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.
Abstract painting with vibrant pink, orange, and purple hues features a figure's arm and "Waiting Watching" text overlay, radiating dynamic energy.

Waiting and Watching, photo, fabric, gesso, watercolor and fabric spray paints, September 2010

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A framed abstract artwork with colorful shapes and a small portrait at the center.

Tiles!

I’m in love with painting tiles and making tiles from Sculpey.  I just tried making Sculpey tiles this week and wow, was it fun!!  I got the idea from Laurie Mika’s book Mixed Media Mosaics. I got the…

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A sign that reads "Creativity Test" with directions to invent and draw something to add to the school for the new school year.

Art Class Room Set Up

Today was our first day of school.  Would you like to see a glimpse of my room?  Paints Paintbrushes Free Draw Cart View of the classroom.  We have small rooms because we have small classes. This is the…

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Fun Blog

I just discovered a fun blog from a kindergarten teacher who does lots of way cool art projects.  These kids are so lucky to have such a creative teacher!  I’m impressed with the felted balls she made with…

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Craft a turkey using a pinecone, colorful feathers, and a purple paper head with a googly eye. This fun project is great for kids' crafts and adds a festive touch to any holiday decor.

Pinecone Crafts

At our church garage sale I picked up a large bag of pine cones for $2.  I suppose I could have found pine cones on the ground, but hey, they were all in a bag right in front…

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Creativity Exercise

I’m going to have some of my students do a creativity exercise on the first day of school to get their juices flowing.  Creativity TestDirections:  Use your imagination to invent something that we could add to the school. …

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Two small handmade clay figures of zebras, one climbing a block with letters and numbers, and the other on the ground near a striped barrier.

Clay Figures

So, you may remember that I made a couple clay figures as demos for a kids’ clay class that I taught.  I painted the girl and put her in a chair that I had.  This is a chair…

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Close-up of colorful wire-wrapped stones, ideal for jewelry making, on a yellow background.

Making Pendants

Making jewelry is one of the hobbies I enjoy.  When people ask me what kind of art I do on my own, I have a hard time saying what I do… I love photography, jewelry making, collages, drawing,…

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