Create powerful curriculum that will engage and excite your students in fresh new ways by combining lessons with Montessori arts and crafts. Not only does it allow students to develop their creative thinking and imaginations, but it also helps them make tangible connections to sometimes complicated concepts. Thinking about subject matters through art construction supports students to think in complex ways.
Bringing Montessori arts and crafts into you classroom is as simple as combining them together with what you’re already teaching in the classroom presently. It can be as easy as putting out different art mediums and having students respond to the stories and ideas you’re sharing through their works.
When I visit Montessori classrooms to teach art, I always check in with the teacher and ask: What’s going on in the classroom? What are the important lessons you’re teaching right now? Then I customize the art activity to support the teachers topics by creating art projects around those ideas. All you have to do is simply look at your core lessons and turn those into easy art activities.
Imagine not having to stress about what art activity you have to teach!
Creating and making artworks is highly kinesthetic, so if you have some students that benefit from this learning style, you’re giving that student more opportunities to engage and understand topics better. This allows students to use mental energy (in creating) along with physical energy (in making). Art making is a lovely way to present new ideas to different types of learners, setting you up to be far more successful in helping all your students learn—no matter their learning style.
There’s no reason to go searching for art ideas outside of your classroom when your core lesson can be an inspiration. You just need to add to what your students are learning already. I promise it will make things so much easier for you—you may even end up enjoying art lesson planning!
I dedicate a full chapter (chapter 17) to this topic in my book, Introducing Visual Arts to Montessori Classrooms. So, if you want more information on how to integrate visual art into the curriculum, you can order the book here.
Where to Start: Combine Montessori Arts and Crafts with Core Lessons
Here’s a couple of great way to combine art activities with your Montessori lesson plans:
- Take kids on nature walks to observe their surroundings, maybe collect specimens like rocks, leaves, seeds, flowers to use in art activities.
- Encourage students to keep nature journals with sketches and diagrams of plants, insects, birds, animals, weather, season.
- Create botanical bookmarks by stamping leaves with an ink pad, creating leaf rubbings with crayons, taping or gluing botanicals to bookmarks, or by drawing or painting images of botanicals. (Bookmarks can be cut into any shapes or sizes.)
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The Phases of Art Development is a quick digital course that explains how art making can help students develop their creativity, fine-motor skills, and focus. More importantly, I share what types of projects students at every age are capable of completing safely, and without making a mess.
Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.
One Step Further: FREE Mini Course
I created a FREE online video mini course—Phases of Art Development—that teaches exactly what kids are capable of learning Understanding what your students can learn (in early childhood, lower elementary, or upper elementary) will help you decide what to teach them.
Even better—the mini course comes with a rock painting integrated lesson. You’ll have everything you need to set up an art activity that reflects a Montessori Great Lesson. You can sign up for the FREE mini training and get the rock painting art lesson by clicking here.
Don’t worry, I have a very special resource for elementary teachers too! My all new Color Theory: Practice & Process Curriculum has dozens and dozens of color theory lessons for lower elementary and upper elementary Montessori students. The lessons build on each other to provide students with the knowledge they need to understand color theory and start the artistic process. Plus, every lesson is laid out, step-by-step, so all you have to do is read up and follow the instructions! To purchase Colory Theory Curriculum for your classroom, click here.
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