Colour and Shape Play

Overview

Students explore primary and secondary colours through hands-on painting and collage. They create simple shape artwork and share ideas about how colour and shape can suggest feelings.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify primary and secondary colours and mix them to make new colours.
• Students will use basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) in artworks.
• Students will describe how colour choices can create a feeling or mood.
• Students will practise using art materials safely and respectfully.

Success criteria

• I can name at least three primary colours and two secondary colours.
• I can mix colours to create at least one secondary colour and apply it purposefully.
• I can create a picture using several simple shapes with clear edges.
• I can explain how my colour choices make me feel (or what mood they suggest).

Curriculum links

• Visual arts knowledge: recognising and using colour and shape concepts in artworks.
• Visual arts processes: experimenting with materials to explore ideas and create artworks.
• Visual arts responding: using art vocabulary to describe choices and meanings.
• English links: speaking and listening to share ideas clearly during class discussions.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 mins: Welcome and materials check

• Teacher reviews the day’s goal: “We’ll discover how colours mix and how shapes and colours can show feelings.”
• Students safely hold brushes/paper, understand where to place waste, and clean-up expectations.

2. 5–15 mins: Colour discovery demonstration

• Teacher shows primary colours (red, yellow, blue) and explains that combining two primaries can create secondary colours (orange, green, purple).
• Students predict what will happen when they mix red + yellow, blue + yellow, and red + blue using a small, teacher-led test tray.

3. 15–25 mins: Hands-on mixing station

• Students work at their table with palettes and water pots. They mix to create the three secondary colours.
• Teacher prompts: “Which colours did you start with? What secondary colour did you make? What do you notice about how much paint you used?”

4. 25–35 mins: Shape creation mini-task

• Students receive a sheet with a simple template or guide: a large space for a “feeling picture.”
• They choose 4–6 shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) and add them using either cut paper (collage) or drawn outlines (depending on class access to materials).
• Teacher models making shapes neatly and encouraging crisp, clear boundaries.

5. 35–47 mins: Combine colours and shapes

• Students place and glue (or paint) their secondary colour areas onto the shapes, ensuring shapes stand out.
• Teacher asks students to link choices to mood: “If your artwork is ‘happy’, which colours might help? Why?”

6. 47–55 mins: Gallery share and art talk

• Students present their artwork to a partner (or teacher, given the small class) and complete a brief spoken response.
• Prompts: “I used… (colours). I made… (secondary colour). My shapes show… (idea/feeling).”

7. 55–60 mins: Reflection and clean-up

• Students do a quick “one thing I learned” check-in.
• Teacher confirms clean-up routines and correct storage of materials for the next lesson.

Resources

• Primary colour paint (red, yellow, blue) and white paper
• Palettes or mixing trays, child-safe brushes, water cups, paper towels
• Coloured paper for collage (including primary and secondary sets if available)
• Scissors (if used), glue sticks, scrap paper for testing
• Shape cut-outs or shape cards (circle, square, triangle, rectangle)
• Example artworks showing bold colour blocks and simple shapes
• Simple vocabulary prompts on the board: primary, secondary, mix, shape, feeling, mood
• Student worksheets or half-sheets for responses (optional)
• Aprons or protective clothing

Assessment

• Observation checklist during mixing: correct identification of primary colours and successful creation of at least one secondary colour.
• Review of final artwork: use of multiple simple shapes and visible, purposeful colour application.
• Oral response: student can describe colour choices and one possible feeling/mood using appropriate terms (e.g., primary/secondary, happy/calm/energetic).

Differentiation

• Support: provide a colour-mixing guide (start colours → secondary outcome) and pre-cut shape options; allow drawing instead of cutting.
• Support: sentence starters for sharing ideas (“I mixed ___ and ___ to make ___.” “My picture feels ___ because…”).
• Extension: students create a “mood set” using warm colours for one feeling and cool colours for another; add a second set of shapes with different colours and justify choices.
• EAL/SEN: use visual word banks and concrete modelling; allow pointing/naming before full sentence responses; reduce cognitive load by limiting to 3 shapes and 2 secondary colours if needed.