Teaching homeschool art can be so much fun. You don’t need to be an artist to give your child a great experience learning the skills that will build a foundation for further studies. Like anything in homeschooling, we can learn as we go and still provide a wonderful education. Here is a guide to getting started teaching art along with some of our favorite art supplies and organization ideas. I hope you find some inspiration and ideas to add to your days.
Create a welcoming space for your learner to create independently.
You’ll want to keep some supplies out for your child to use on their own, these should be ones that don’t create a huge mess (or at least things that can wash up easily!) Imagine a corner of a room with a small table. A basket sits on a lower shelf with inviting supplies like markers, crayons, glue, watercolor paints, and a stack of white paper ready to be used. A paper sorter with some colored paper provides endless possibilities. (Doesn’t this make you want to be a kid all over again?) What about putting up a colorful print from a famous artist right above the area? A roll of paper on an easel is also great if you have the space.
Adding anything new from time to time can make this area inviting and inspirational, whether it’s a new box of crayons, printed paper dolls, or a free craft of a favorite animal printed from the internet.
Manage your expectations: process versus product.
If your child is younger than five or six, the art experience should focus more on the process of playing with color and different art materials than creating a beautiful result. At this age, some children are ready to learn a few basic steps in drawing while others are content to marvel at spreading colors on the page and making piles of paper full of paint or crayon. It is helpful to understand this perspective when you see so much paper waste! It’s hard to make them understand not to waste paper but if you can remember that this is a short phase, it will be easier when you are going through a pile of papers to place in the “round file.” *wink*
Once they are older, they’ll start to become more concerned with how their art looks and this is a good time to begin more detailed lessons in drawing and other skills. Until then, here are some ideas for helping them to grow strong muscles and enjoy the creative process through activities and simple lessons. This can be as simple as drawing a shape and letting the child imitate what you’ve drawn. I’ll also list my favorite resources for beginning art and drawing lessons at the end.
Understand how to talk to kids about art.
Demonstrate various art techniques like blending colors, creating shapes, or making different textures. It doesn’t need to be complicated, begin with teaching what you already know and have fun together. For painting, start with teaching how to clean the brush with paper towel before washing it in water. Learning how to take care of the materials and cleaning up afterward is just as important because it will make art time a smoother and more enjoyable process in the future.
Something that can be difficult to manage is a child who frequently breaks down crying during an art lesson. Often this is because they are starting to desire for the picture to look realistic while they don’t yet have the skills to make that happen. They can’t understand why their drawing looks the way it does because it isn’t at all how they imagined it. The worst thing to say is that their art looks great. They are already unhappy with their work and it is okay to help them learn to improve.
Although it might be counterintuitive, a better response is to ask the child what they want to draw and then work to help them achieve it. “It doesn’t look how you want it does it?”This can be a start. They need to know that art is something that needs to be practiced so they can get better in time. Guide with comments such as, “Try to erase here” or “Why not make the eyes bigger?”
Don’t be afraid of tracing. This is a wonderful way to build the dexterity required for drawing, and the skills of concentration and focus come along too. We love to use paper taped to a window. Not only does the light help to see the lines to trace, but it is somewhat easier to learn to draw on a verticle surface. I make photocopies of images to trace and they can use the window with regular paper to outline the object.
Some notes on motor skills.
In the early childhood education world, you’ll often hear of gross motor skills and fine motor skills. What this means is that a child first uses mostly larger muscles to perform tasks with bigger motions before his mind and conscious effort learn to articulate small joints like fingers and wrists. There is no need to rush this process, but you can support your child and meet him where he is developed physically.
One way you can do this is to provide a larger canvas for him to use his whole arm to draw. Also, contrary to popular products available, regular pencils and crayons are easier to hold than the large ones because they are heavy and awkward. A newborn will easily grasp your finger, why give a three-year-old a massive crayon? Some occupational therapists even suggest using small pieces of broken crayons or chalk to teach writing. Whatever you choose for supplies, bigger paper and smaller writing utensils are ideal for beginning to draw.
While you can’t rush the process of fine motor skills developing, you can support your child’s learning by providing a variety of ways to build his strength. The best way to improve all motor skills is time spent in active play and especially outside. Think of how much more action happens outside, running, jumping, climbing, that just isn’t possible in the house.
Play dough and clay sculpting is great for open-ended fun that also works to grow artistic skills. (Be careful with clay as it can be toxic, avoid using it until they know not to put their fingers in their mouths until washing their hands.) At first, it might not seem like much but over time they will create more complex figures or objects, which is beneficial for their visual spacial sense (the ability to understand the way things look from different angles and distances.) All of these things are so important for intellectual and physical strengths that will carry over into all areas of their education.
Try bringing art outside.
We have had many hours of outside play with the help of sidewalk chalk. If you don’t have a place in your backyard to use chalk, try bringing a roll of paper outside to use with chalk, washable paint, or finger paints. This is so much fun! You can also set aside cardboard boxes for this purpose and involve markers and stickers too. Anything messy like painting can be done outside on a nice day, and being outside enhances the experience too.
This is a season where choosing “washable” crayons and markers is 100% worth it!
(Ask me about my twins redecorating the house when they were toddlers!) Crayola is my favorite for the youngest ages because their products are more washable and the brand is dependable with keeping non-toxic standards (some kids still put things in their mouths at age five.) I have found that off-brand crayons and sidewalk chalk are particularly bad for not washing off surfaces easily.
Use trays to reduce the mess.
We love using trays for keeping paints off furniture, or for playing with perler beads or anything else with small pieces. I started using them when my kids were young and they automatically got them out any time they had a messy art project. It’s also handy when you need to move a project from inside to outside or from room to room. Teaching them to keep a stack of old cloths or paper towel when they get paint out is also helpful for avoiding big messes.
