• Subscribe to Blog via Email

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Category Archives: kindergarten

Starry Night Kindergarten Art Project

By | | , , , ,
3 Comments
Starry Night Kindergarten Art Project

Here is an easy Starry Night inspired project that I like to teach to my kindergarten art classes. There is a great Van Gogh book for kids called “Getting to Know the Greatest Artists”, by Mike Venezia (my favorite series of art books for kids.) After viewing the swirling lines, dots and dashes that Van Gogh used, the students create a wild and swirly night sky scene with markers.  A silhouettte landscape or city scene is added on the bottom … Read more… →

Kindergarten Matching Mittens Painting with Oil Pastels

By | | , , , ,
1 Comment
Kindergarten Matching Mittens Painting with Oil Pastels

This art project is an oldie, but a goodie.  I’m not sure where I first saw this project.  I think maybe one of the other art teachers taught this lesson in one of my previous school districts.  I have seen some lovely variations of this project online.  Here is a beautiful one from Pixels and Paintbrushes.  It looks like we were both working on them at the same time.  🙂 We began by tracing mitten templates on a piece of … Read more… →

Valentine’s Stamped Heart Painting for Kindergarten

By | | , , , , ,
1 Comment
Colorful, stamped heart-shaped artwork with red circles and crosses on a mixed paint background, set against a red backdrop.

These were made by my kindergartners. I have seen a lot of gorgeous heart pictures around the internet lately. None of the techniques we used to make these are brand-new but maybe they are new-to-you! The kids experimented with watercolor pencils on a sheet of paper.  They practiced mixing and blending colors. A large heart was traced on to their picture (when dry).  Then, these were cut out. We stamped gadgets on the hearts using pink, red, purple and gold … Read more… →

Paper Mache Rattles for Kindergarten with Native American connections

By | | , ,
3 Comments
A colorful handmade rattle wand with a wooden handle wrapped in twine and string against a white background.

Creating Shakers from Paper Mache Introducing the project: To start I simply tell the kids we are making rattles.  I will save the cultural connections for a later class.  One reason for waiting on the cultural connections is that I don’t want them to copy Native American rattles, but the information I present about the Native Americans is to show how other cultures have made musical instruments.  Also, this part of the project is time consuming and we need every … Read more… →

5 Valentine’s Day Projects for Kids

By | | , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment
Abstract artwork featuring a large heart with a star in the center, surrounded by smaller hearts and various patterns, making it an ideal project for kids on Valentine's Day.

Each year, I tend to try something different for Valentine’s Day.  I like to spice things up, don’t you? Here are some from the past that I have done. 1.  Valentine’s Heart Collages  2.  Cool Hands, Warm Heart 3.  Easy Clay Hearts for Kindergarten  I have made these for Christmas presents, but they would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. 4.  Maps of My Heart (by Kindergarten) 5.   Styrofoam Printed Valentines Follow @marcia_beckett

Holiday Round Up

By | | , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment
Holiday-themed paper backgrounds with white paper snowflake cutouts arranged in a grid pattern.

Two of my classes made pictures frames like these: They turned out really cute and I did not take pictures until after the kids glued their pictures in, so I did not want to post any of the frames with their pictures in it. This year, I did not do too many holiday art projects, but here is a round-up of some that I have done in the past. Sock Snowmen  Snowflakes with Glitter Snowglobe Pictures Picture Frame with Tooling … Read more… →

Mixed Media Canvases with Kids

By | | , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment
Colorful abstract painting with floral patterns, vibrant hues, text reading "love," and decorative border designs, created using mixed media techniques.

Thanks for your kind comments about my fingers!  They are actually healing much faster than I expected. As you might know, I am a lover of all things mixed media!  I also enjoy occasionally teaching an after school art workshop for my students (I’d love to do more, but since my daughter goes to daycare it’s a bit tricky.)  I thought painted canvases would be a great gift for kids to give someone in their family, so I decided to … Read more… →

Artsy Christmas Presents for Kids

By | | , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment
A collection of colorful art supplies including markers, index cards, and a sign that reads "Artsy Christmas Presents".

Are you wondering what to get a child in your family for the holidays?  As an art teacher, I see what the kids really like and what they gravitate towards to when they are given free time in art. These are some popular items for kids that I have personally used and recommend.  Most of these can be found at your local Target or Michaels (or other craft/art store).  Don’t forget to print off a coupon online if you are … Read more… →

Spooky Silhouettes– Kindergarten

By | | , ,
3 Comments
Abstract artwork featuring a white bird and house against a bright orange background, with black and white shapes and spooky silhouettes.

We just finished these lovely Halloween pictures today.  I don’t really like doing “holiday” art during art class unless I can tie in some solid art concepts.  (That’s why I sometimes do the fun crafty afterschool classes.)  For this project, the kindergartners learned a few art vocabulary words: Silhouette the outline or general shape of something…  a dark image outlined against a lighter background. Warm Colors the yellows and reds of the color spectrum, associated with fire, heat, sun, and warmer … Read more… →

Mondrian– Primary Colors lesson plan– Kindergarten

By | | ,
1 Comment
Colorful crayon drawing featuring abstract shapes and patterns, divided into sections with words written on dividers. The artwork, inspired by Mondrian's style, prominently uses primary colors giving it a vibrant and lively feel suitable for a kindergarten classroom.

This is a great beginning of the year project for kindergartners. During the first 40 min. class period: 1.  Identify the primary colors:  RED, BLUE and YELLOW.  Show the color wheel and discuss.  (During the next project, we experiment with color mixing.) 2.  Teach about the artist Piet Mondrian.  I use a Powerpoint slideshow to show the artworks and explain about his style.  Discuss the straight lines, shapes and colors. 3.  The children glue pre-cut black strips to the paper. … Read more… →

Leaves!– Kindergarten

By | | ,
2 Comments
Artwork featuring two white leaf silhouettes against an orange background, bordered by a yellow frame evokes the simplicity often found in kindergarten creations.

Always a popular fall activity, we made leaf rubbings last week. Then, using our new Gelli Plates, we pulled prints of the leaves.   To do this, we rolled acrylic paint on the plate.  The kids then rolled textures in the paint using texture rollers.  Leaves were placed on top.  Then, white paper was placed on top of the plate.  We rubbed the back of the paper with our fingers and then pulled the paper off to reveal these leaf prints.                                                                         … Read more… →

Kindergarten Line Drawings

By | | ,
2 Comments
Colorful drawing with patterns of swirls, zigzags, and waves in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black; a delightful line drawing that's great for kindergarten creativity projects.

This is one of my favorite kindergarten projects and it is perfect to teach at the beginning of the year. Lines are introduced and we talk about the many types of lines… straight, zigzag, loopy, wavy, etc.  Then I show them how they can make dotted and dashed lines, lines that start out wavy and then become spiky and even lines that are made by placing shapes in a row. The kindergartners start with a black marker and draw the … Read more… →

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.