1-hour Montessori Art Lesson Training for Teachers
As a teacher, I sometimes struggle with coming up with the next art activity for my early childhood Montessori students. That’s why I created this Montessori art lesson for teachers just like you. I will be sharing all kinds of new ideas on how to pull together simple art lessons for you to teach to your students.
Teachers have these preconceived notions on what it takes to create art lessons.
They often think they need to be an artist, or have to introduce the Masters to children, and even know how to appreciate the arts themselves.
This 1-hour video training is full of creative ideas on ways to teach simple art concepts – Just by using children’s storybooks!
I share so many ideas, talk about what’s really important to teach and I share some tips on scheduling art projects through the school year.
Need Montessori art teaching tips from a pro?
Tap over and register for this limited time video training, and watch today:
How-to Theme Art Activities – 1 Hr. Video Training
Hosted by Spramani Elaun – International Montessori Art Trainer
Visual Arts Teaching Guide for 13 Months – 6 Years Old
This book includes: ✅ My proprietary art teaching method ✅ The proper and complete list of art materials ✅ A guide for staging and setting up a successful art environment ✅ Tips and art lesson ideas for early childhood ✅ A convenient three-ring binder presentation
3 Tips for Teaching Art Lessons – Plan, Organize, and Prepare
Teaching messy art lessons can be stressful and have you quickly unraveling like a wet noodle!
Whether you are working with one child at home or shuffling large groups into your Montessori classroom each hour, the following tips will help. These tips are from my signature Art Teaching Blueprint™ training course.
Where to Start: Plan, Prepare and Organize
Plan
Always be sure you have created the art lesson ahead of time before you present it to your students. You will be able to work out the bugs and know how the artistic process will unfold.
Prepare
By doing the project ahead of time, you can test the quality of the materials, be sure you have plenty on hand and know they will yield the results you expect
Organize
Organize the materials to ensure they are ready for children to work in groups by having them staged on a shelf or table. When I have art materials staged, it’s easier for independent students to work and get their material, and it’s easy for me to get young students what they need by having everything staged ahead of time.
Additional Tips
Working smaller is my best signature tip that I can share here. It gives me more control as an art teacher. By shrinking all the materials, like papers, paintbrushes, and mediums, I can control the messy outcomes. I share this tip in many of my videos and books. I live by this rule. I’m still able to provide a quality art program; I just have children work smaller to help maintain the large masses.
If you want to learn more about my art teaching method, you can visit my blogs, watch my free videos, or order my books and digital courses.
Inspiring children to be creative and use their imagination should not put us as parents and teachers at the mercy of chaotic art lessons. I promise if you use these tips, you will love teaching children art lessons.
One Step Further: 7 Must-Have Painting Materials Checklist!
No more messy paint projects! 🎨
Ever had an art activity explode in your classroom and swore never to paint with kids again?
I have . . . lots of times, and it taught me some very valuable lessons I can now laugh about! 😂
Well, it’s not your fault. It’s truly all in the set-up before you even get started.
I totally get it, and I’m here to share my painting set-up tips and hacks!
There’s no way to know the secrets to painting with kids unless you’ve painted with tens of thousands of kids of all ages like I have!
For the longest time, teachers of early childhood students have been told, “young kids can’t learn art.” That you couldn’t teach young children art. And based on that misinformation, as well as out-of-date art teaching practices, you might be thinking that’s true too.
I’m here to tell you that’s not the case!
Toddlers and early childhood students CAN learn art!
Learn to teach young children art
It all comes down to HOW you teach them. After years of observing art, I’ve developed my very own teaching method that engages and excites young children; it introduces them to art in a way that makes sense to their little developing brains.
If you have the art bug—and you don’t have to be an artist to catch it!—and KNOW the value of art in the Montessori classroom, especially for young students, then this book is for you!
Understand easy ways you can teach art lessons
Learn secrets to theming art with storytime books
Get quick planning ideas for scheduling art activities
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.
Whether you’re a teacher trying to continue to teach your students via computer or a parent who is looking for a way to keep their learning moving forward, coming up with fun and easy educational activities can be a challenge. Giving them a break from all the online learning they’re doing is so important! That’s why I’ve created this at home art lessons download subscription — to keep your kids learning, while getting out their energy and having some art fun!
Why teach children art?
As parents, we want the best for our children. We want them to grow up to be intelligent, capable, brilliant individuals, and art is a wonderful bridge that can help them get there.
Art offers several benefits to children, including:
Helping kids develop and refine their fine-motor skills
Getting kids to think creatively and problem solve
Strengthening their emotional literacy and self-esteem
Providing a place for kids to express their emotions and creativity
Giving them an outlet to quietly burn off some energy
When you’re not equipped or don’t have the experience to teach art, it’s overwhelming and the temptation is to just give your kids some markers and hope they don’t use your walls or floor as a canvas. I’d urge you to resist that temptation!
There are two important reasons you want your children to do guided art lessons and activities:
It encourages them to develop new skills and can add an extra layer to how they learn other subjects. (This is especially key when they’re learning from home and may need extra help remembering lessons and connecting dots.)
It can ease your anxiety and give you peace of mind. When your kids are given a certain, specific art activity to complete—but it’s important to note the process is key, not the outcome—they’ll focus their energy and attention on what they are creating, leaving you with some time to focus on what you need to get done. This is where an at-home art lessons download comes in to help!