Here are some great products that have stood the test of time in our house:
(Affiliate links, read more below*)
Multipurpose paper. The first one here is the best for all uses, it is thick and absorbent enough for paints so they won’t tear the paper, and it is sturdy enough to withstand coloring and drawing. (Premium copy paper is 24lbs so this is nearly 3x thicker.) This pack is lightly bigger at 9×12, but best of all it comes in a pack of 500. It will probably last you a year, depending on how prolific your little artist is.
I’ve also included paper roll which is easy to store and an easel if you have the space. (Melissa and Doug paper is good quality for the big roll paper but also check Ikea for the best price.)
Washable Crayons: The washable version is best for the younger ones, but regular crayons are great once they learn to not decorate the house.
Regular crayons: My older kids prefer these. (Note: don’t bother buying the twist-up Crayola crayons if your kids like to take things apart!)
Washable markers: These mini markers are the perfect small size for the littlest hands. Use the big ones for coloring large areas.
Colored Pencils: These will last for years! For the best color choices, I think the 50-pack is the perfect amount.
Washable paints: Crayola definitely wins here. (The other brands I’ve tried are a weird texture and slimy.)
Washable watercolor paint: For the younger ones try cutting the tray into separate colors and give only two colors at once. This keeps things from turning entirely brown after one use.
No-spill cups for water or paints: an amazing invention for littles. I like to use a bigger plastic cup or ramekin as they get older.
Water brush pens: fill with water and use to wet watercolor pens. My six-year-old uses these and manages well.
Do-a-Dot markers: welcome to hours and hours of entertainment. I don’t know what it is about these markers but kids seem to find them really satisfying to use. My six year old loved them as a toddler and still uses them to incorporate into her artwork. (I have found these at Marshalls and T.J. Maxx for the best price.)
Play dough:
Perler beads: definitely “art” in my opinion, these are a type of mosaic and build mathematical thinking.
Trays: we love using our trays for everything messy, from perler beads to watercolor.
Things to keep on hand for open-ended crafting:
Try leaving some things out in small amounts, you might be surprised at what they come up with on their own! Years ago I was inspired by what our local children’s museum had in their art room and recreated it at home. Although crafting can get a little messy at times, they will stay busy and gain skills and confidence while creating their own artwork and crafts. If the thought of the mess overwhelms you, you can put the items out a few at a time and trade things out periodically.
Art materials for advancing young artists :
These are a little less washable but wonderful additions to take out for specific lessons.
Organization and Storage.
The number one thing is to make sure whichever storage method you use, it should be easy to take out and put away. The fewer the steps required in putting away the art supplies, the more likely they will put them away. You will need to work on helping them to develop the habit of tidying when done. (I often ask my six-year-old. “It looks like you’re not finishing drawing/painting because everything is out still. Are you done?” We have already talked about putting things away so I just keep reminding, and give her the assumption that I believe she is capable of cleaning after herself. Soon enough they do learn!)
One way to store art supplies is in small buckets in a craft cart or in an art caddy on a shelf. I have used small shelves low on the wall next to a small table for a toddler, only keeping out a limited amount of supplies at a time, trading them out often. This strategey will keep things interesting while avoiding a huge mess! Now that my youngest is getting older, we are able to keep everything available within reach. We are currently using a round utility cart with buckets for our pencils, pens, glue, markers, crayons, and other items. I have another basket with these craft caddy organizers filled with painting supplies; these are just the right size and have dividers you can remove to store larger items.
Another way to store craft items that need to lay flat is in plastic or wooden drawers that are removable. I am using one to store perler beads and another for oil and chalk pastels. Again, anything that makes putting things away easier is a good idea. Drawers that are removable are quicker than taking a box out from a stack of other boxes or rummaging for small items through a big container.
(The best cost for the Sterilite drawers is usually in-store at Walmart, I prefer the larger size for flexible storage options. Home Goods is a great place to find woven baskets and beautiful utensil storage caddies.)
Bonus tips: How to wash off toddler masterpieces.
For crayon on the wall, I have done extensive testing, courtesy of my miniature Picassos. I tried everything from goo-gone to magic erasers and all the other weird tricks on the internet. Do you know what is the best way to remove crayon from walls and even suede? Regular pink erasers! It works really well. You can also try baby wipes on fabric, for some reason they work better than a regular cloth (maybe it’s the moisturizers?)
For melted crayon, use an iron to remove the crayon, keeping clean paper towel under and on top of the fabric to soak up the wax.
When it comes to permanent marker on hard surfaces, you may already know this trick but it is such a relief when you find out. Use an expo marker to color over the marks and simply wipe it away! If you are dealing with marker, ink, or pen on fabrics, use rubbing alcohol to saturate the stain repeatedly, keeping clean paper towel underneath to catch the ink that comes out. If you have some hand sanitizer that will do the trick too.
Beginning lessons.
You can begin to teach basic art techniques like drawing and combining mediums like oil pastel and watercolors, for example with lessons like Patty Palmer’s book and website, or chalk pastels with “Nana” at ChalkPastel.com. Both are excellent introductions to art that we have enjoyed. I love Patty Palmer’s book, Draw, Paint, Sparkle because it offers fun ideas with step-by-step guidance with photos. The website is full of resources and lessons too.
Deep Space Sparkle – Free Art lessons with Patty Palmer
Deep Space Sparkle – Free Art lessons
You Are an Artist – Chalk pastel video lessons
We keep multiple how-to-draw books in different levels. (You can always photocopy to trace using a window.) Here are some of our favorites.
“If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery. It wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”
– Michelangelo
Have any questions about teaching art to kids? Ask me in the comments below!
(*Affiliate disclosure: some of the links on this page may give a small commission to this website if a purchase is made. All opinions are honest and from my own experience.)