Creative Art Play

Year Level

Year 1

Duration

50 minutes

Class size

25 students

Curriculum Links

This lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum (v9) for The Arts – Visual Arts for Years 1 and 2:

Content Descriptor: Use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks - Content Descriptor: Experiment and play with visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials - General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

Experiment with a variety of art materials and processes to create their own unique artworks.
Use imagination and play to explore textures, colours, and shapes.
Discuss and share their artwork with peers, describing what they created and how they felt during the process.
Develop fine motor skills appropriate for their age group through hands-on art activities.

Materials Needed

Large paper sheets (A3 size)
Paints (tempera or water-based, safe for children)
Natural materials for texture (e.g., leaves, sticks, feathers)
Brushes, sponges, cotton buds
Glue sticks
Crayons, coloured pencils
Assorted textured materials (fabric scraps, bubble wrap, sandpaper pieces)
Aprons or smocks
Wet wipes or hand towels for cleaning

Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction and Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Gather students in a circle and briefly explain the activity theme: “Today, we are going to be artists exploring, experimenting, and playing with colours, shapes, and textures to make an artwork that shows your ideas and feelings.”
Show examples of artworks that use texture and mixed materials to inspire curiosity.
Quick play: Ask students to close their eyes and feel a small natural object (e.g., leaf or feather). Prompt them to describe how it feels (rough, smooth, spiky). This primes sensory engagement.

2. Exploratory Art Making (25 minutes)

Distribute art materials to small groups or tables.
Encourage students to create freely but suggest using natural materials to make imprints, patterns, or textures on paper using paint and other media.
Guide awareness of mixing colours, layering materials, and using different strokes or marks.
Support students who might be uncertain by joining their workspace briefly, asking open-ended questions such as “What happens if we press the leaf on the paper?” or “How can you make this colour lighter or darker?”
Emphasise the combination of ‘accidental’ marks (e.g., dabbing paint randomly) and ‘intentional’ marks (drawing shapes or outlines), to encourage experimentation and creativity.

3. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

Invite students to display their works on tables or walls.
Conduct a "gallery walk" where students move around to observe their own and others' art. Ask them simple guiding questions: “What do you see in this artwork? What materials did they use? What do you like about it?”
Encourage students to share one thing they enjoyed or discovered during the activity.
Teacher reinforces positive language and curiosity, raising questions such as “How do you think this artwork makes someone feel?” or “What story could this picture tell?”

4. Clean-Up and Closing (5 minutes)

Organise students to help tidy up materials.
Summarise the learning experience: “Today we used our imagination and played with art materials to create something special. Art helps us show what we think and feel in ways words sometimes cannot.”
Offer praise for effort and creativity.

Assessment

Informal observation: Teacher notes engagement levels, use of materials, and diversity in approach during art making.
Peer sharing: Listening to how students describe their and others’ artworks to assess articulation of ideas and understanding of artistic choices.
Reflection: Ability to talk about their creative process and respond to simple questions demonstrating age-appropriate critical thinking about their work.

Differentiation

Provide pre-cut shapes or stencils for students needing fine motor support.
Allow more advanced students to experiment with mixing paints and making collages using the textured materials.
Support students with limited verbal skills by encouraging drawing or gesturing to express ideas during sharing.

Teacher Tips

Foster a safe, encouraging environment where the ‘process’ is valued over the ‘product’.
Use descriptive praise (“You’ve made very interesting patterns by using the bubble wrap!”) to highlight creative choices.
Encourage risk-taking and celebrate ‘mistakes’ as opportunities for discovery, in line with Play-Based Learning principles.

This lesson plan focuses on playful engagement with art materials and processes, which is both developmentally appropriate for Year 1 students and aligned to the Australian Curriculum content for visual arts at this level.

Teaching Instructions