Painting With Primary Colors | What to start with?
Sometimes I get a lot of questions from teachers and parents wanting to know which colors they should first introduce to their students. So, I often recommend starting with primary colors red, yellow, and blue (water-soluble mediums).
Just start with these three primary colors if your student is new to painting. Learning to mix primary hues can teach lots of valuable secondary mixing lessons.
A book I published a couple of years back called Kids Color Theory is available in my store, and a recently designed Kids Color Theory Curriculum is now available too. You can order both in digital form or paperback copy here.
Kids Color Theory Book
Primary hues can come in lots of different mediums.
If you look at my pictures I have primary hues in all of these mediums which can be used to teach color theory:
Acrylic
Watercolor
Watercolor crayons
Watercolor pencils
As you can see, there are many options to choose from. Many are available in my store.
I review each one of these mediums in my book Kids Color Theory and how they work.
Painting with primary colors is a lot of fun. My book will show you how you can teach your students primaries. It will show how they can mix their own secondary colors, and fun value color mixing ideas. In my Montessori Color Mixing Curriculum, I have over 37 color mixing lessons you can follow. Check out my color mixing curriculum here.
Water tub color play evolved many years ago for me when introducing toddlers to primary color lessons. Watching the children, I noticed children getting transfixed on colors when pouring from bowl to bowl.
They became delighted when colors transformed into another different hue. Then, I even witnessed toddlers try to correct the colors by pouring other combinations of colors together.
Toddlers were no longer distracted by their surroundings and became totally absorbed by these color transformations. It was exciting to notice calmness and relaxation set in with the children as they painted. Although I knew they were not mixing colors intentionally, they were processing discovery. And, they knew something was happening because of their actions. Order my book Kids Color Theory Curriculum to help you teach your kids about primary colors while having fun!
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 foreignlanguage 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.
How to Support Montessori Painting with Young Children
I’ve been painting with many children in staged Montessori art spaces over the years, and I’ve also observed how they best learn to paint. So, I wanted to share some tips on how to support concentration and independence while kids paint. These tips can be helpful if you’re trying to create more Montessori painting activities within your classroom or home.
Here are some tips on how you can support creative painting sessions:
Flow & Concentration
Independence
Exploration & Discovery
Creative Experimentation
Freedom Within Limits
Support Flow & Concentration
Allow uninterrupted periods of creative time while your students are working. When you don’t interrupt children’s painting, they can enter more creative states of flow with heightened concentration. Children can concentrate and go deeper into learning new ideas when not interrupted. To help with these states of flow, try to observe your students from a distance. Too often, creative flow is interrupted by teachers or parents. You should practice more uninterrupted work periods by being conscious of how you are interacting with your child during their painting sessions.
Support Independence
You can support your students’ independence by preparing their art environment to support their painting independence. Think about how you have arranged their painting space. Is their working space aligned with their level of abilities? Is their drying area nearby and easy for them to hang or lay their paintings on? Are materials all set up and easy for them to reach so they can get to work? Have you given them the right amount of demonstrations so they know how to use all the materials properly? By revisiting demonstrations, you can support your child to work more independently.
Support Exploration & Discovery
Exploration and discovery can come in many ways. Allow your children the freedom to choose their materials, such as paint colors, and paintbrush sizes. You can even give them the freedom to choose the size of paper they want to paint on. Children flourish when they can explore how materials behave or even discover how they work in different ways. The process of exploration and discovery is the best way young children learn painting skills. Allow for lots of discovery time. Young children learn to paint over a long period of time. Try supporting more exploration and discovery rather than the outcome.
Support Creative Experimentation
When children go in different directions than you had planned, take a deep breath and allow their experimentation to happen. Example: If they do not use the paintbrush the way you demonstrated or do not choose the colors you planned in your example. You might be thinking, “Green would look lovely for painting turtles,” but your student thinks, “Purple turtles are better!” If your child uses their fingers to paint instead of the paintbrush you took time to stage, as long as they are safe and not disrespecting the art materials, simply allow this type of creative experimentation to go on. This is truly considered one of the artistic processes the National Core Art Standards supports; it’s called INVESTIGATE!
