When’s the Best Time to Teach Montessori Art Lessons?

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.

When's the Best Time to Teach Montessori Art Lessons?

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.

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.

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.

April 11, 2019January 14, 2021

Ultimate Montessori Art Teaching Method Guide

I’ve worked with so many Montessori teachers who have never been taught art curriculum and have no idea how kids learn art. I’ve been in that boat before; it took me many years of working with children of all ages to really understand exactly how they learn art and what are skills they’re capable of at each age. I’m saving you from years of research and observation by creating and sharing the Ultimate Montessori Art Teaching Method Guide.

I designed this guide specifically for Montessori teachers. It covers the two Montessori planes, and each section in this guide is linked to a more detailed posts for each age.

This guide is the cumulation of more than three decades of experience working in the visual arts! I’m an artist turned mom, turned homeschool mom, turned art teacher and art manufacturer, and now I’m a Montessori art teacher trainer. My art teaching method has been taught to tens of thousands of children internationally, and now, I’m bringing the best of my knowledge and experience into the classroom of Montessori teachers.

My Art Teaching Method

I spent ten years observing children of all ages creating artworks so that I could understand recognizable cognitive patterns that revealed how children develop their skill sets. I’ve put this research on sensory art methods into studio-based practice and have seen success in many different environments.

This method is unlike any other way of teaching art. It’s designed to give children art skills that are aligned with their cognitive milestones—cognitive processing, visual perception, and fine-motor development. The goal is to wire implicit memory through all phases of development from early childhood through adolescence.

My art teaching method is extremely complementary to the Montessori way; it’s a natural progression for Montessori teachers and schools to enrich their programs and the enjoyment of the children they work with. This method connects visual art skill sets with creative thinking through sensorial experiences. Once you have an understanding of this Montessori art teaching method, you’ll be able to adapt your Montessori art curriculum to children’s three-part cognitive system (cognitive processing, visual perception, and fine-motor development), and help your students develop the necessary artistic high-order thinking needed to become artful.

How to Use This Guide

I invite you to read through this post to gain a high-level view of how this teaching method adapts to each Montessori plane. Then, click on each specific age range to find out how to effectively teach children based on their cognitive capabilities. As always, if you have questions, leave a comment, send me an email, or jump onto my exclusive Facebook page and let me know!

Early Childhood (Toddler)

Many people mistakenly think that toddlers cannot yet learn art, but that’s not the case. In early childhood, toddlers see art making as exploratory and a discovery-based experience. Young students in the Montessori art first plane do not yet understand the placement of visual arts, and are in a very curious state about mediums. At this age, children should explore art mediums without any expected outcome.

The best way to teach early childhood students is through process-based art. This means the focus on is on the experience and the process, not on the child’s final piece of artwork.

Teaching art to early childhood toddler students helps tremendously in improving their fine motor skills, which are essential to everyday tasks. To learn more about art teaching methods for this age group, read this blog.

Early Childhood (3-6 Years)

Students in early childhood should continue to learn primarily through process-based art. Children who are 3-6 years of age are quick learners and curious about art, so give them room to explore and experiment.

You want to allow students to make art in creative mode, using their own own imaginations, thoughts, and ideas for inspiration. At this age you can begin to introduce copy-mode, but limit your instruction to movement rather than copying an image.

For more information on exactly how to balance creative mode and copy mode for early childhood students, check out this post.

Lower Elementary

Children at the lower L age are able to come up with their own imaginative creations, plan with intention, and think their ideas through to completion, going through the four steps of the artistic process.

At this age, lower elementary students approach art making with lots of curiosity and enthusiasm for trying different techniques and mediums. You can start introducing line, shape, form, texture, color, and symmetrical balance ideas.

Art can be taught to students through process-based art, a continuation of creative mode, and very simplistic copy mode.

If you want a more detailed explanation of how to art teaching methods for lower L students, read this post.

Upper Elementary

Students in upper L can go through the artistic process, conjure up their own ideas, and see them through to completion. They’re able to do reflective work, bringing meaning to their creations and making connections to artworks in their community.

You can teach students Montessori art lessons through a combination of process-based art, creative mode, and copy mode.

