Elementary Art Curriculum Guide

What Is the Best Art Curriculum for Elementary Grades?

By Spramani Elaun, International Art Teacher Trainer, Nature of Art®

Why more art ideas is not the answer

If you have ever searched for elementary art lessons, you know the feeling. Hundreds of cute projects, and no idea which one comes next. You pick one, the children enjoy it, it goes home, and next week you start searching all over again.

Here is the problem: one-off projects are not the same thing as art literacy. Once the activity is over, the learning often stops there. Art supplies do not teach by themselves, either. Materials don’t demonstrate, guide or encourage. You do.

“People don’t need more art ideas. What they truly need is fun, live time with a mentor, easy-to-follow structures for planning, and positive support and encouragement.”Spramani Elaun

So when you ask “what is the best art curriculum?”, the real question is: which curriculum gives you a clear path to follow?

7 things the best elementary art curriculum includes

Use this checklist to evaluate any elementary art program, whether you teach in a public school, a Montessori classroom or at your kitchen table.

1Lessons that build in a sequence

A true curriculum is sequential. Every lesson increases in complexity, so the skill children practice today becomes the tool they use next week. If you could shuffle the lessons into any order and nothing changes, you are looking at a project collection, not a curriculum.

2Art elements and art language

Elementary children are ready to learn the language of art: line, shape, form, color, texture, pattern and contrast. When children can name what they see, they can talk about their own work and the work of artists. This is art literacy. It also changes how you respond to children’s art. Instead of “beautiful!”, you can describe what you see: “You used thick and thin lines to show movement.”

3Guided steps children can actually follow

Young children thrive with process-based art. Around age 6, children become ready for direct, guided instruction. Good teaching teaches steps, and children manage best when they get one to three steps at a time.

I once sat in an adult art class where the instructor painted a flower for about a minute, looked up and said, “Okay, now you get started.” About half of the adults looked around, scratching their heads, wondering where to begin. That is exactly how children feel when a lesson skips the steps. A strong curriculum shows you each step so your students never feel lost.

4Skill and creative freedom together

You don’t have to choose between structure and creativity. Freedom in art is not the absence of structure. It is the presence of thoughtful limits. A child who feels confident in their skills will be more motivated to push themselves and experiment further. Look for lessons that teach a skill and then leave room for each child’s own ideas.

5Original artwork, not copies of famous paintings

Many artist studies ask children to copy a famous painting. The best curriculum goes deeper. Children learn how an artist built their skill and what made their work unique, then use what they learned to create something of their own. That is a skill they keep.

6Written for teachers, even without art training

Most teachers are fully capable of leading beautiful art. What gets in the way is time, and teacher training that was never focused on fine arts. Feeling artistic is not the requirement. Having a path to follow is. A good curriculum gives you materials lists, clear lesson goals and the art words to introduce, so you can open it and teach. It should also work with simple, affordable supplies. You can teach a lot of art with one pencil.

7Aligned with core arts standards

A strong elementary art curriculum connects to recognized arts standards, so art holds its place next to reading and math. In the United States, the National Core Arts Standards give educators a shared vocabulary for the artistic processes and art elements. When art is clearly defined, it no longer needs to defend its place in the classroom. It holds it.

One-off art projects vs. a sequential art curriculum

Questions to ask before you buy any art curriculum

• Does each lesson build on the one before it?
• Which art elements will my students learn, and will they learn the words for them?
• Are the steps written clearly enough for me to demonstrate?
• Will children make their own artwork, or copy a sample?
• Can I teach it with supplies I can find and afford?
• Can I use it again next year with a new group of students?

Why I write and sell art curriculum

Over 30 years and 200,000 children later, here is what I know: teachers don’t fail at art because they lack talent. They run out of time.

A teacher once told me, “It’s taking me a lot of research just to get ready for one lesson.” I hear some version of that from almost every teacher I train. You should not have to spend your evenings building art lessons from scratch.

That is why I write done-for-you curriculum. You buy it once and teach from it every year. Each Nature of Art® curriculum is built on my Science Art Method™, a framework for how hand, mind and brain work together when children make art. It works in public and private schools, Montessori classrooms and homeschools. For Montessori guides especially: you have albums for Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Cultural work. There is no album for visual art. These curricula help fill that gap.

Where to start with Nature of Art® elementary curriculum

Drawing is the foundation of every other art area, so most teachers begin there. From drawing, children grow into painting and color theory. Every curriculum is aligned with national and international core arts standards, and every lesson increases in complexity.

About the author

Spramani Elaun

Spramani Elaun is a former commercial graphic designer and illustrator who has spent 30 years in art education: 10 years running her homeschool art studio, 10 years teaching art in Montessori schools, and 10 years training Montessori educators around the world. She has taught over 200,000 children, and thousands of Montessori guides have learned from her.

She is the founder of Nature of Art®, creator of the Science Art Method™, and author of books including Elementary Art Guide, The Way Children Make Art and Defining Visual Arts. Questions? Email info@spramani.com.