Students are introduced to the elements of art early on during art class. I tend to introduce the elements in kindergarten and then revisit them every year adding to the concept and the difficulty of the lesson. After I teach the primary colors, I like to continue our elements journey with lines.
Introduction
I like to introduce lines in 2 ways. First I have the students either tell me examples or come up to the board to draw different examples of lines so that we have an arsenal of ideas for our project.
Following the Leader
Secondly, I like to play “following the leader” using the different lines we discussed. I have the students stand behind me and I begin walking in a straight line. Then I change it to the different lines, curvy, wavy, dashed, castle (which is a name my students cam up with the square looking line) and zig zag. This allows them to get up and use movement to absorb information.
Art Lesson: Watercolor Lines
Materials
- Pencil
- Paper
- Watercolor (I found that these Artist Loft watercolor palettes worked really well with younger elementary. The colors didn’t get sticky when they were dry and there are many colors to choose from, which stopped a lot of mixing of colors in the palette)
- Fine tip Sharpie
- Eraser (these pink erasers work well and are easy to grip for younger kids)
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Steps
- Give the students each a piece of paper and a pencil.
- Have them draw lines from one side of the paper to the other. It is important that their line reaches all the way to the other side or the coloring step will be more difficult.
- Encourage them to use a variety of lines that we discussed at the beginning of the class. Leave the examples on the board for anyone who needs it.
- When they have drawn lines running the length of the page, have them go over their lines with sharpie. Erase any pencil marks left behind.
- Color each different section with a different colors. Color can repeat, but should not be next to each other. Have them fill up the page entirely so that there is no white left from the paper.
These art pieces come out very successful and can be displayed to help build the confidence in your kinders.
In the Art Room with Mrs. D 