Here you will find a list of ideas to encourage students to work on their own sketchbooks. This is a good jumping off point for teachers and students who wish to try creating sketchbooks during the school year.
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5
This is a wonderful mini lesson in which children will learn how to draw hands.
Ages: 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Junior, Middle School, High School
Students will draw the outline of a fish using glue and complete the picture with oil pastels. The glue dries clear, leaving the black paper to show through in between the pastel.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
This is a wonderful mini lesson in which children will learn how to make gesture drawings.
Ages: 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Junior, Middle School, High School
Students will draw unexpected items inside a drawing of a jar.
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5
Students will use a magazine photo of a person, cut in half, as the beginning of a drawing. Half magazine picture, half drawing.
Ages: 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Junior, Middle School, High School
Students will draw a step by step contour drawing of elephants and then add colour and details. They will also learn about Surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5
This is a free-form drawing project that deals with the elements of design – colour, line, shape, form and texture. Very wonderful detailed works of art can be achieved by simply doodling. Have a look at the works of many great artists like Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee for inspiration.
Ages: 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Junior, Middle School, High School
Students will create drawings based on an imaginary journey. This is a great warm up activity or 15 minute end of class filler. It will get your students’ creative juices flowing!
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5
Students can follow step by step directions to create a spider web drawing. This is a terrific lesson plan for Halloween or any time of the year.
Ages: 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Primary, Junior, Middle School, High School
Students can use crayons and paint to make delightful crayon resist pictures. We used fish as our theme but you can use any image you wish.
Ages: 2-5 yrs, 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs
Grades: Preschool, K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: ECE, Primary, Junior, Middle School
Learn how to make beautiful Valentine’s Day cards using watercolours and markers.
Ages: 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Primary, Junior, Middle School, High School
Make your own scratch art boards using crayons.
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5
This is a wonderful mini lesson in which children will learn how to create contour drawings.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
Students will create a portrait using one pair of complementary colors.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
Students will learn how to make a clown drawing with pastel, paint or markers.
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5
Students will learn the classic method of drawing, on toned paper with charcoal or black pencil, heightened with white.
Ages: 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Junior, Middle School, High School
By drawing into wet paste with chalk pastels, students can create unique works of art.
Ages: 2-5 yrs, 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs
Grades: Preschool, K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: ECE, Primary, Junior, Middle School
Students will draw pictures of jars containing bugs.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
Blind contour drawing is an excellent way to train the eye to draw what it really sees rather than what it thinks it sees.
Ages: 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs, 14 yrs+
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Levels: Primary, Junior, Middle School, High School
This art activity focuses on the shape of numbers. A good tie-in to math for younger students.
Ages: 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Primary, Junior, Middle School
This is a wonderful mini lesson in which children will create works of art using basic shapes.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
This lesson requires planning and problem solving, much like a math problem or science experiment. Students will see that scribbles can become much more.
Ages: 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Primary, Junior, Middle School
This lesson encourages drawing skills, imagination, and a sense of humor. Students will also learn about adjectives and nouns.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
Students (and teacher) will see how with just one set of directions, everyone in the classroom will come up with very unique works of abstract art.
Ages: 5-8 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 11-14 yrs
Grades: K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Primary, Junior, Middle School
Students will create an original crayon resist drawing or painting of a bug’s life.
Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
Levels: Junior, Middle School