By the time students are in upper elementary, they’re extremely competent when it comes to their fine-motor skills. Allow them to experiment with different mediums, techniques, and perspectives.

For more information on upper elementary art teaching methods, read this post.

Montessori Art Teaching Methods Resources

If you would like to understand more about which types of art projects children can work on, register for my free video course, Phases of Arts Development, which discusses teaching methods for Montessori students.

Montessori art book for teaching students

You can learn about Art Literacy Standards and the benefits of visual arts by reading Defining Visual Arts Paperback (paperback book).

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

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.

February 21, 2019January 14, 2021

Early Childhood Montessori Art Teaching Method (3-6 Years)

Sensory Cognitive Child Art Method, montessori

I’ve spent years and years researching and observing how children learn art, and what I’ve found is that children are able to grasp different artistic skills at different planes. In this new blog series, I’ll be sharing my insight on the art teaching methods that work for each age group of Montessori students.

Children of all ages can be taught visual arts and be guided through the artistic process. Each developmental phase requires different teaching styles and approaches.

Below you’ll find a general arts literacy guide for Montessori Early Childhood ages 3-6, which follows the International Standards for the Arts Education & Sensory Visual Arts method that aligns with a child’s growth™.

Montessori Early Childhood Art Teaching Methods Resources

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

You can learn about Art Literacy Standards and the benefits of visual arts by reading Defining Visual Arts Paperback (paperback book).

Get more information on how to bring art lessons into the Montessori classroom by reading Introducing Visual Arts into the Montessori Classroom (paperback book).

If you would like to understand more about the phases of art development, register for this free mini digital course.

Early Childhood Art Teaching: 3 to 6 Years

For young children, art making is an exploratory- and discovery-based experience. Students in the Montessori first plane and who are aged 3 to 6 years are ready for simple art making tasks. They’re now able to make connections to their own imagination.

Learning Through Process-Based Art

The best instruction method to introducing art lessons is through process-based art, creative-mode, and copy-mode, with the goal of building implicit memory.

Process-based art is about the experience and the process; it’s not focused on the child’s final piece of artwork or whether it resembles art adults can recognize, but rather, it’s about exploring and using their own imagination.

When teaching by process art, you should give a brief introductory instruction on how mediums work and can be used. Children who are 3-6 years of age are very curious about art mediums and their results. They’re also quick learners. Montessori early childhood art lessons should allow students to explore art mediums without any expected outcome. Give students opportunities to focus on experimentation.

By providing specific activities in your Montessori art classroom, you can actually help young students develop and refine their small motor muscles. Creating art helps develop both large and small muscles, which improves young students’ controlled movements. I will usually start young students off with clay modeling, paint brush stroking, and activities using safety scissors—each of these help them strengthen their fine motor skills more quickly.

Continuing with Creative-Mode

Creative-mode is how children first learn to create art. It is the basis of process-based art learning. In creative mode, you should refrain from giving students a point of reference or image to copy. The child creates art by exploring the medium and conjuring up their own creative images from their own imaginations, thoughts, and ideas.

Introducing Copy-Mode

Copy-mode refers to a systematic, step-by-step art instruction. But in early childhood, you don’t want to yet introduce copy what you see in the image-type lessons. At this stage, children love to mimic easy task the see adults do, such as sweeping, cleaning, sewing, painting, cutting, and gardening. Bring this into your art lessons, and allow them to copy your movements.

Introduce copy-mode by having students copy a simple design (one that only involves one to two steps). Once they have the basic design complete, let them continue on in creative-mode and finish their projects however they want.

Early Childhood Art Activities & Mediums

Here are some great Montessori Early Childhood art projects for your students who are ages 3 to 6. These types of art activities will help develop their fine motor control and small muscles in fingers and hands; they also allow room to utilize creative-mode and copy-mode during activities. (You can find non-toxic, kid-friendly art supplies needed for these art projects at Nature of Art for Kids.)

