Art and creativity usually go hand in hand, but I’ve seen so many teachers overteach their students when it comes to art—giving them step-by-step instructions and expecting every student’s final art project to look the same—but this stifles creativity! If you’ve been teaching like this, I’m willing to bet it’s because that’s how you were taught (especially if you only have limited art experience). But there’s a better way! And once you learn how to teach Montessori art lessons this way, not only will teaching lessons become easier for you, but you’ll also be promoting creativity in your students.
Because creativity is actually a pretty great concern amongst Montessori teachers. In fact, I’m often asked how to teach Montessori art lessons without compromising student creativity. I like to answer this question by first explaining what it means to be creative. And once you understand what creativity is, you’ll understand how to encourage it—not compromise it.
What is creativity?
Being creative means coming up with a completely new idea—something novel, something never designed before, or something conjured up from one’s own imagination.
For children to think this way, we have to get out of their way and not disturb their creative process. We have to relinquish control of the end product. Thankfully, as Montessori teachers, we’re used to giving our students the space to work independently; now, it’s just about learning how to teach art lessons that support their independence and creativity.
Balancing Teaching Art Lessons and Allowing for Creativity
While it’s okay to show step-by-step instructions and use inspirational examples, you don’t want to insist on what students’ end-project should look like. It can be tempting to fall into detailed instructions and lessons, but that doesn’t give students the freedom to be creative.
As you plan your Montessori art lessons, ask yourself these questions:
- Are you asking your students to copy step-by step instructions?
- Do you have an art sample of what the outcome should look like?
- Is your art lesson rigid, with no flexibility for kids to invent or create a new idea?
- Do you discourage your students from exploring and experimenting with mediums (i.e. they must use it the “correct” way)?
If you answered yes to these questions, you are teaching copy-mode lessons and likely with step-by-step instructions—and are definitely going to compromise creativity. To support more creativity in your Montessori classroom, you have to adjust your lessons. Allow more freedom to explore, experiment and finish the art project in any direction.
You can support creativity by teaching through process-based or choice-based methods. Choice-based teaching provides students the freedom to choose their art project, mediums, and make anything they choose. Process-based teaching is all about exploration and discovery—not the end result or what that final product is going to look like. Both of these methods allow kids to flow into their own creations without adhering to rules of what to create; they instill the idea that there is no right or wrong way to create and make art.
Where to Start: Montessori Art Lesson Creativity Guides
It’s possible to teach high-quality art skills without compromising creativity. The idea is to give your students a prompt to start with or skill set to practice, then let them create. Here are five ways to start teaching your students creative are lessons:
- Choose the art project
- Choose the artistic technique, method, or style to study
- Demonstrate how to use different mediums
- Prepare an art space for exploration and experimentation
- Allow for flexibility and freedom for kids to create their own ideas
Once you get the hang of it and practice being more hands-off, you’ll notice your students coming up with amazing new creative ideas. You will also be better supporting the artistic process and ensuring that students develop art literacy and meet art standards.
One Step Further: Watch My Training, ‘How-to Teach Art Montessori Art Lessons Using Storybooks’
I’ve worked with so many Montessori teachers from all over the world and they’ve all told me how intimidating it is to actually teach art in their classrooms. I want art to be accessible to every child, from early elementary on up—and to do that, I know that actually teaching art needs to be easy.
One way I love to introduce teachers to the idea of how to teach art is by showing you how to work with tools you already have—like storybooks! I created a virtual training that teaches you how to teach art by using storybooks to create art lesson themes. And as a bonus, I share some quick-planning ideas to help you regularly and easily schedule art activities in your Montessori classroom.
To get access to this incredible training (for free!), click here!
A Short Cut Just for You
If you’d like to learn more about all the benefits art can offer to children, read my book, Defining Visual Arts. It provides art literacy standards and gives you a guide to what you should be teaching your students. The book also includes tips for using artistic language, choosing the best art mediums, and putting together art projects for kids of different ages.
It’s truly a solid foundation to help you teach art in your classroom (in a way that’s stress-free for you, and exciting and fun for your students!). To purchase Defining Visual Arts, click here.
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