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 project ideas have been classroom favorites year over year.
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Every child is an artist. The problem is how we remain an artist as we grow up.
Pablo Picasso
First grade is a fun year. They are a little more confident, their fine motor skills are improving, and they can still be so 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!
The first five projects on this list, I have done hundreds of times with little tweaks along the way. Have fun being creative with 6 and 7-year-olds!
1st Grade Art Project Ideas
1
Georgia O’Keeffe Inspired Flowers
First-grade students are so creative and can come up with beautiful paintings inspired by the artist, Georgia O'Keeffe. This is one of our favorite Spring lessons to complete with 1st graders.
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 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 on one-day clay building project.
First-grade classroom teachers love using Eric Carle books in their reading class. 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 pots 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 paint.
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!
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 teaching in the classroom or at the kitchen table, these 1st grade art projects will bring a spark of creativity to 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.
