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.

Handcrafted animal mask with colorful paint, exaggerated features, and straw whiskers inspired by the Pacific Northwest Coast on a white background.

Pacific Northwest Coast Masks– 3rd grade

The 3/4s viewed a video about Pacific Northwest Coast art. They made a spirit animal mask using similar characteristics. These are made out of paper mache and are painted with a limited color palette.

March 19, 2011
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A colorful woven paper art piece featuring pink, purple, green, and blue strips arranged in a checkered pattern—a stunning example of Paper Weavings.

Paper Weavings

Paper Weavings by Kindergartners.A twist on the typical paper weaving… use wrapping paper and scrapbook paper pieces.

March 18, 2011

Child's colorful drawing with Dr. Seuss-style abstract structures on a grassy landscape under a bright blue sky.

Dr. Suess Architecture

The 2nd graders studied Dr. Suess in their language arts class. In art class we looked at the artwork of Dr. Suess. They drew whimsical architecture with wobbly and wavy lines.

March 14, 2011

Art Show

It’s been a couple weeks, but we had a regional Youth Art Month show at the mall here. Here are my panels.

March 13, 2011
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A Japanese wall scroll with artwork of birds and mountains, hanging on a purple wall.

Japanese Scrolls

Third Grade Japanese Scrolls We watched a powerpoint about Hokusai, the Japanese printmaker. The students made styrofoam prints using imagery of nature. We practiced using calligraphy brushes with India ink. The students assembled their calligraphy and prints, along…

March 11, 2011

A child's painting of a penguin on ice with a purple sky, a flying bird, and abstract shapes in the background captures the charm of polar animals.

Arctic Animals

The 1st graders used their observation skills to draw detailed animals from pictures of these animals. This project complemented their study of the Arctic in Language Arts/Social Studies class.

March 10, 2011
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Beautiful oops

If you haven’t seen this book yet, it is probably my favorite kids’ book! I love it! My 18 month old loves to play with all the flaps.

March 7, 2011
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Hands arranging green paper cutouts on a black sheet atop a wooden table.

Inside Out Pictures

Inside Out Pictures The Primaries learned about positive and negative space. They exercised their cutting skills and spatial awareness. Step One: Cut out shapes from a 4.5″ x 9″ colored piece of paper. Step Two: Take all of…

March 4, 2011
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Oil pastel landscape drawing with red mountains, a blue river, green grass, trees, and a small brown hut. Ideal for 2nd grade art projects.

Oil Pastel Landscapes Inspired by Paul Gauguin – 2nd grade

Oil Pastel Landscapes This project focused on learning about foreground, middle ground, background, shadows, and color mixing. The students learned simple depth techniques. The 2nd graders used oil pastels to draw a tropical landscape. They learned how to…

March 1, 2011
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Mixed media art featuring a colorful abstract painting with a central circular pattern surrounded by vibrant swirls of yellow, orange, and purple.

Personal Mixed Media Art

February 27, 2011
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A colorful abstract face made from clay, featuring various shapes and textures on a white background, inspired by traditional Clay African Masks.

Clay African Masks– 3rd grade

For this project, we drew African masks and then constructed them from slabs of clay. These were painted with acrylic paints and then sprayed with varnish.

February 26, 2011
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Two people working at desks in a cluttered room with materials and papers stacked around, and fabric for weaving hanging on the wall.

Giant Weaving

We finished the giant weaving. I had kids in all different classes work on it when they were done with their projects. I like how it came out. We are going to make a few more and…

February 25, 2011
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Baby scrapbook page with a purple bird sticker, purple flower, and various colored and patterned paper layers.

The other baby scrapbook I made– blank pages, no pictures yet

February 19, 2011