State testing is stressful for students and teachers alike. Plan some creative art lessons to help students wind down from the demanding test schedule. Listed below are two lesson ideas for grades 1–6 to help your students relax and tap into their creativity after testing.
Self-Portraits
Help your students relax with a mini lesson on Vincent van Gogh. Using the elements of texture, line, shape, and color, students draw and color a self-portrait and glue it to a tissue paper background.
Begin the lesson by introducing students to the artist Vincent van Gogh. Pair the introduction with a read-aloud book such as Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story about Vincent van Gogh by Laurence Anholt. Reading aloud to students helps them relax their minds and their bodies, and allows you transition into your next lesson.
Supplies needed:
- Tag board or thick paper: two 12″ x 14″
- Pencil
- Black fine tip marking pen
- Hand mirror (or class picture)
- Paintbrush (or colored pencils)
- Tempera paint (optional)
- Foam egg carton
- Torn bits of colored tissue paper
- White glue
- Scissors
Directions:
- Students draw a portrait of themselves from the shoulders up using a mirror or picture. Make sure their heads touch the top of the paper and their shoulders go all the way to the bottom of the paper.
- Using a paintbrush or colored pencils, students color in the picture.
- Students trace over portrait lines with a black marking pen.
- Using watered-down glue, students cover the second sheet of paper with torn tissue paper bits.
- When the tissue paper is dry, students glue their self-portrait onto the background.
Download your free Vincent Van Gogh art lesson here. For more art lessons, check out How to Teach Art to Children.
Mother’s Day Cards
Get a head start on your Mother’s Day cards with this fun butterfly pop-up note. Simple and easy to put together, this project is perfect for little fingers. After finishing their card, have students create their own acrostic poem for “Mom.” Check out books from your school library on butterflies and insects so early finishers can quietly read when they are done.
Download your printable from How to Make Greeting Cards with Children.
Art can improve students’ motivation and concentration and is an excellent addition to your curriculum during testing week. Give your students something to look forward to after testing and rejuvenate them for the next day!
For more art lesson ideas and inspirations, read The Case for Art in Schools and Ways to Integrate Art into Your Lessons.
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Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.