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Montessori Books – Elementary Art Guide 6 to 12

Montessori books for elementary students

Are you eager to teach your Montessori students art lessons, yet uncertain about where to begin? Ready to dive into the world of elementary art?

With the world wide web and social media saturated with Montessori art projects, many guides find themselves at a loss. Which Montessori art lessons should take precedence? How do you select the right mediums? Do you need to be an artist yourself to lead art lessons effectively?

Montessori Book -Primer

This Montessori essential art guide offers clear, concise, and practical insights on establishing art programing. So Montessorians can get clear guidance, instructins, tips, and best practices.

Also, covering key visual art concepts, the optimal sequence of essential steps, and valuable insights. This book offers actionable advice aimed at supporting beginner guides and parents alike.

By simplifying ideas surrounding art lessons and subjects, addressing common questions, and tackling challenges head-on, this guide empowers Montessorians with the knowledge and resources necessary to excel as an art facilitator.

Spramani Elaun, an author, International Montessori Art Trainer, and art curriculum developer, is here to guide you. With her sensory art method and expertise as the founder of Nature of Art® art school , she has empowered tens of thousands of students to explore painting and drawing.

Montessori Book Topics

  • Cover the essential visual art standards
  • Identify foundational building blocks and key initial lessons
  • Show you how to select suitable art materials
  • How to set-up art environments
  • Set up a proper Montessori art shelf effectively
  • Learn what art elements should be taught in elementary grades
  • Master Effective Teacher Management
  • Implement optimal art routines
  • Create Engaging and Meaningful Art Projects
  • Understand the Benefits of Integrating Art into the Montessori Curriculum
  • Foster Positive Art Dialogue and Encouragement
  • Receive guidance on crafting comprehensive art lesson plans
Montessori art book table of contents

This book caters to Montessori guides, art instructors, and homeschooling parents. You will gain knowledge and tools needed to excel in teaching art. And by the end of this read, you’ll feel more confident and prepared to create a meaningful art program for elementary students.

Spramani shares foundational principles and practical examples drawn from her extensive 30 years of hands-on art teaching experience. And her systems and processes streamline the art instruction process, making teaching art to children a rewarding.

Color pictures, rich examples, and insightful stories woven throughout this book.

Montessori art book page example of how to stage an art shelf

Montessori Book Author

Spramani Elaun is an author and art curriculum developer from San Diego California. She is a homeschooling mom, art teacher with a science art methodology. Her success is led by observations and real-life practice of how children cognitively and sensorially process art over twenty years. She is the founder of Nature of Art® Art school & Art supply company, Art Teaching Blueprint Montessori Certification Training Program. Spramani holds degrees in Graphic Design, Digital Media Design, Visual Communications, Print Media, and Fine Arts.

All Rights Reserved, © Spramani Elaun 2024

Teaching Art Activities by Using Children’s Storybooks
Montessori Art Activities | Color – Colour, Harold and The Purple Crayon Story Book
Montessori book author, spramani elaun

Other Books by Spramani Elaun

Montessori Art: Early Childhood Art Guide – Visual Arts Guide For Teaching 13 month olds – 6 years

Montessori Art – Esseintal Art Guide for Secondary 6-12 years

Early Childhood Art: Visual Arts Teaching Guide For 13 Months – 6 Years Old

Defining Visual Arts: Children’s standards for arts education, using the language of artist

Kids Color Theory: Contemparay color mixing guide with pigmented colorants for children.

Kids Painting: Teach young kids how to paint, materials & set-up guide

Clay Play: The natural art method that aligns with a child’s growth.

Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally

Introducing Visual Arts to The Montessori Classrooms: The natural art method that aligns with a child’s growth

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Montessori Art and Craft | Benefits of Clay Play

Montessori | Benefits of Clay Play, early childhood 3-6 years. Montessori Art and craft | Benefits of Clay Play

By Spramani Elaun

Playing with clay provides a highly tactile and sensory experience. As children squeeze, press, and manipulate the clay, they are actively engaging their senses. Sending valuable sensory information to their brain.

Montessori Clay Play has been found to have positive effects on emotional well-being. Playing with clay can help children regulate stress levels.

However, the benefits of Montessori clay play extend far beyond the realm of sensory development. In fact, there are numerous cognitive advantages associated with this activity.  Montessori education highlights the importance of hands-on learning. Clay play aligns perfectly with the Montessori philosophy.

In my early childhood art guide, I discuss this topic and provide more insights into Clay Play for emotional health.

Unsure of where to begin with clay play? Perhaps you’ve struggled with determining the desired outcome of art activity?

Allow me to shed some light on the importance of early childhood clay play sessions.

