Anyone who teaches elementary art knows that students work at different speeds. I will have a project that I think will take 2-3 days and there will always be one student who finishes it early, whether they are a fast artist or rushed through the activity. If the latter, I would help the student with their craftsmanship and give them tips on how to improve. However, that will only add a little more time leaving me with a student who has nothing to do. Students with nothing to do is the gateway for disruptive behavior we do not want in our classrooms. So what to you do to keep your students attentions?
Solution: Art Centers
Art Centers are the best way to not only combat boredom in the classroom, but also provide great activities to practice creativity, fine motor skills, engineering, and an introduction to different art materials and skills. For me, I made my centers for students kindergarten through 5th grade. I taught middle school as well, but found more enriching activities for those students that build on their current lesson. Focusing on elementary helped me develop activities that added to the art room and weren’t just busy lessons to keep the children at bay.
EDIT: Last year I received a grant and moved only to teaching middle school. I decided to implement centers because I was not happy with students turning to their chromebooks as a way to pass the time. I wanted something more art centered and creative. I know recommend this to anyone who teaches, no matter the age. My 6-8th graders were so excited! I continued having centers for the whole year and will use some of my budget each year to replenish. I actually used most of the centers I had included below with the addition of a button machine. If you have the funds to do so, I recommending purchasing. It was a hit.
Perler Beads
I have a lot hate relationship with perler beads. They are a wonderful product for little hands because it is one of the best activities I have found to develop their fine motor skills. The bonus is that the kids absolutely love them too. The downside, it is incredibly messy, there have been many spills that take a lot of time and effort to clean up. The mess also occurs with students who want to save their creations. It takes a lot of time to finish so many students would need to keep it for next time. Unfortunately, their work might get bumped messing up their progress. My students learned to accept when this happened, but finding a safe place to save work is my advice to you. Other ways to solve the mess is to get trays for the students to work in. This allows them to keep their perler beads laid out and avoid any spills. I also recommend getting a perler bead sweeper. I got mine off of Amazon. I say get multiples because the kids love using it and I would have arguments who got to clean up!
Legos, connector straws, magnetiles
I love these items in the art room and you will have a lot of repeat users of these center station. Legos, connector straws, and magnetiles are great because they combine creativity with engineering. I can’t tell you how many students would ask me to take a picture of their creation, beaming with pride of their accomplishments. I also think it’s a great center because it gives a students who is creative in ways other than drawing or painting a way to shine and enjoy their time in art. Building and three dimensional design are great skills to develop. So even though the students are having fun playing with building, they are actually practicing their art skills and conceptual development.
A tip I discovered was not buying the name brand legos. They are expensive and get lost very easily, especially with my older students. Instead, I buy these building bricks. Honestly, they work exactly like legos and are worth the purchase.
Clay
Clay is another center that is great for creativity and fine motor skills. For this particular center, I would usually use air dry clay. You have to be careful with this center because if the clay isn’t put away correctly, it will dry out. You can use an oil based clay, however, I find those to be less child friendly than air dry clays. For this center, I would include rollers, clay tools, and texture plates to add to their sculptures. I generally would not let students save their work because then I would be replenishing the air dry clay weekly, but not many students complained for all the centers usually were a day of activity except the perler beads.
How to Draw books
I am not a fan of free draw in the art room. Before I became an art teacher, I taught elementary and my students would return with mounds of paper. Everyone has their own teaching styles, but for me, I wanted them to gain more to the extra time they had in class. I thought how to draw books would be a great way to combine this idea of “free draw” with developing drawing skills. I started out with animal books, but then would gauge my classes to see where their interests lied. One year, I had a lot of Pokémon fans so I ordered one for those students. The great part is that you can continuously add to the collection so that you have a plethora of options for your students.
Some things to consider
Preparation
Centers is something you are going to have to teach to your students. At the beginning of the year, I would usually do a “centers tour” for kindergarten and sometimes first grade. I\We would see where the centers are kept, how to use them, and how to return them. Without this step, some items might be used inappropriately. They could also be lost, so be sure to take the steps to help prevent this. In addition, you can have a “center day” to allow students to move through the centers. This helps them get familiar and test out which center they like.
The fast finishers
Sometimes you will encounter a student or two. They will finish fast because they would rather do centers. They prefer this over completing the art assignment. Do not let these students off to centers right away. Allowing it reinforces the belief that they can rush through centers. Then they will move onto an activity they find more desirable.
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In the Art Room with Mrs. D 