Doodling: crayons, color pencils, tempera sticks, etc.
Painting: watercolor paints, tempera paints, finger paints, homemade veggie dyes, etc.
Color Theory Play: watercolor painting, dropper painting, squeeze bottle painting, etc.
Clay Modeling: earth clay, homemade play dough, pressing sculptures, beeswax forming, non-hardening plastine clay, etc.
Simple Crafts: cutting paper, weaving string, glueing, building with blocks, large popsicle-stick structures, etc.

A Short Cut Just for You

Having the right art material for your early childhood classroom is just the first step. If you want more information on how to use each material, how to set up an art shelf with the materials, and how to teach lessons that actually help early childhood students learn art (YES, they can learn art at that early of an age!) then I have some good news for you!

I’m currently selling my brand new, Early Childhood Art Guide. It includes everything you need to know to successfully bring art lessons into your early childhood classroom—without the stress. I go into more detail about art materials (such as how to use them and where to find them), give you step-by-step art presentations, and a ton of other valuable information that makes teaching art and setting up your shelf so much easier. And, right now, you can order yours today!, so don’t miss out!

Early Childhood Art Guide

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

Buy Guide Now!

December 6, 2018February 1, 2020

Setting Up Your Montessori Classroom Art Space

By Spramani Elaun

Inspiring children to be creative is my business! I’ve spent more than 20 years observing how they learn and teaching them visual art. In my experience, one of the most essential components of students exploring and learning art is their environment. Luckily, it’s actually so easy to set up your Montessori classroom art space!

If you’ve been following this blog, then you know I believe every Montessori classroom should have an inspiration gallery and an art shelf, so I bet you’re wondering what else you could possibly need. I can go on and on about all the things you can use to set up an art space, but to keep it simple, I’ll just share the five basic necessities with you. (Of course, you can dive deeper and learn about all the fun, unique, colorful, exciting things that you can add to your classroom by reading my books Introducing Visual Arts to The Montessori Classroom and Defining Visual Arts.)

The most important thing to understand is that making a space for art means making space to get creative and have fun. Now, when I say that, I know a lot of teachers think fun means mess. While that’s the case sometimes, if you set up a designated space for making art, it’ll contain the mess, while still giving students the freedom to create as they please.

Setting Up an Art Space

Kids need an art space to doodle, draw, write, paint, craft, sew, knit, cut, glue, build, construct, and play with clay. For kids to make these types of art projects successfully, they need the proper space. Here are the five basic necessities for creating a place for art in your classroom.

1. Rugs & Floor Coverings

Spills are inevitable, so it’s important to consider the flooring of your art space. If your classroom has wood, tile, or linoleum floors then spills will be an easy, worry-free clean up. However you may still want to a rug to lay out that will protect your floors—especially if your floor is carpet.

Rugs come in many sizes and can be inexpensive or pricey. If you don’t want to invest in a rug, then you can use a drop cloth or tarp while your students are working, and then fold it up and put it away when they’re done.

2. Table

Table size will not affect your students’ ability to be creative, but the sturdiness of it will. I’ve witnessed kids create beautiful works of art on a surface as large as their lap, so don’t feel like you need a huge, glorious art table in your classroom.

When I’m hosting events and teaching art classes I’m usually setting up on the fly and rely on a small (but sturdy!), cheap, portable fold-up tables. These are great—not just for my events but in the classroom as well—because you can set them up when you need to and not be limited to a full-time art table since they can be folded up and tucked out of the way when not in use.

3. Chairs

Along with a sturdy table, kids need a sturdy chair or stool to sit on safely. A bench or folding chair can work just fine, as will pulling a chair from elsewhere in your classroom. Having a table and chairs available makes invites a child to create and lets them know art should be made in that specific place (containing any mess to that space as well).

4. Light Source

I’ve spent many years observing children making artworks, and the ways in which they visually perceive their work is key to developing their artistic skills. That’s why a good, bright light source is important—it helps them identify pigments and color hues. Natural sunlight is the best, but a lamp light source can work just as well.

5. Art Supply Storage

Every art space should have a place where art supplies are stored. I’ve found that children can be overly stimulated or even get bored if they’re given total access to every art supply in your classroom. The best way to keep them excited and engaged with art is to keep rotating the materials that are available to them. You can use jars, baskets, or closed plastic containers to separate different types of art supply and store them away from the art space when necessary.