In fact, I refer to this approach as “Clay Play.” Engaging in clay play offers numerous benefits for a child’s overall development.

When it comes to clay play, this process-based exploratory approach should always come first! Clay play should happen before getting into foundational clay modeling skills.

Montessori arts and crafts| Benefits of Clay Play, student playing clay tools

I recommend incorporating clay play for young children in early childhood education. Montessori schools and daycare centers can introduce clay modeling stations into their classrooms to provide children with the opportunity to explore. Plus support creative and cognitive skills. To learn more about setting up clay modeling environments, please refer to this comprehensive guide Monessori Early Childhood Art Guide.

Montessori Clay Play

Clay comes in various forms, ranging from very messy to less messy options. Additionally, clays can be homemade. Earth clay, in particular, is a wonderful material to introduce to children, similar to making mud pies.

If you’re interested in setting up earth pottery clay play stations, I recommend checking out this book. It contains numerous photos and examples illustrating how to arrange clay play. How to choose suitable clay play materials for children aged 3-6 years old.

Montessori Art and Craft | Benefits of Clay Play book
Montessori Art and Craft | Benefits of Clay Play
Montessori Art and Craft | Benefits of Clay Play, little girl making clay sculptures, clay play session at school
Montessori Art and Craft | Benefits of Clay Play

The important thing to understand about clay play is that it should be a process-based activity, providing children with ample time to freely play and explore clay. There are various ways to engage children in exploring clay. Including the use of simple tools such as natural elements, beads, seeds, rolling pins, and cookie cutters. Emphasizing the play aspect of clay play is crucial. Allowing children to take the lead in their learning and discoveries. By letting the child guide the fun, experiments, and creations, you can enhance their clay experience.

When are children ready for guided clay modeling lessons? Once children have had ample opportunities for clay play and have reached the age of 4 or 5. You can begin introducing clay modeling skill sets. This includes teaching them forms, attaching pieces, cutting, and carving. If you would like to learn more about my clay curriculum you can view the Clay Modeling Curriculum HERE. Order Clay Play Tools HERE

Montessori clay modeling curriculum for school art lessons, Montessori Art and Craft | Benefits of Clay Play
Clay Play Classes in San Diego with Spramani Elaun – Nature of Art® School
Clay Play Classes in San Diego with Spramani Elaun – Nature of Art® School

All rights reserved © 2024, Nature of Art®

No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreign language without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.

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10 Fun Art Activities

By Spramani Elaun

Share With Your Montessori Students

As a Montessori teacher, you know it can be overwhelming to choose the right fun art activities. But, that is why I’m here with some guidance on which Montessori art activities for The Great Lessons are appropriate for your classroom and enjoyable! Art activities related to The Great Lessons are my favorite to teach. Because they allow children to explore their imaginations and get creative in a concrete, meaningful way. From drawing explosions to painting supernovas, students can visualize and understand such a big concept.

color pencil mandala fun art lesson idea

Integrating Art Into Your Lessons

Integrating art with science helps children express ideas creatively, stimulates their senses, and provides tactile experiences. So when it comes to teaching the universe, there is no reason you can’t integrate art and science to have some fun. To get started, take a look at some of your classroom books for visual inspiration. One of my favorite books to use is “Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story” by Jennifer Morgan. The illustrations are colorful and beautiful and can be used for many art activities.

art activities, blow paint

And for more fun art ideas, download my top 5 Montessori Big Bang Art Activities.

art download for Montessori children

Adjustable Activities

These activities can easily be adjusted to fit early childhood, lower elementary, or upper elementary classrooms. Older students will, of course, pay more attention to details, while the early childhood students will engage with these art activities in an open-ended fashion. Fun and fascinating science topics you can incorporate into art projects. Below are ten art projects that Montessori teachers can use to teach elementary students.

collage paper art activities

Art Ideas

1. Create a Cosmic Painting: Take your students on a journey through the universe with a cosmic painting activity. Discuss the Big Bang and the creation of the universe with your students, then have them create a painting depicting the birth of the universe.

2. Constellations: Give your students a chance to create their own constellations using paint or clay. Educate them on how the Big Bang gave birth to stars and how stars are the building blocks of constellations.

3. Paper Mache Planets: Introduce the concept of planets and solar systems by having your students make paper mache planets. You can use this opportunity to discuss the origins of planets and how they were formed following the Big Bang.

4. Galaxy in a Bottle: Encourage your students to learn about galaxies by creating a galaxy in a bottle. This can be a great way to explore the vastness of space and how galaxies form after the Big Bang.