Support Freedom Within Limits
YES, discovery and exploration are part of the creative process, but we can provide freedom within limits by presentations and demonstrations that support healthy limits. We can demonstrate where the painting will take place, where it’s accepted in the art environment, and where it’s NOT allowed.
One of the biggest lessons I learned early on, which I share in several of my kids’ painting books, is that you need to explain to children where painting is not allowed, like the walls, and how walking around with loaded paintbrushes is not allowed outside of their art workspace. I also explain to children how to set up and clean up when they are done painting.
As a homeschool mom, I even had to explain this to two of my own little artists. The freedom should be in what they want to express or paint but not where they want to paint. 😉
I hope these tips help you bring the joy of painting into your Montessori spaces.
If you want to learn more, I recommend learning more about my books, video training, and art supplies.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
Every summer, I host art camps in San Diego, and my students’ top favorite project to do with me is to paint papers! In this post, we will teach you how to paint paper and collage like artist and author Eric Carle. So I thought I would share this fun Montessori art activity you can introduce to your students.
I like to give my students unusual tools, bright paint colors, different colored papers, and crazy things to make interesting textures and patterns. This also prepares papers for future projects that can be cut and be collage into interesting shapes.
Teach the Elements
Painting papers is a great way to teach the Elements and Principles of Design. You can teach texture and patterns, a vital art standard topic children should learn in Montessori art lessons. The artist and author Eric Carle is famous for doing this fun and vibrant method in his book illustrations. Eric Carle is famous for PAINTED PAPERS and collaging them into beautiful creatures featured in all his books.
Eric Carle, artist and children’s book author
How-to PAINT PAPER like Eric Carle | Montessori Art
What is paint paper?
Painted paper is basically paint applied onto paper. You can paint plain white paper or colored paper. Paper painting can be created with different mediums like watercolor, gel paints, tempera, or acrylic paints (any paint).
What can you do with painted paper?
Like Eric Carle, the famous artist, paint the papers first, let them dry second, then third cut them up into new collage artworks. Eric Carle’s famous painting papers created The Very Hungry Caterpillar book with this unique painted technique.
Interesting objects that make patterns and textures
Drying rack
Interesting tools
Painted papers can be taught in a process-based manner
Process-based painting is more about the experience rather than following directions. When kids paint process-based, they are able to go in any direction they choose. They can explore any texture, use any color, and have any outcome happen, but have very cool painted paper; they can later cut turn into another art piece. Process-based art lessons and painted papers are a great way to start teaching Montessori art lessons.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
I talk to so many adults and teachers who think art is just a frivolous subject, an activity to give kids to do to keep them quiet for an hour or so. Some might even know the value of art in that it encourages kids to think creatively and work through complex emotions. Art benefits both their mental health and their fine motor skills too. But, did you know art-making stimulates kids’ brain development!? It goes beyond creative expression (although that’s important too) and actually has lasting positive effects on kids’ brains!
You may think that the art projects and lessons you’ve been doing in your Montessori classroom are just busy work—filling time and keeping kids busy. But in fact, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes action going on during each art activity that fuels students’ brain development. We know that when a child touches an object, information is sent through their sensory nerves to their brain. Visual art learning happens through direct sensory interactions which stimulate learning in different ways than visual and audio learning.
These sensory experiences can help young students learn more, better understand different ideas and concepts, and art-making stimulates kids’ brain development. Here are a few areas where art directly benefits kids’ brain development.
Gross Fine-Motor Skills
Visual arts provides kids with the opportunity to use their hands on a regular basis. They are holding pencils, pinching and sculpting clay, cutting with scissors, and making fluid brushstrokes. These all help kids build their hand muscles and strengthen their hand-eye coordination as well as fine motor movements.
Connection to Vocabulary and Communication
Visual arts help kids make connections across different subjects and ideas to be able to better understand things. So, when kids explore different art activities, they’re actually learning how to communicate what they see in their artworks and how to describe the artistic process they used to create. In doing this, they unknowingly start making observations such as, “I see color,” “I see pink,” “I see a squiggly line,” “I see zigzags.” When they communicate those observations to you or each other, they begin to develop their art language and a greater vocabulary. As a result, they improve and develop important cognitive processing.
