this giant eagle bulletin board. Our school is Eagle School and I wanted to do a group artwork where many kids could participate in designing a piece of the picture. I…

February 15, 2015
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Beautiful Oops colorful abstract painting with flowers, hearts, swirls, and various shapes in purple, blue, yellow, and pink.

Beautiful Oops Painting Project

Did you Celebrate Oops!? My kindergarten and first graders started this open-ended project by reading the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. We were inspired by the page in the book that said, “A smudge and a smear…

February 14, 2015

A blue abstract painting of a large heart containing a smaller heart, surrounded by wave-like wave-like patterns, created using Gelli Plates.

Monoprint Hearts on Gelli Plates with 1st Graders

Hello friends! Have you used Gelli Printing Plates before? I was introduced to this a couple of years ago because I received a couple samples to try out for my blog. They are a super fun way to…

February 7, 2015
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A colorful heart collage on black paper with a pink and red patterned background, featuring tinfoil hearts.

Tinfoil Hearts with Kindergarten

The Kindergartners made these lovely mixed media heart pictures. They started by stamping the background paper with gadgets, such as old thread spools, bottle caps, heart sponges, cookie cutters and more. During the second class period, they traced…

February 3, 2015

Colorful paper hearts decorated with strings and various patterns overlapping each other on a white background, ideal for 2nd grade crafts.

Yarn Wrapped Hearts (2nd Grade)

Often I get so wrapped up in the curriculum, I don’t take time to do “extra” projects which are just for fun for holidays. Kids love celebrating holidays and often ask to do themed projects. I am fine…

January 30, 2015
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Two Valentine's Day activities: a word search and a heart-themed coloring sheet, each featured against a pink gradient background adorned with decorative hearts, making it perfect for Valentine's pictures.

A Page of Hearts (Valentine’s Pictures)

Valentine’s Day is coming! Are you looking for a fun heart project idea to try with your kids? This challenge for my 3rd graders was to design 9 different hearts. I used this project with a substitute teacher…

January 29, 2015
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A lace-bordered oval frame with "Art Puns" at the top and various artist-themed jokes and puns written inside.

Fun Puns about Art and Artists

Are you looking to add some humor to your class? We had a “Funday Punday Monday” at our school where kids and teachers brought in puns to share. I rounded up some fun art-related puns you could use…

January 24, 2015
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2nd Grade children's colorful and abstract self-portraits inspired by Pop Art, displayed on a board in grid layout.

Pop Art Portraits: 2nd Grade

Hi there! I have a bunch of old projects I want to post about and I will just post them with short descriptions. This lesson is a popular one for teaching about Pop Art and Andy Warhol. We…

January 20, 2015

A heart-shaped drawing filled with colorful patterns and concentric designs.

Concentric Valentine’s Day Hearts

Valentine’s Day is coming! I love heart-related art projects. These concentric hearts were made by my second graders last year. We talked about the art concepts of concentric shapes and patterns. For more Valentine’s Day projects, look at…

January 18, 2015

Assorted colorful pipe cleaner sculptures on white bases, showcasing a variety of intricate and unique shapes.

Learning about Lines

Lines are an excellent starting point for lessons with Kindergarteners. To begin this line unit, we read the book Lines That Wiggle (Amazon Affiliate link used) The students used colored tape to make straight lines across their paper. …

January 12, 2015
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Two colorful handmade maracas covered in paint and decorative tape, set against a white background. These vibrant toys are a fun project for kindergarteners, sparking creativity and joy.

Paper Mache Maracas with Kindergarteners

Aren’t we always looking for ways to relate to other subjects? This project is perfect to connect with your music program at school. Materials you will need: Goals: Steps: 1. Day One: Open the Easter egg and put…

January 9, 2015
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A vibrant art journal spread with colorful snowflakes and stars in various shades on a multicolored background.

Printmaking with Christmas Ornaments?? What!?

Another printmaking experiment for you! I bought some felt ornaments and sparkly snowflake decorations from Target on clearance. Valentine’s Day is also a good time to get decorations. Here is how I created the background shown below. Snowflake: …

January 5, 2015