So many parents have been thrown into the role of teacher without a choice. And that’s just leading to stress! You have to balance not just being a parent, but also teacher, caregiver, entertainer, and maybe even chef—all while trying to get your own work done at the same time.
Yes, you love the time you have with your family, but sometimes a little peace and quiet is necessary. Plus you want to help your child embrace their creativity and independence, and you don’t want to stick them in front of a screen the whole day.
Where to Start: Pull Out the Right Art Supplies
Handing a marker to your five-year-old and hoping for the best isn’t the way to go about this. You want to make sure whatever art supply you’re allowing your child to explore is appropriate for their age. Regardless of how old they are, all of your children’s art supplies should be kid-safe and non-toxic. (If you’re unsure about the safety of your art supplies, I’d recommend buying items you know will be okay for your kids; all the art materials on Nature of Art for Kids are vetted and tested, so they’re safe and appropriate for kids to use).
One Step Further: Download My Kids’ Art Language Cheat Sheet
Once you’ve gotten your kids to start creating art, the next step is to help them learn to describe their artistic process and finished project. That’s why I’ve made an art language cheat sheet as a FREE resource to help you start using art vocabulary. You might not realize it, but you’re probably already using some of the Elements and Principles of Design vocabulary words (such as “color,” “line,” and “texture”) already!
When you start by giving your kids the right supplies, you won’t have to worry about them making a mess or coming to you every five minutes asking for help.
Download my Art Language Cheat Sheet for a list of art language terms. I’ve included definitions for each term as well, so you’ll feel more confident using them, knowing you’re using them correctly.
A Short Cut Just for You: At-Home Art Lessons Download
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.
Building Out an Art Calendar to Keep Your Students Busy with Something New Every Month
By Spramani Elaun
“Teaching” art can seem overwhelming, and creating an art calendar to keep your students busy with art all year long can seem impossible. The beginning of a new school year is both exciting but stressful for that very reason. While you’re mapping out all your projects and lessons for the year, art can sometimes take a backseat.
But I don’t want that to be the case for you or for your students! All it takes is some simple planning to get you going. I promise you, if you take some time to plan out your calendar, art lessons will flow better and be so much easier for you during the school year.
The best part of all this? There’s a simple, stress-free way to break it down.
In my course, Art Teaching Blueprint, I go over in detail how to create an art schedule (and the specific resources and materials you may need!) but here’s the basic idea to it.
Building Your Calendar
You’re going to start by counting up the number of teachable weeks in the school year. That may mean excluding the first two weeks of the year (when you’re still getting your class situated), weeks where you’re off for the holidays, and the last couple weeks of school (when you’re likely busy with testing). This number can vary depending on your schedule.
Now, you’re going to follow this formula:
# of teachable weeks / 5 domains = # of lessons per domain
You might be asking, what’s a domain? The way I’ve developed my art training is by breaking down visual art into five different categories, or domains. Here is an example of two:
Drawing
Painting
Let’s say you’ve counted 30 teachable weeks for the year, that would mean:
30 / 5 = 6 lessons for each domain
Knowing you only have to teach six lessons on drawing, six on painting, and so on already makes your calendar seem a bit more manageable, right?
Don’t worry, I won’t leave you here. This formula is just the basis for your calendar, you now need to fill it out with more specific lessons, or themes.
Inspiration for Your Calendar
What you decide to teach for your lessons is completely up to you, but here are some tips and monthly theme inspiration to help you finish filling in your calendar.
I’d suggest trying to integrate art projects with the lessons you’re already planning on teaching, like the Great Lessons, astronomy, physical science, etc. With this information, decide which domain makes sense for each topic. For example, if you’re learning about dinosaurs, put clay on your art shelf for students to create their own tyrannosaurus; or let them experiment with watercolors as they learn about the cosmos.
You might also want to think about holidays or special events as you map out your lessons. For instance, Earth Day is in April, so your lessons that month can focus on nature and the earth.
Here are a few other themes for each month to get you started.
Monthly Theme Ideas:
September
The Big Bang
Cosmic Education If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up for my FREE mini-course—I share a lesson on cosmic rock painting
Cultural Geography Think about crafts from different cultures around the world, like Japanese origami, skull paintings from Mexico, etc.
January
Winter Snowflakes Students can cut out snowflakes from pieces of paper, or paint a sheet full of them—each with its unique shape and design.
February
Zoology (like dinosaurs, birds, insects, etc.)
March
Geography Students can create maps of places they’re learning about in other lessons this week.)
April
Botany (seeds, plants, trees, etc.)
May
Astronomy
Summer
Beach or Ocean
Hopefully this is enough to get you started!
There are SO many ways to organize your lessons, and that’s the fun part of all this!
You can teach each lesson in succession (six straight weeks of drawing, followed by six straight weeks of painting, etc.) or rotate each lesson throughout the year.
I cover a few specific ways in Art Teaching Blueprint, and even give you a few sample calendars to follow.
So if this still feels overwhelming, make sure you check out my art certification, to enroll or email me directly at info@Spramani.com with any questions.
I’ll also be sharing a specific art project each month on the blog, so make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter for even more ideas throughout the year.
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.
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.