Stress Regulation
Creating art also helps children wire their brains to regulate stress. Art gives them the tools to learn how to calm themselves down. Tactile sensory processing occurs when children create art; neural networks fire and signal their focus solely on what they’re doing with their hands, blocking outside thoughts and stimuli. What happens is, if kids are stressed out or upset about something and they’re making art, they can’t focus on that. Art involves active learning, meaning they have to focus on what they’re doing immediately, which takes away the upsetting, stressful things that are happening in their environment.
Implicit Memory
Another area of brain development art fuels is implicit memory. When kids learn repeated movements, they’re strengthening their implicit memory and are actually storing this new information. The next time that they engage in an art activity, implicit memory kicks in and their hand movements will come naturally—the actions are wired and become linked in their brain. That means they don’t have to consciously think about every minute action; they will see a paintbrush, and instinctively know to pick it up, dip it into the palette or water, and start creating. The sensory information of seeing the paintbrush and then holding it in their hand immediately send that information to their brain, triggering an action. Building this implicit memory helps develop more skills down the road; they’ll have this implicit memory already stored in their brain and can then focus on new skills to learn.
Spatial Intelligence
Spatial intelligence is learned through creating with forms in space. When children make art, they become aware of the spatial relationships among objects in the realm of their own experiences. This gives them the ability to visualize and manipulate elements, rotate objects, and distinguish depth and balance—which is critical in early childhood brain development. It’s important to note that spatial intelligence is something that cannot be taught unless kids are actually doing an activity; art gives them the experience of seeing how things interact and happen dynamically or statically.
Where to Start: Lesson Plans to Ensure Art Stimulates Kids’ Brain Development
Here’s some great news: students will automatically start getting all these benefits any time they create art! That means you don’t have to have any fancy art mediums or materials or complicated lesson plans. You can do simple activities to make sure art stimulates kids’ brain development. The more art lessons and activities you plan for your Montessori students, the more they’ll deepen their neural networks and build on all these developmental skills. Any art lesson, especially those that involve process-based or exploratory learning, will benefit kids’ brain development.
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.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
As teachers, we always want what’s best for our students; we want them to excel at the task at hand and get the most out of their lessons. If you want them to succeed, knowing when to teach them is just as important as how and what you teach them. Because, believe it or not, there are actually optimal times to teach specific types of lessons. And the best time to teach Montessori art lessons is going to differ from math or science.
There’s been a lot of research and studies done on the optimal time for learning, and much of it has found that people tend to be the most primed for analytical thinking in the early morning.
This means that morning will typically be the best time to teach the more logical or methodical lessons—such as math, science, reading, and writing. These subjects require sharp, critical thinking.
A Danish study, conducted over the course of three years, looked at how the time of day affected kids’ test-taking skills. The results showed that for every hour later in the day the test was scheduled, scores decreased by about 1%. This, again, shows that children are ‘better thinkers’ in the morning and earlier in the day.
So what does this mean for the best time to teach Montessori art lessons?
Art is pretty much on the other side of the spectrum from those critical-thinking type subjects. A big difference between visual arts and academics is that there are no wrong answers in creative art; it’s all about each artist’s perception and how they want to design, make, and create things. Instead of needing to think logically or analytically, art involves a more relaxed state of mind.
To get into a creative flow, kids don’t need to have full focus on their project—in fact, it’s best if they have very little on their minds, and are actually in a more playful mood.
That’s why I suggest that the best time to teach Montessori art is in the later afternoon.
So if you’re in a traditional classroom setting, schedule your more analytical subjects in the morning; and after kids break for lunch, they can set up for their art lessons and assignments. If you wait until after lunch, kids will typically be more refreshed, more playful, and in a more relaxed state—which is the optimum state for creative and innovative thinking.
Where to Start: Build Your Schedule Around the Best Time to Teach Montessori Art
Your classroom’s schedule is likely to change from day to day and week to week, but if you know that there really is a best time to teach analytical subjects and a best time to teach art, that should be the place to start. This should help you organize and plan ahead for your lessons during the academic school year. And if you need ideas on the what—as in what to teach in those art lessons, check out this blog for more Montessori art lesson-planning ideas.
