How to teach the elements of art in early elementary

But first - should we teach the elements of art in Early Elementary?

As an art teacher, I believe that teaching students about the elements of art in the early years is vital. The elements of art are crucial components considered by artists, when creating their works. These elements include line, shape, form, space, texture, value, and colour (color in the USA). 

If you have ever doubted the value of teaching students about the elements of art, read on and I will share some of my reasons why I include them in most of my lessons.

Demystify Art Making and Creativity:

While some of our students may have outstanding levels of aptitude and interest in art making, most don’t. Art is often a subject students are required to participate in during their elementary years, whether its their ‘thing’ or not. 

By introducing students to ‘ingredients’ that they can include or that can guide their creating process, maybe even provide them with a starting point, then why wouldn’t you give them that support. Being creative doesn’t have to be an ethereal intangible thing that is only available to a lucky few. By working with the art elements, the majority of students have something tangible to work with for exploring the art disciplines.

Cognitive Development:

Art experiences, at an early age, fuels critical and imaginative thinking. Referring to the elements of art helps children understand the concepts of cause and effect, when experimenting with modifications to these elements in a fun way.

Language Skills:

Discussing and reflection on their art making is an excellent way for students to build their language skills. When they all are able to communicate using the shared language of art elements, their levels of understanding is greatly improved.

Artistic Skill Development:

By focusing on specific, shared understandings, like the elements of art, students can build their artistic skills incrementally, reflecting on their progress and set learning goals.

Integration with Other Subjects: 

Art easily integrates into, and extends, other subject - like Math, English, Science, or History. This aspect of trans-disciplinary learning encourages broader understandings of important concepts in other areas. Vocabulary used for the elements of art adapts easily to other content, e.g. when describing textures, you are using adjectives that are valuable for improving language skills, and identifying shapes, forms and patterns has strong connections to Math.

Motor Skill Development:

Using a range of art tools to execute a range of art making actions, leads to improving motor skills - large and fine. Whether building the skill to draw increasingly accurate shapes, repeat a line to create a pattern or mix 2 primary colours together, building the skills too control the tools and make intentional marks, is of great value. 

Decision Making Skill:

Too much choice can be paralysing for some learners and having a focus based on the art elements really helps to narrow that down to choices within categories, e.g. picking a line pattern to add details to the drawing, or selecting the colour values needed to show form on a red apple. Students also begin to build comfort with risk-taking, inventiveness and making mistakes.

Visual and Spacial Skills:

The elements of art help students to analyse the layout or spacial balance in their work. Whether that is to analyse how well balanced the complimentary colours are between the focal point and the rest of the work, or whether the artwork has expressed the for-, middle and background appropriately, using the rules for the element of space.

Problem Solving Skills:

Making art, and evolving as an artist, involves finding solutions to many challenges along the way. To develop creative problem-solving skills, students can focus in on the art elements in their work and work through possible solutions for each to see how that will affect the whole. For example, a student trying to draw an elephant for the first time will fair batter when they break down the composition into a series of structural shapes that they draw first, then build the elephant shape over the top with the use of outlines, contour lines and texture lines.

*** the above images are all from my Art Elements Classroom Posters resource. Click on any image to view the full resource in my TPT store

I have also published a full series of lessons that I developed for my early elementary students, specifically based on the art elements, and another series for my mid-elementary students. 

You can read more about those lessons in subsequent posts but if you cannot wait, you can view the bundles in my TPT store by clicking the images below.

K-2 lesson plans

Lessons are also available individually but the bundle also include extra extension ideas for these lessons that are not included in the individual lesson plans

2-4 lesson plans

2-4 lesson plans

Continue on to the next post to find out more...

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