5. Moon Phases Art: Discuss the moon phases and how they are caused by the changing position of the moon. Have your students create art that depicts the different phases of the moon using paint or chalk.

6. Starry Night Sky: Teach your students about stars by creating a starry night sky mural. This activity can help them learn about the different types of stars and how they are formed.

7. Cosmic Collage: Give your students an opportunity to create a cosmic collage by cutting out pictures of planets, stars, and galaxies from magazines and newspapers. Discuss the Big Bang and how all these celestial bodies came into existence.

Science Art Montessori

8. Sun Catchers: Discuss the origins of our solar system’s star, the sun, and have your students create sun catchers using colorful tissue paper. This can be a great way to explore the different colors of the sun and how they are visible to us.

9. Universe Mobile: Make a universe mobile to showcase the Big Bang and the creation of our universe. Students can create planets, stars, and galaxies to hang from the mobile.

10. Astronaut Art: Discuss space travel and astronauts’ role in exploring space. Let your students create astronaut art that depicts them exploring the galaxies and space beyond, giving them a glimpse into the vast universe beyond our planet.

children making clay objects in a montessori classroom with spramani

By incorporating these art projects into your Montessori lessons, your students can learn the vastness of space in a fun and interactive way.

Montessori Art Activities | Big Bang Art Lessons
montessori art curriculum

Order my Montessori Art Books & Curriculum HERE

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How Clay Modeling Can Reduce Stress

clay modeling

Tactile Art-Making Is Beneficial for Stress Relief

Over my twenty years of naturalistic art observations, I’ve witnessed tactile art projects like clay modeling lead kids into relaxed states of mind time and time again. I’ve seen stressed children come into my classroom and quickly be able to transition into a calm and relaxed state. As a result, allowing them to focus on their handiwork. Most art activities are multi-sensory engaging and can help children relax and work calmly.
Making art with your hands stimulates touch neural input, visual pathways communicate with both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Therefore, auditory and smell sensory systems collect information all at once, entering an active multi-sensory learning state. In addition, making art modeling clay is high in visual-auditory connectivity in the brain. Strong connectivity occurs, and the child becomes intensely focused on their handiwork.


Children using their hands can be so engaged that other stress-related thoughts clear their minds, and they enter a state of flow. As a result, students can forget the stress-related emotions they were experiencing before entering a creative state of flow.
The electrical activity stimulated in the brain becomes a different type of action. Then, firing connections occur that allow children to focus only on their creative process.
Soon, a calming effect takes place because tactile cognitive processing is occurring as children form or manipulate objects with their hands. It’s good for children to develop good habits and activities during their sensitive periods so they can regulate their own relaxation early in life through creative handiwork. Consequently, I’ve coined the phrase “active multi-sensory learning” to explain this cognitive state.

Clay Modeling Activity Can Reduce Stress

Clay modeling can be a great way children can have active multi-sensory learning happen and reduce stress! I’ve been teaching these types of lessons for two decades with clay modeling activities and using a variety of clay mediums for multi-sensory learning. Also, the other important aspect of these types of lessons is that children love them and take to them well.
To illustrate, if you find a child fidgety, highly stressed, or exhibiting anxiety, I recommend you engage them in clay modeling activities. In addition, another tip I would recommend is dedicating a place to these art materials and making them easily available in your classroom, home, or school. Because of this, if you observe students with these persistent signals, follow your school protocols or seek professional therapists. Most importantly, do not try to treat children exhibiting trauma yourself unless you are a licensed therapist.

Basic Clay Modeling Steps:

  • Prepare a bowl with malleable clay in plastic baggies to keep moist.
  • Start with calming, kneading movements (a ceramic technique).
  • Encourage students to knead the clay for long period (5-10 minutes).
  • Allow students to transition into process-based exploration forms.
  • Do not give students complex instructions to follow.
  • Leave simple clay books or activity instructions nearby.

Recommended Clays to Buy:

  • Plasticine, non-hardening clay (Click to Buy)
  • Air-dry clay
  • Pottery earth clay
  • Pure beeswax modeling clay

Recommended Reading:

Clay Play – By Spramani Elaun (Click to Buy)

In this book, you’ll learn how to:

  • Support kids with simple fine-motor clay activities
  • Introduce kids to therapeutic play using clay modeling
  • Prepare clay-making environment kids to thrive in
  • Help kids overcome frustrations using modeling
  • Gather tools and supplies for clay play
  • Identify simple movements and forms best for early childhood

Recommended Curriculum to Follow:

Clay Modeling – Practice & Process Curriculum, 27 Sequential Lessons (Click to Buy)

Contact me if you’d like to learn more about teaching children art using Montessori methods.