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.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
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.
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.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
We made it through another year and I’m super excited for all the new lessons I have planned for you in this new year! I have so many art teaching tips, advice, lessons, and trainings I can’t wait to share and talk about! But today, I want to share some advice on teaching kids virtually, specifically, how to modify Montessori art lessons for virtual teaching—since it looks like that’s how a lot of us will be starting the year off (at least for us here in California and a few other U.S. states).
(By the way… find me on Instagram, @nature.of.art.kids and let me know if schools in your area are currently open or closed!)
Last year was a rollercoaster, to say the least, but as teachers we had to adapt. I taught all my normal art lessons, but modified them to work virtually during the pandemic. And guess what? They were huge successes!
I hope this new year turns out to be so much better than last, but just in case we’re looking at more virtual teaching and crazy curveballs, here are a few ways to make virtual teaching a little easier—and even fun!
5 Ways I Modified Montessori Art Lessons for Virtual Teaching
If I’m being honest, I genuinely loved teaching in 2020. It gave me the chance to be a little creative in how I taught my students. And being an art teacher, I love the chance to be creative! Here are five ways I changed my teaching methods!
I embraced storybooks into my lessons. I read fun art storybooks out loud, virtually on camera. Then, kids created their own artworks based on the topics of each book. (This type of lesson can be repeated again and again and again—with a new book each time!)
I shared fun links to really cool art museums. Kids had the chance to visit those museums virtually and tell me what they liked or thought was weird. Then we created our own version of the artworks we discussed. There are lots of virtual tours offered on museum websites from all over the world! That means there is a TON of lesson and project ideas. (Always check out the kids’ education pages and resources for inspiration.)
I mixed things up. Rather than having the kids look at me or just listen to just me instruct, I shared pictures and presentation slides of artworks and did lots of screen sharing in Zoom. It kept students super engaged. I also timed these lessons to be 15 minutes or less, to keep kids from being bored or checking out of my talks.
I had discussions about art, instead of just giving lectures. I listened and asked my students about their thoughts and opinions. I’m not talking boring art history lessons here—I mean cool art conversations about buildings, inventions, fun pop art, and unusual art pieces. And do you know what? Kids learned a ton about art without even having to make it. Just by having conversations and having students reflect on art, you are taking kids through one of the steps of the artistic process. So don’t feel pressured to make something creative or pretty every time.
I gave kids less time to work on their projects. I didn’t want them to have to sit in front of the screen for too long or work so long they get distracted. I truly modified how each segment was addressed, so we worked on a project more slowly, over time (sometimes just working on it for 15 minutes a day). It gave myself and my students some breathing room and it gave kids something to look forward to working on the next day!
I truly believe there is always a way to keep your students engaged and excited for learning art literacy.
Where to Start: Think Outside the Box
You just have to think outside of the box and maybe even step away from typical, traditional mediums.
For example, I challenged kids to make artworks using items from around the house and out of mediums they already had. Not everyone has the same supplies at home, so I was very relaxed and let them use anything they wanted.
One project that was a big hit was creating mandalas! I asked kids to make a mandala out of whatever they wanted, and it could be a 2D or 3D version. So many fun things came back! Chalk mandalas, sticks and stones mandalas, painted rock mandalas, colorings of mandalas—so much creativity! BUT get your kids’ parents’ permission first, because they just might use up all the toothpaste as paint—yes, this was one student’s brilliant idea and while I loved it, mom was not exactly on board.
One Step Further: Download My Easy Montessori Art Lesson Prompts Cheat Sheet
Before I became a Montessori art teacher trainer, I was an artist and homeschool mom. I also taught other art students from around my community how to create art, and have led programs in museums and educational conferences from different pedagogies throughout the world. With all this experience (more than three decades!), I’ve been able to observe the activities that excite and engage students. I’ve also learned what prompts can be done virtually anywhere—from your classroom to your students’ homes!
These virtual Montessori lessons support independent learning—and I’m sure parents will thank you for them! While you can offer these prompts to students to do while schools are closed, I also encourage you to do them in your classroom as well once school starts up again. They’re easy for you and fun for your students!
