20 Winter Themed Art Lessons!

Hey there, friends! It's that time of year where the days might be cold and a little gloomy but the art room can be a bright and colorful place...especially with these projects! 

I thought I'd round up some of my very favorite winter art lessons that are (totally free!) kid tested and approved and share them with you. You are welcome to use them in your art making world (although I do not grant my permission for any of these lessons to be repackaged and sold on Teachers Pay Teachers). Nearly all of these lessons come with a video for you and your artists and some come with free downloadable drawing sheets. So be sure and follow the link to the blog post.

Without any further chattin', let's dive in! 

Kicking things off with this lesson of wintery penguins from my first grade artists!

This is the perfect Back to School after winter break lesson as it focuses on a review of LINE and PAINTBRUSH CONTROL. Of course, to kick things off for that, you might find my books Larry the Line and The Paintbrush Ballerina very handy!

Both books are rhyming books which make them super fun to read. Larry the Line will introduce your artists to the names of lines and ways to remember them and there is a free line guide to be shared with students in the back. The Paintbrush Ballerina has a strong focus on how to use, handle and care for a paintbrush. I created a ton of free downloads to accompany that book and you can find them here and here!

Once line and brush practice is complete, early finishers practice their penguin drawing on dry erase boards. The following glass, we dive into large paper and draw with our beloved bingo dauber! If you have not used them yet in your art room, here's more details!

Chalk was used (sparingly!) to add a little shadow and color to these cuties! From there, we cut them out and added them to the spiral line painted backgrounds. 

Now this kindergarten snowman lesson was very similar in the lesson format! We reviewed lines and painting and created the background. We practiced drawing snowmen and then created our own with an ink filled bingo dauber. Then we cut then out and attached to the background!

If you are short on time or are uncertain if your kindergarteners won't accidently decapitate their snowman in the cutting out process (it happens) then you could...simply have students decorate the background! This early finisher made a second snowman and just added spots of color for snow. So do what works! Save your sanity! 

If you do have some early finishers who are looking to practice their snowman drawing skills then I might have a fun game for y'all! This one is FREE WITH DOWNLOADS and I promise your students will love it. This works for all early finishers so be sure and have it on hand for your artists as they work.

Looking for a little something that would serve as an in-between project? Maybe a short lesson that is sure to yield big results? This winter pup and kitten lesson was a kid favorite! Each one was so cute and the artists just follow along drawing with me in the video! Check it out here.

After winter break is usually when I start hyping myself up for upcoming clay projects! I definitely don't do those right after a break...I like to ease back into a routine. So to get the kids excited about clay and the annual Clay Mug Lesson, we create these big ole hot chocolate paintings! Of course, we use our ink-filled dauber. For color, I love to use neon oil pastels and liquid watercolor. 

Looking for a quick collage lesson? This one is perfect! And we created them in a smaller format (I think it was 6-8" squares?) so we were able to use up paper from the scrap bin. This is a great lesson to remind students on how to use their scissors and glue too! Need a book about that? I might be able to help...

I wrote Scissors, Glue and YOU! to help all artists learn to use this supplies without waste or, worse, injury! It's another fun rhyming book that features Larry (from Larry the Line) and Alfred! Kids love to see these two in art class. You can check it out here. 

Speaking of collage...here's one I do with kindergarten every year!

If you do decide to venture into the clay mug lesson, I've got ALL of my tips and tricks for you! I did this with my whole school for several years and they LOVED it. It was an outrageous hit and I think I figured out the best way to go about teaching it. You can check out all the details here!

A lesson that I love to do each year with my third grade artists is this one! We used to create these pieces on cardboard pizza rounds until I convinced my friends over at Prang to create ROUND PAPER! You can now buy it here. 

Speaking of round paper...that brings me to all of the snow globe lessons I've created! Turns out...I've made a lot! This lesson was designed for my fourth grade students. They loved getting detailed with all of the buildings for their snow gloves! Lesson here. 

Because we explored MANY concepts in this lesson, it was a long one! So for some shorter snow globe projects...

Let's start here! This one is also great for a sub because I have a free video as well as two free downloads to go with this lesson!

With these two free downloads, your students can also create the following snow globe lessons:

This marker print snow globe project!

And this floating chalk print snow globe!

Okay, question: are Gingerbread or Candy Houses JUST for the holidays?! If your answer is no then add THIS fun lesson to the mix! 

Did I mention that there's a free download?!

I don't know about you, but I love to sneak in a short lesson after a long one! So...if your students have just wrapped up a big project, they may enjoy this two day art project for kids of all ages!

Learning to draw 3-D is always a hit with the kids!

Just when you thought this blog post was done...I have more! Here's a rapid fire of all the other winter themed lessons I have for you for free!

This selfie with printmaking thrown into the mix. My second graders loved this one!

I know chalk can be a bit of a mess and that's a big reason so many of us steer clear but...would you look at these beauties by my fourth grade? Lesson details here!

Looking to get those kids out of their seats and work on a large scale project together? Then you might want to check out the details of these big and beautiful beast!

Making snowflakes is always fun but have you ever tried EMBOSSED snowflakes?! You can check out how we did these here!

AND for those of you that are feeling ambitious, why not try tree weaving on for size?! You can see the details here!

Still want more?! Then...visit this blog post and this one! Have a great week, friends!

