In addition to teaching your children the core subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies, it is also great to teach them art. There are some pretty significant benefits of including art in your homeschool curriculum. Just naming a few, it encourages inventiveness and creativity, it can help children to develop and practice their fine motor skills, and it can help them to cultivate decision-making skills. Plus, they are able to practice expressing themselves, not only artistically, but verbally when they are telling you about their art. However, as important as art is to a child’s development, it’s not always easy to come up with ways to teach it. Especially if you don’t consider yourself to be very visually creative. If you are having trouble with that, here are some simple ideas you can use. Hope they help!

How to Implement Art in Your Homeschool Curriculum

Keep it Simple

No one said that art has to be complex or fancy. Head to your local dollar store or art supply store and load up on some basic art materials. Construction paper, scissors, markers, crayons, color pencils, glue, etc. You can also buy some crafting supplies like felt, googly eyes, popsicle sticks, pom pom balls and a wide variety of things that are available in the art or school supplies sections. Give your kids free reign to create whatever tickles their fancy. If you want to do specific art projects, you can usually find some really great ideas and tutorials on Pinterest, Youtube, and across the internet. Simply do a search using keywords related to the materials that you have on hand. For example, a Pinterest search for “watercolor paint ideas kindergarten” will lead you to this pin that has 20 process art activities for preschoolers using paint.

Pick One Medium for Art

Choosing one type of medium to learn over a set period of time is another way of keeping it simple. The easiest and simplest art activities we have incorporated into our homeschool lessons have been done with chalk pastels. You Are an Artist (aff)has many ebook tutorials on so many subjects that it is simple to incorporate into a lesson or theme. I pull the ebook up on an ipad or computer and set the supplies out on the table. My children are able to follow along and create their own chalk art piece.

Study Artists

Another great way to implement art is to study the people who create it. Write down a list of history’s most notable, interesting, successful, or underrated artists and spend time learning as much as you can about them. Learn about their art style and look at the various works of art that they created. Read about their lives and the time period in which they lived. You can often find books, movies, and documentaries about popular artists.

Study Art Periods

Just as you can study artists, you can study groups of artists by delving into the history of art. Learn about the different time periods and the type of art that characterized them. For example, you can have a unit study on Renaissance Art or the Impressionist period. Here is a great list of websites that will help you to learn more about art history.

Attend Art Shows and Art Displays

If you have the advantage of living in an area with art shows and museums, I would definitely take advantage of it. These can be a fantastic way to introduce your children to great art. My absolute favorite museum is the Art Institute of Chicago. I could stay in there all week and never get tired of it. If you are ever in the area, it is definitely worth checking out. However, you can probably find things to do that are closer to home and just as inviting.

Sign up for an Art Class

My daughter’s in-progress painting. We are so thankful that a local pastor teaches art at our co-op.

Another great idea is to check around your community for art classes. They could be offered by art supply stores, artists, schools, homeschool co-ops and more. This is especially great if you really are not confident about teaching art, but still want your children to be introduced to it.

Hire an Art Tutor

Last, but not least, you have the option to seek out and hire an effective and reputable art tutor who would be willing to take your child under his or her wing to cultivate their creative side.

All of these are great ways that you can implement art in your homeschool curriculum. Do you have any other suggestions that I may have missed? Let me know in the comments below.