5 Art Projects for Teaching Art Appreciation to Young Students

When it comes to teaching art, instructing your students on the importance of their creativity is just as important as sparking it.

Teaching art appreciation can involve examining the work of masterful artists in history, as well as learning to understand how art impacts day-to-day life, history and culture.

The projects below are geared toward students from Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. Follow each one with age-appropriate questions about what makes art "art" and their own creative experience.

1. Splatter Painting Like Jackson Pollock

Background and Historical Information: 

Jackson Pollock is best known for his abstract "splatter" paintings, and his work was pivotal in artistic expression in the mid-1940s. While some praised him for his unique techniques, others criticized him for a lack of real skill. "Moving around [an] unprimed canvas, which was laid flat on the wooden floor...Pollack poured, splattered, and dripped paint and enamel using his entire body in the process (via guggenheim.org)." For detailed information on Pollock, visit TheArtStory.org for inspiring quotes, a breakdown of his most important work, and a brief biography and legacy.

Keywords: Jackson Pollock, abstract expressionism, action paintings

Materials Needed: white printer paper or cardstock, tempera paints in several bold colors, layers of newspaper or plastic tarp to lay beneath paper, small box of light knick-knacks (small plastic toys, pipe cleaners, buttons, etc.)

Art Project: Students will paint in Pollack's "action" style. While this has the potential to be a very messy affair, and little student aprons and a sturdy wall-to-wall plastic floor covering is highly recommended, it also has the potential to be lots of fun.

Pollock also had a trend of imbedding small objects within the painting. Have students pick a few items from a treasure box to incorporate into their work however they'd like, or use for creating new shapes and styles with paint.

2. Stencils and "Spray Paint" Like Banksy

Background and Historical Information:

Banksy is best known as an anonymous graffiti artist and political activist who's real name and identity is unknown. He is most strongly recognized for satirical street art combining a dark sense of humor with a distinctive stenciling technique, and is praised for his poignant additions to otherwise bland, uninspiring facades. His most well-known public appearance is in the documentary film "Exit Through the Gift Shop," which captures the lives and artistry of various working street artists. For details on the international impact of Banksy's work, read this article at StreetArtBio.com

​Keywords: Banksy, "street art," graffiti

Materials Needed: stencils (or card-stock for students to make their own), spray bottles, homemade spray paint (acrylic paints + water) (Optional: out-of-use, old or unused objects, such as wooden crates or tin popcorn barrels) 

Art Project: Students will create their own masterpieces using stencils and spray paint.

Because street art/graffiti is a controversial topic, and largely understood as illegal, it is important to encourage students to practice this form of art in alternative ways. Stenciling, spray painting and "graffiti style" technique can be used to refurbish objects such as skateboards or old furniture. You can find such items at a thrift store.

3. Styrofoam Printing Like Andy Warhol

Background and Historical Information:

Andy Warhol is a visual artist famous for his pop art portraits of celebrity personalities and other pop culture phenomena, such as Marilyn Monroe and the Campbell's Soup Can. He's worked with various types of media, including painting, silk screening, sculpture, and printing. For detailed information on Warhol, visit TheArtStory.org for inspiring quotes, a breakdown of his most important work, and brief biography and legacy.

Keywords: Andy Warhol, pop art, silkscreen

​Materials Needed: acrylic paints, linen or canvas, various shaped printing sponges

Art Project: Students will paint their own version of Andy Warhol's iconic Flowers

Using shaped sponges for printing, encourage students to create a bright and colorful painting inspired by Andy Warhol's vibrant style.

4. "Tissue Paper" Water Color Like Monet

Background and Historical Information:

Claude Monet is a famous French painter largely credited as the founder of French impressionist painting. His most famous paintings include The Japanese Footbridge (1922), Women with a Parasol (1875), and Water Lilies (1919).  For a detailed history of Monet's influence, visit metmuseum.org.

Keywords: Claude Monet, impressionist painting, plein-air

​Materials Needed: colorful tissue paper, glue, white printer paper

Art Project: Students will re-create Monet's Water Lilies using colorful strips of tissue paper. 

Using tissue is a much cleaner and easier option for learning about the blending and layering of watercolor without the actual watercolor. Students can also add a 3D effect to their "paintings" by creating scrunched flowers with the paper.

5. Colors and Shapes Like Mondrian

Background and Historical Information:

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter whose most recognized for his abstract, grid-based paintings created heavily with primary colors. REad more about Piet Mondrian at TheArtStory.org, where you'll find quotes, a breakdown of his greatest works, and a biography and legacy.

Keywords: Piet Mondrian, "De Stijl," neoplasticism

​Materials Needed: black construction paper cut into strips, acrylic paints in primary colors, white printer paper

Art Project: Students will pain their own version of Piet Mondrian's abstract 

This lesson is a great way to introduce primary colors, as well as shapes. Encourage students to be create with the size of their shapes, and to venture outside of the linear block shapes.