Art Ideas For Key Stage One
Discover Hands-On Education’s Art in Action engaging activities
Hands-On Education’s Art In Action Topic
‘Action Art’ is a technique inspired by the famous American artist Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956). With the canvas lying flat on the floor, Pollock experimented with dripping and pouring paint onto its surface. The effect would change with the force he used, the different objects he used to drip the paint and his position around the canvas. His physical movements around the canvas have been compared to that of a dancer. Have your children create their own artwork and experiment with dripping and pouring paint.
In this key stage one English curriculum topic children can get messy by creating art in a whole new way. Mixing paint can create artwork in previously unthought of ways. With no step-by-step instructions most art in action is created by encouraging children to be free with their art ideas.
Children attending school art club should be encouraged to develop their own art club ideas while mimicking the work of famous artists like Jackson Pollack or developing their own artistic ideas. School art clubs will find Hands-On Education full of art tutorials and art lessons. Don’t hesitate to explore our art subjects today.
The English national curriculum covers a wide range of art techniques. Our Art in Action topic was created to help children learn more about colour mixing, colour theory as well as drawing and sculpture. Be sure to check out our art lessons looking at Piet Mondrian, Vincent van Gogh and Wassily Kandinsky as well.
Further Exploration of Art in Action
Hands-On Education is committed to providing engaging and fun ways for children to access learning through our key stage one and key stage two activities. Our art activities are designed to encourage creative work and help children discover a world beyond straight lines and traditional art history.
Through design aims within art classes primary school aged children can learn colour mixing techniques to create flames. Pupils interested in drawing can use colour to be creative in their lessons.
Our art in action topic explores rolling marbles in paint, creating a paint pendulum and swing paint onto a canvas. We want children to become inspired by Jackson Pollack and his development of action art. Children learn to create collages using different materials such as black lines on black paper, masking tape, fabric, alongside natural materials like leaves and flowers.
Experiment with different painting techniques that art history has taught us. Don’t be held back by straight lines and try to create different art such as sponge painting, stencilling, and splatter painting. Make a self-portrait after being inspired by interesting artistic characters from history such as Vincent van Gogh. This can be a painting, drawing or sculpture using clay, playdough, or recycled materials such as cardboard and plastic bottles.
Action Art Activity
Jackson Pollock's 'Action Art' technique has been an inspiration for many great artists and art enthusiasts. It's a unique way of creating art that involves dripping and pouring paint onto a flat canvas on the floor. The technique allows the artist to experiment with different objects and force to create varied effects.
As young artists discover Jackson Pollock and his use of the entire space around the canvas, flicking and pouring paint in different directions, makes the process more engaging and expressive. His physical movements while creating his artwork have been compared to that of a dancer.
By introducing your kids to the 'Action Art' technique, they will have the opportunity to explore their creativity in a unique way. They can experiment with different objects to drip and pour paint, play around with the force they use, and move around the canvas to create their own masterpiece. It's a great way for them to learn how to express themselves through art and have fun while doing it.
Rolling Marbles in Paint Activity
This is a great activity to encourage children’s creativity and imagination. By using a marble to move the paint around, your child can experiment with different colours, textures, shapes, and space to create a unique and abstract artwork. It's important to note that this activity can get quite noisy, so using a deep baking tray to contain the marble and paint is a good idea.
Another way to make this activity even more engaging for your child is to try it in a box with a lid. This will allow your child to shake the marble in the box and create a different type of artwork. The Rolling Marbles Activity Sheet is a great resource to have on hand as it provides instructions and prompt questions to evaluate your child's art. Make sure to print this out and have all the necessary resources ready before starting the activity.
The National Curriculum and KS1 Art
Some additional tips to make this activity even more enjoyable for your child include:
- Encouraging your child to experiment with different types of marbles to create different effects in the paint
- Using a variety of colours to create a colourful and vibrant artwork
- Allowing your child to take the lead and explore their own ideas and creativity
- Displaying your child's artwork proudly to show them how much you value and appreciate their efforts
Paint Pendulum Activity
Creating art is an excellent way to encourage children creativity and sculpt self-expression. The paint pendulum activity is a great way to engage your child in a fun-filled, hands-on art experience. Here are some points to consider when introducing this activity to your child.
Our year two paint pendulum activity is a controlled action that allows your class or child to see the patterns created by the motion of the pendulum. Unlike the splatter painting activity, the paint pendulum activity provides a more controlled environment for creating patterns and shapes.
You can teach your child or class to compare the way the paint falls and makes different shapes and patterns in these two activities, which can help them appreciate the unique characteristics of each method. This activity requires your child to make a pendulum mechanism, which can be an excellent way to introduce them to basic engineering concepts.
Use a range of resources so your child can explore colour, patterns, shapes, form, and space, which can help develop their artistic skills and creativity. Teach this fun educational activity to engage your child’s art and design ideas in a creative lesson.
Encourage Your Child's Creativity with our Blowing Paint Activity
Your young artist will have a blast with this interactive activity that explores colour, shapes, and space. Blow paint through a straw to create unique designs. To ensure optimal results, use very watery paint. Watercolours are recommended, but if you opt for a different type of paint, make sure to water it down. The Blowing Paint Activity Sheet is an excellent resource that provides visual instructions and prompts to help your child evaluate their artwork. Parents or teachers can print this paper and gather all the necessary resources to get started right away.
A Little History and Art
Key Stage 1 Art covers kid’s topics such as the Great Fire of London, creating self-portraits, drawing, learning new skills like sculpture, and even encourages future graphic designers. Discovering famous artists and their creative work along with many other disciplines is great for children’s world view and teaches life lessons to overall help their education. Museums are full of paintings and drawings depicting important points in history such as the Great Fire of London.
Through design aims within art classes primary school aged children can learn colour mixing techniques to create flames. Pupils interested in drawing can use colour to be creative in their lessons on depicting a burning building. Essential history topics can soon become fun creative lessons on the world around them. Life is full of a range of artistic styles and by teaching fun and engaging art lessons aimed to encourage developing knowledge and ideas your children will benefit for years to come.
When teaching art lessons Hands-On Education use art to create and be creative through a range of different lesson plans and worksheets. Gaining a basic understanding of art skills runs throughout many of our key stage 1 art lessons. Teachers and home educators will be delighted to discover how art is used as a tool within many of our activities, worksheets and videos.
Home Educated and Primary School Students
Our activities are designed to engage home educated or primary school children in active learning with meaningful outcomes. Use our art lessons throughout your academic year, allowing your child develop and grow naturally.
If you are looking beyond KS1 Art be sure to explore more of our exclusive topics. We cover key stage one learning across the national curriculum for England in:
