There is nothing like the energy and creativity of a 1st grader making art! From artist-inspired lessons to simple clay projects, these tried-and-true 1st-grade art projects and ideas have been classroom favorites year over year.
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This list has been a reader favorite since it was published in September 2025. This post was recently updated in July 2026 with more ideas and new projects.
First grade is a fun year to teach art to. Kids are a little more confident, their fine motor skills are improving, and their imaginations are super creative. While a few of these ideas may overlap with our kindergarten art lessons or second-grade art projects, these are some of our favorite art projects to do in Grade 1!
Our Favorite 1st Grade Art Ideas
USE BOOKS – Illustrators are the first artists children know. Use artists like Eric Carle or Mo Willems as a starting point for any project.
EXPLORE FAVORITE ARTISTS – Some of our favs are O’Keeffe, Johns and Monet!
FOCUS ON PROCESS ART – 1st graders love exploring the materials! Make it about the process and not the final outcome.
SET UP STATIONS – Avoid the mess by creating different stations for young kids to express their creativity.
Every child is an artist. The problem is how we remain an artist as we grow up.
Pablo Picasso
The Best 1st Grade Art Project Ideas
I have done the first five projects on this list hundreds of times, with little tweaks along the way. Have fun being creative with 6- and 7-year-olds!
1
Georgia O’Keeffe Inspired Flowers
First-grade students are so imaginative and create the most beautiful mixed-media paintings inspired by the artist Georgia O'Keeffe. This is one of our favorite Spring lessons to complete with 1st graders. It might be time to grab those oil pastels and start making.
In this first-grade art lesson, I show you how to collage with tissue paper to create a fun watery background. Children will then paint or draw creative water lilies to finish their artwork inspired by Claude Monet.
This 1st grade art project is a great way to teach about colors while having fun. No matter what time of year, children of all ages love to create cute cartoon birds.
This is one of my favorite pinch pot lessons to try with kids. 1st grade is the perfect age to learn how to change a basic pinch pot into a creative flower cup. The best part is that this is a one-day clay building project.
First-grade classroom teachers love using Eric Carle books in their reading class. And we love buying this class pack of 1 oz. Model Magic packs for all our elementary art project needs. Why not make an interdisciplinary art lesson that combines a favorite book with an art project?
Take those caterpillar sculptures one step further to create unique butterfly sculptures. Combine this art project with a life cycle unit or just for fun in the Spring. You will be amazed at the intricate designs children will add to their 3-D butterfly.
If you decide you want to make a different-shaped pinch pot with Grade 1 students, try making these adorable clay hearts. These are also a great clay project to make at home with air-dry clay and bright colors.
I love a great oil pastel and watercolor resist painting. First-grade students can experiment with watercolor techniques by creating little snowflake paintings.
Create a colorful heart print inspired by James Goldcrown in less than 10 minutes! 1st graders will love how they can easily stamp heart shapes for a fun design.
Create stunning Fall artwork with 1st grade students using gold paint and black paper. Not only do you get beautiful results, but you can also complete this printmaking process in 10 minutes or less!
This fun art project is inspired by the artist Jasper Johns. Young children can practice writing their ABCs while making this creative and engaging art project with oil pastels and watercolor paint.
Create any sculpture to place inside this waterless snow globe for a fun art project idea for any season. This simple Christmas tree was the perfect addition to our Winter snow globe project.
Tie a literacy element to your art lesson by reading, The Color Monster to see how illustrators express feelings through colors. After a great discussion with your first-grade class, use our free monster drawing tutorial to make creative monster art.
Take a dot on a walk to create an interesting composition that kids can color with crayons. If you want to take this art lesson a step further, you could use paint or add different patterns to the shapes created.
This is the perfect art activity that finally encourages children to mix those playdough colors. Create a simple color wheel by mixing the primary colors and secondary colors to get a fun color wheel 1st graders will be proud of.
Whether you just want to show children how to make really cool bubble prints as a stand-alone project or use these as a starting point for a creative collage, kids will love creating bubble art at home or school.
Kids can easily create multiple colorful artworks using crayons, oil pastels, and watercolor paints. This is a great quick lesson to try with your firsties!
Whether teaching in the classroom or at the kitchen table, these 1st-grade art projects will spark creativity in your little ones and build skills at the same time. Happy creating!
As a former art teacher, artist and mom, Erin knows how important expressing your creativity is. Even the youngest children can enjoy the process of artmaking with their families.