You can download 10 FREE Easy Montessori Art Activities by clicking here.
A Short Cut Just for You: Downloadable Art Lessons for Virtual Teaching
Here’s some good news: YOU can teach your kids art at home—and you don’t need any experience to do so. I’ve created the Kids Art At Home Lessons Download so that you can start presenting easy and fun art lessons to your kids.
This limited-time bundle features art lessons from each of the visual arts domains (drawing, painting, clay modeling, crafting, and color theory), so you’re actually laying a solid foundation for your child’s art education. You’ll receive:
1 Drawing Lesson
1 Color Mixing Lesson
1 Painting Lesson
1 Clay Modeling Lesson
1 Craft Lesson
PLUS, you’ll also get 50 art lesson ideas, a materials list, and video and blog resources so your kids can continue to do art every day while at home! All of this is delivered as a bundle; you’ll download each item separately, so you and your child can be introduced to and work through the activities one at a time so they don’t get overwhelmed.
You can purchase Kids Art At Home: A Bundle of Beginner Art Curriculum & Activities for Kids—which is available for just a limited time—by clicking here.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
The tradition of making gingerbread houses has been a favorite with my family and kids of all ages at my art workshops for many, many years. But did you know that the tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses dates back all the way to the 1800s? The tradition started in Germany and became popularized by the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, which was published in 1812. That means that whenever you’re doing gingerbread decorating with kids, you’re participating in a tradition that’s more than 200 years old!
Of course, you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy decorating gingerbread houses—adults really love it too! I started the tradition of decorating gingerbread houses with my kids when they were young teens, and I thought they would lose interest as they got older, but every year they get more excited to outdo their last creation with even more creativity and details! It’s something we all look forward to every December.
Gingerbread Decorating with Kids
The first few years we started decorating gingerbread houses, we actually started with plain graham crackers—not gingerbread!—and icing. They came out so darling! In years after that, we would go “treasure hunting” and local candy stores for new and pretty sweet treats to add to our houses.
What I love about this holiday tradition is that it’s really an art activity kids can do at home! Art can be presented in so many ways to kids, and this one is always so much fun!
I would always show my kids pictures of other gingerbread creations to look at for ideas, but allowed them the freedom to make their house any way they wanted. It’s important to let your kids just have fun and be creative—there’s no right or wrong way to decorate a gingerbread house. After all, even if their house topples over, it’ll still be a delicious treat to eat!
What You Need:
A flat and sturdy surface, like cardboard – you can use boxes from holiday packages or recycle a pizza box; just trim them to size and line them with foil, parchment paper, or wax paper
Graham crackers or baked gingerbread (The Food Network has a great gingerbread recipe) or a gingerbread house kit
Icing
An assortment of candy
Wipes and paper towels
Where to Start: A Pre-Made Kit for Gingerbread Decorating with Kids
Of course, I believe making a gingerbread (or graham cracker) house from scratch is a fun challenge for kids, but there are some really great short cuts out there too. So many stores offer gingerbread house kits and they come in all different shapes and sizes—houses, castles, villages, even trains, and a camper! If you go this route and buy a pre-made kit or even a pre-made house, I strongly suggest you find extra treats to add to it. The kits are usually pretty standard, and offering your kids more types of candies and icings to decorate with will allow them to be more creative and have even more fun!
Knowing that the tradition of gingerbread houses has ties to a fairy tale is proof that we can use stories to inspire our art. While the story of Hansel and Gretel may not be suitable for younger kids, there are many, many other story books that can serve as inspiration!
I created this free training, How to Theme Art Lessons with Story Books, to show you exactly how to use story books (plus science and history books too) to create art lessons for kids. It makes coming up with art themes and activities easy, and shows you how to bridge literature and text books with a creative outlet like art—which helps kids make connections, stay engaged, and retain valuable lessons and concepts. Get the training for free by clicking here!
A Short Cut Just for You
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be ‘artsy’ or do many art activities with your children, you’ll find that decorating gingerbread houses opens up a whole new world of art appreciation! Art doesn’t have to be stuffy still-life paintings or incredibly detailed statues—it’s simply fun! And to a young child, exploring art through play is a natural way to learn and appreciate it.
