Personal Patchwork Drawings by 4th & 5th Graders

I got this project idea from the Art Teachers group on Facebook.  A teacher had posted a similar personal grid lesson from high schoolers with stunning results!  I loved the concept and adapted it for my 4th and 5th grade class.

The first step is to divide your 12″ x 18″ paper into 3 inch squares using a ruler.  Then you fill in each squares with drawings and designs that are personalized to tell something about yourself.  The catch is that you must also follow the guidelines on the handout with requirements for the squares.  Don’t worry!  They give you a lot of room for creativity and individual interpretation.  I find that the limits actually make the kids more creative.

I showed them some of the examples from the high school students. Here is the handout I gave them.

Personal Patchwork Drawing

Divide your paper into 3” squares. Use colored pencils, markers, pens or crayons.
Be neat! Be creative! Color evenly and solidly.

Include:

-at least 5 squares of letters (one letter per square)
-2 squares of solid color
-3 squares of patterns
-at least 3 glue-ons (photos, magazine pics, other artwork, random small objects)
-1 square with the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) or (magenta, cyan, yellow)
-1 square with warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows)
-1 square with cool colors (purples, blues, greens)
-the rest can be designed with images of your choice

You can download this handout for easy printing right here:

Personal Patchwork Drawing Requirements

After the students were finished, they filled out a reflection sheet about their artwork.  You can print off this handout by downloading it here:

Personal Patchwork Reflection sheet

I love all the little details in these drawings and how the students personalized them to tell all about their interests.

Have you taught a project like this for your elementary students?  Please share in the comments section!