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In the Art Room: Penguins with First Grade

 Need a fun lesson for your first graders tomorrow? I think I might have something for you: these adorable penguins! This lesson teaches so stinkin' much: warm colors, brush control, using watercolors, painting spirals, a review of lines and shapes and much more. The kids loved creating these. 

I made  a video just for you to share with your students to walk them through this lesson. Here I'll break it down for you day by day.

 If this image looks familiar, that's because my kindergarten did a slightly similar lesson. You can check that out here. 

I see both my kindergarten and my first graders for 30 minutes twice a week. So here's how we spent Day 1 and 2: Painting spirals! Midway through day 2, most kids were finished painting their 12" X 18" papers with spirals. Once complete, the kids placed their work on the drying rack and worked on the following...

 With my shorter art classes, we don't have sketchbooks. Instead, we sketch on dry erase boards. This cuts down on paper waste...and, added bonus, kids LOVE drawing on dry erase boards. I got mine at the Dollar Tree. I created a step by step penguin so my students could practice independently while their classmates finished their paintings. This is something new I've been doing this year and I love it. Not a moment of instructional/practice/work time wasted...and no wasted paper either!

 Day 3: guided penguin drawing. These guys are huge, measuring in at 12" X 18". We used bingo daubers and drew on the floor. Yes, crazy...but it is the method that I found works best for me and my students. I had each place a messy mat under their penguin so we wouldn't get ink on the floor. Of course we did! It mopped up.

 Day 4: The following art class, we added the chalk to create form and painted. Some classes moved quickly enough that we were also able to cut them out!

 If you are looking for a fun winter collaborative project, that could be it! Skip the background painting and just create these. Add them to a backdrop and, ta da! Instant winter mural!

We hung these up with the kindergarten snowman for a fun and frosty display. Have fun, y'all!

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Top Ten Winter Projects for Kids!

It's that time of the year...where, if you live in Tennessee, that means it's 70 degrees one day and chance of snow the next (y'all better believe there'll be some ice cubes in my toilet, pj's inside out, white crayons on ALL the window sills and whatever else I gotta do to make a light dusting happen). With that in mind, I thought I'd share my Top Ten Winter Projects for Los Kiddos!

I'll actually be sharing more about my thoughts on holiday art and alternatives to that on this week's podcast. Y'all know I have a podcast, right? You can take a listen here and be sure and subscribe...cuz the sound of my voice is pretty close to that of angels singing (if they were being tortured, that is). 

Now, without further ado, lemme share my faves with you. I'll be linking back to the original blog post where you'll find the complete lesson (and sometimes video instruction!). Here you go!

1. Heather Galler-Inspired Patterned Hot Cocoa Cups! This is a lesson I did a couple years ago with my second graders...a lesson that we had to wash down with a cup of hot cocoa, of course!

2. Printed and Collaged Winter Self-Portraits! Need a good printmaking lesson for your kiddos? Try this one on for size. I did this lesson with my second graders but could def work for kids as young as first and as old as fourth grade. Also, if you don't have brayers and printing ink, try THIS super amazing and simple printmaking alternative that just involves markers and water!

3. Fourth Grade Faux Stained Glass Windows! Hey-hey, there's a video lesson included in this link! I LOVED this project and so did the kiddos...but I think that adding the layer of liquid starch would have made this much less messy. Check out using liquid starch with your chalk pastels here and prepare to be AMAZED! 

4. Charley Harper-Inspired Woodland Animals! Video instruction here! I can promise that there will be cuteness. Charley Harper has so many amazing animal-themed works of art that you'll find endless amounts of inspiration from him with just a quick google search. 

5. Kindergarten Starry Night Winter Landscapes! These are such a joy to watch the kiddos create! We learn all about tints, shades, Starry Night, collage and more. This is a lesson I bring back each and every year. 

6. and 7. Snowflakes and Snowflake Prints! I used to make oodles of snowflakes at the dinner table growing up...but kids don't really do that anymore. Time to change all that. What do you do with snowflakes once they are cut out? Well, you could use them as stencils and print! We printed on Gelli Arts gelli plates when we were finished cutting out our snowflakes. We printed on fabric and then learned how to sew to create these wallhangings. My third graders had a blast creating these. 

8. I NEVER get tired of Foil Relief Projects! I mean, really. Hang around this blog long enough and you'll find several versions of foil relieve. This was a fun way to create something magical with our paper cutouts.

9. Mural Making! What do you do when your music teacher needs a little bit of decoration for the music program? You put your students t work!

They'll take ownership, responsibility and have so much fun doing so!

Don't need a mural for a program but still want to crank one out? This one has something in it from every student in the school! You can find out the details here. 

10. Winter Guided Drawing! Let's be real, people: there's nothing more crazy than these last few weeks before school is out for winter break. I find that guided drawing really is a great way to calm kiddos and review the elements of art. Here are some of my faves...and if you click the link, you'll find more details.

What I love about winter themed projects as opposed to holiday art is that 1. IT'S ALL INCLUSIVE! I work at a very diverse school and I would never want anyone to feel left out. Therefore, winter art is the best route for me. 

Another bonus: there's no deadline! With holiday art, there's the pressure to get the artwork complete before the holidays arrive...but with winter art, if we don't finish before winter break, well, we'll return to it after the fact. 

Um, is there anything cuter than a winking bunny?!

MAYBE a scarf-wearing penguin! LOVE to hear your favorite winter themed projects, please share below...and if you have a blog or IG where you share your students' masterpieces, please feel free to add the link so we can all learn from your amazingness. Have a great week, y'all!

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