If you want to learn more about how to give your children fun, meaningful, and educational art activities that stimulate their senses and little minds, check out my book Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally.
Many books have been written on the subject of teaching visual arts to children, but they use traditional fine art as examples and in lessons. My book, on the other hand, teaches you how to set up kids to explore and develop their own natural creative abilities. Art is a brilliant way to help your child strengthen their fine motor skills, better express their emotions, and tap into creative problem-solving and thinking—and Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally breaks it all down for you so it’s easy to understand and facilitate.
Download the e-book of Nurturing Children in the Visual Arts Naturally now, by clicking here!
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 foreignlanguage 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.
During the holiday things get busier, but we also create space for special moments, even in the Montessori classroom. Painting holiday crafts are a fantastic way for children to express their creativity and independence. I’ve painted ornaments with countless kids in classrooms and workshops during the holidays, and they all enjoy this craft immensely! It’s a keepsake that students and their families can cherish for years. Every year, I have kids coming back to create a new ornament for their collection.
Setting Up a Kids Craft Activity
One of the great things about this kids’ holiday craft is its simplicity in setup, requiring just a basic paint kit without the need for many special items. Opting for woodcraft ornaments is beneficial as they are environmentally friendly compared to plastic and safer for younger children than glass ornaments.
Here are some handy tips for organizing this festive art activity for your students (or for kids at home too!):
Creating a Mess-Free Painting Area
Ensure the painting space is located in an area where children can freely engage in a bit of messiness. Consider using a drop cloth, especially if painting indoors. Provide smocks, aprons, or large old t-shirts for the kids to wear, protecting their clothes from potential stains—some paints are challenging to wash off fabrics.
To enhance the painting experience, place the materials at eye level on a flat and stable surface, such as a table. Adding another layer of protection with a drop cloth or old newspaper on top can further safeguard the painting area from spills and splatters.
Ornament Supplies
Here’s a list of everything you’ll need for this kids’ holiday craft:
Wooden ornaments – any shape will work, but ‘holiday shapes’ add to the festive spirit
Acrylic paint – for the best and longest-lasting results
Paintbrushes – various sizes, including fine/tiny ones for details
Paint palette – any size works, even a simple paper plate
Glitter – choose any color; white glitter adds a lovely touch to painted ornaments
Smock – or another cover-up to protect kids’ clothes from acrylic paint stains
Napkins – for cleaning paintbrushes between color changes
Water jar – for rinsing paintbrushes
Hairdryer (optional) – handy for speeding up the drying process, especially for older kids or adults working on intricate details
Ornaments: You can purchase unfinished wood craft shapes at local superstores, craft stores, or online. Glass orb ornaments can also be used, but caution is advised with younger children. Consider recycling old ornaments by refreshing their designs or allowing kids to create new ones from scratch.
Paint: Opt for acrylic paint for its durability and longevity. Memories can last a lifetime—I still display ornaments my kids painted when they were young every holiday season! Ensure you use kid-safe, non-toxic acrylic paint for this activity.
How to choose colors
Encourage children to express their creativity freely by allowing them to paint whatever inspires them, whether traditional holiday themes or personal creations. While kids may opt for symbols of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or other winter holidays, they have the freedom to choose.
Here are some recommended colors to kickstart the painting process:
Red
Black
White
Gold
Silver
Dark Green
Yellow
Orange
Pink
Purple
Brown
Burgundy deep red
If you don’t have all these colors, that’s perfectly fine; beautiful ornaments can still be created using just three to four colors!
Remember, when using glitter, ensure children apply it while the paint is wet. If they wait until the paint dries completely, the glitter won’t adhere well and may not stick effectively.
Take it a Step Further: Grab Your FREE Kids Holiday Crafts Painting Checklist!
If you’re new to painting activities with your students, get ready for a delightful experience—kids truly enjoy this craft! The setup is straightforward, making it easy to repeat with your students multiple times throughout the holiday season. You can also explore related activities like rock painting or painting on paper using the same materials; only the images, paint colors, and canvases may vary.