Creating your Montessori classroom art space doesn’t need to be fancy or complicated; it’s really not that different from the areas you have set aside for other lessons.

If this has you inspired and eager to start teaching art in your classroom, you should definitely sign up for my online training, Art Teaching Blueprint. It’s a quick, seven-week course that takes everything I’ve learned about teaching art to students and breaks it down into 43 short, easily-digestible videos. It’ll help you build a foundation for teaching a quality visual arts program in your school or classroom. I’m so excited to offer this course to you and I really think it’ll empower you and give you invaluable teaching skills. You can click here to register.

November 15, 2018October 7, 2023

Making Gratitude Cards to Celebrate Thanksgiving, Montessori Activities

The holiday and Thanksgiving season are a time of reflection for most people—most adults, anyway. It’s a time we think about everything we’re grateful for, and it’s a practice we should be sharing with our children and students.

Expressing gratitude has the power to reduce stress, foster a sense of belonging, and yield a host of emotional and mental health advantages. Fundamentally, gratitude involves feeling thankful and appreciative of the positive aspects in your life. As educators, we have the opportunity to lead our students toward recognizing and appreciating the multitude of “gifts” they encounter daily, spanning from the wonders of nature to the joys of delicious food and the warmth of cherished friendships.

Every year, around our Thanksgiving holiday here in North America, for as far as I can remember, I would have my children make gratitude cards for all our guests. We would place them around the dinner table for each guest to read when they sat down. Each card would be something simple, the guest’s name and a sweet sentiment of appreciation for who they are.

I would also surprise my own kids with tiny gratitude gifts as well, telling them how thankful I was to have them in my life. I still do this every year, even though they are all grown up! 🙂

I think it is so important to write and document these thoughts and feelings. I know this activity has always grounded my children and given them a heart of giving, rather than receiving. I still journal myself about what I’m grateful for, and give thanks all year long for the big and little things in my life—like the free lemons that grow in my garden.

Teaching Gratitude to Your Students

Preschool students should be taught to say thank you when they receive a gift or a kindness from another person. Remember to teach them that the size of the generosity doesn’t matter. They can be grateful for a big gift, but also for a sunny day or hug from a friend.

Students in lower elementary can think a little more in depth and should be encouraged to reflect on their day. They can even create and keep a gratitude list of good things that happened.

Upper elementary students can also focus on keeping gratitude lists or journals. But introduce the concept of good coming from bad, and teach them they can be grateful in negative situations too.

Gratitude Card Making Project Idea:

Here’s a great way to combine a writing and drawing lesson that helps students express their gratitude.

Gather your students, talk about what gratitude means. Give examples of things you are grateful for, or suggest things they might feel grateful for. Then pass out index cards and have each child write, “I am grateful for…” Be sure to write prompts out to copy as an example.

Once they’re done, have them draw a picture about what the thing(s) they were thankful for. Students can make a booklet or paste their card to their picture. Be sure to check out the video below for supplies and simple instructions.

Supplies:

Paper or card stock—any size, color, weight
Stickers—any theme
Stamps and ink pads—any colors
Pencils
Crayons
Color pencils
Glue
Tape
Scissors
Washi decorative tape

Gratitude Cards from Spramani Elaun on Vimeo.

For more project ideas, make sure you sign up for my newsletter or check out my sample art calendar.

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

September 30, 2018July 28, 2022

25 Art Supplies Every Montessori Classroom Needs

25 of the Most Basic Art Supplies Every Montessori Classroom Needs

By Spramani Elaun

I’m going to start off with a disclosure, by no means do you only need 25 items to fill your Montessori art shelf. However, because I break down visual arts into five domains—drawing, painting, crafting, clay modeling, and color theory—you just need to make sure you’re giving your students art supplies that fall into each category. There are so many more options and wonderful things to work with, I’d encourage you to explore and purchase anything that inspires you.

This is just going to be a sort of cheat sheet for what you need in your classroom. If you really want a detailed list of everything to include in your art shelf, make sure you register for my online course, Art Teaching Blueprint. I have specific lessons for each domain where I list out all the exact materials I use to teach each domain, where to find those supplies, and how to use them. It’s a ton of valuable information that makes teaching art and setting up your shelf so much easier.