Discover a straightforward guide tailored for teachers and parents to kickstart painting lessons with ease. This book equips you with essential knowledge on the required materials, the best paints suited for kids, fundamental painting techniques, and my top tips for creating an exciting painting exploration experience for your students. Get ready to ignite a passion for art in your students as you embark on this colorful journey of creativity and learning. Unleash the joy of painting and inspire young minds to express themselves through art! ORDER NOW
Once you see how much your students love painting, you’re going to want to include it as a regular part of your curriculum. My Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum has 57 master lessons that walk students through everything they need to know to be successful at painting, from setting up a paint station and holding a brush all the way to creating beautiful nature landscapes and painting different types of animals!
Each lesson is part of a sequence and includes all the components, tips, materials lists, and instructions you need to ensure you will be able to actually teach your students to become skilled painters. All you have to do is simply follow the instructions and easily present the activities to your students.
Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum sets the foundation for their art education and will help them transform into little artists! To purchase the curriculum, click here.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already October and Halloween is upon us! I love Halloween! I love the creativity that comes with it—the fun costumes, the sweet treats, and the spooky crafts! These easy Montessori Halloween crafts for kids are the perfect way to bring the Halloween season—and a little fun—into your classroom!
If you’re like most of us right now, Halloween snuck up on you. Its a fun busy season for everyone!
Not to worry though! I’ve rounded up some last-minute, super easy Halloween crafts you can put together for you students (or your kids at home) with stuff you likely have around the house already.
Where to Start: 5 Last-Minute, Easy Montessori Halloween Crafts
Here are some easy Montessori Halloween crafts for kids that you can pull together in just a few minutes!
1. Stamped Halloween Ghosts
If you have paper, a pencil, a pair of scissors, and some paint, you can do this project! Have your students or children draw out a ghost shape on a piece of paper, then cut it out. Place that cut out on top of another piece of paper, then dip the pencil eraser in paint and stamp along the edge of the paper. When you remove the paper, it’ll reveal spooky ghost shapes!
This is one of my favorite painting projects to do with kids any time of year! You can find rocks outside (or at a craft store), and then all you need is paint and a paintbrush. For Halloween, I like to encourage children to make spooky designs, like ghosts, monsters, jack-o’-lanterns, and even Frankenstein. For full instructions on how to set up this easy Halloween craft, click here.
3. Toilet Paper Roll Spider Stamp + Craft
You might have to dig through your recycle bin for this one, but the supplies are pretty basic! Start by making four even cuts on each side of a toilet paper roll; and then cut off a square piece on both sides, in between the sets of legs. Fold the ends back and then dip the stamp into black paint and stamp it onto paper. This will give you an outline for a spider that children can then decorate! Once they’re done using the stamps, they can then paint them, add some eyes, and now they have a spooky spider craft too!
Stores are still filled with pumpkins of all sizes, and believe it or not, they make the perfect canvas for painting projects for kids! I love this activity because kids of all ages can do it—you don’t have to worry about little hands and sharp knives like you would for carving pumpkins! If you want pumpkin painting ideas and details on how to set up a painting area, click here.
This paper bat craft is a great one to do around Halloween. You will be cutting paper, learning how to teach your students about concentric circles and splattering paint. Click here for download and video insturctions
As you can see, all these last-minute Halloween projects involve painting. Painting is such an easy project to set up and kids love it. With just a basic tool kit of painting materials, you’ll always be ready to set up a quick painting activity for your kids. If you want a free downloadable version of the paint materials listed above (plus a few more), get my Kids Painting Materials Checklist now by clicking here.
Once you see how much your students love painting, you’re going to want to include it as a regular part of your curriculum. My Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum has 57 master lessons that walk students through everything they need to know to be successful at painting, from setting up a paint station and holding a brush all the way to creating beautiful nature landscapes and painting different types of animals!
Each lesson is part of a sequence and includes all the components, tips, materials lists, and instructions you need to ensure you will be able to actually teach your students to become skilled painters. All you have to do is simply follow the instructions and easily present the activities to your students.
Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum sets the foundation for their art education and will help them transform into little artists! To purchase the curriculum, click here.
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 foreignlanguage 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.