For now though, I want to give you a brief understanding of the different learning areas of visual arts and help you figure out the basic item(s) you need to be able to teach each domain. Grab your shopping list, let’s get into it!

Drawing

The drawing domain includes doodling, drawing, sketching, and tracing. Many of these materials (like pencils and erasers) can be found elsewhere in the classroom, so I recommend making the items on your art shelf unique. Either buy completely different styles so they stand out or color code them so they stay specifically within your art shelf.

Basic:

Not so basic:

Oil/soft pastels
Watercolor pencils
Rulers
Compass
Magnifying glass
Stencils

Painting

There are several types of paints that kids can use, and each one has a different purpose and experience. Whichever you choose, just make sure it’s non-toxic and safe for kids.

Basic:

Not so basic:

Color Theory

Color theory is all about learning how colors behave. It can take years to develop a strong understanding of color theory, so it’s important to start teaching the subject when students are young. With color theory, I recommend you begin with primary colors (red, yellow, blue), then teach kids to mix those colors to create secondary colors, and so on. When you’re teaching color theory, the materials are the same as you’d use for the painting domain.

Basic:

Not so basic:

25 Art Supplies Every Montessori Classroom Needs

Clay Modeling & Sculpture

Clay can be a great way to relate art projects to other lessons you’re teaching. For instance, students can use stamps or natural objects (like leaves) to create imprints; they can also use the clay to create figures and animals to go along with what they’re learning.

Basic:

Not so basic:

Crafting & Constructing

There are so many possibilities when it comes to crafting and constructing. I tend to divide this domain into four categories: sewing, paper crafts, nature crafting, and wood/building.

Basic:

Sewing:
- String (yarn, threads)
- Fabric
- Sewing needle
- Scissors
Paper crafts
- Colored paper
- Scissors
- Glue
Nature crafting
- Glue
- Hot glue gun
- Natural found objects (rocks, sticks, leaves, etc.)
Wood and building
- Glue
- Wooden pieces

Not so basic:

Sewing
- Cross stitching fabric
- Recycled materials (sweaters, t-shirts)
- Buttons
- Wool
Paper crafts
- Origami paper
- Magazines (for collaging)
Nature crafting
- Purchased natural objects (feathers, pinecones, seeds, etc.)
Wood and building
- Nails
- Popsicle sticks
- Toothpicks
- Wine corks

I know this is a lot to digest and a lot more than just 25 items, but these are the tools that will help your students explore, experiment, and really experience art.

If you want more information, specifically on how each one of these supplies work and some ideas on how to use them, make sure you register for my course! I break it all down for you so this list makes sense in the framework of your classroom. And if you have any questions—about these supplies or my course—please feel free to contact me directly by emailing me at Info@Spramani. om.

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

September 20, 2018September 10, 2023

Building a Montessori Art Calendar to Keep Students Busy Every Month

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

October

World Peace
Fall Leaves

November

Outdoor Nature Crafts (leaves, rocks, sticks, natural paints)

December

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.

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

Where to Start: Build Your Schedule Around the Best Time to Teach Montessori Art

One Step Further: Watch My Training, ‘How-to Teach Art Montessori Art Lessons Using Storybooks’

A Short Cut Just for You

My Art Teaching Method

How to Use This Guide

Early Childhood (Toddler)

Early Childhood (3-6 Years)

Lower Elementary

Upper Elementary

Montessori Art Teaching Methods Resources

Montessori Early Childhood Art Teaching Methods Resources﻿

Early Childhood Art Teaching: 3 to 6 Years

Learning Through Process-Based Art

Continuing with Creative-Mode

Introducing Copy-Mode

Early Childhood Art Activities & Mediums

A Short Cut Just for You

Visual Arts Teaching Guidefor 13 Months – 6 Years Old

Setting Up an Art Space

Gratitude Card Making Project Idea:

Supplies:

By Spramani Elaun

30 / 5 = 6 lessons for each domain

Monthly Theme Ideas:

Montessori Early Childhood Art Teaching Methods Resources

Visual Arts Teaching Guide
for 13 Months – 6 Years Old