Fourth grade is when many students begin to realize that they are either talented at art or that it is not really one of their strong subjects. For this reason, you will want to find art projects that are versatile enough for students to develop their creative abilities and also have fun. Here are some art project ideas for your 4th grader.
“Dot” Impressionism Paintings
Show the students some examples of impressionist paintings, such as those done by Claude Monet. Then, have the students create their own painting by making pictures out of little dots. The painting should be of a scenic view of the child’s choice. Encourage them to find photographs on line, but remember to explain that to prevent copyright issues, at least three changes need to be made for the work to be considered their own.
Creative Collages
Allow students to bring a material of their choice. It can be leaves, candy wrappers, magazine clippings, ribbons, gift wrapping paper, or anything else that the students want to bring into the classroom. The collages that they create will be beautiful and are likely to represent the students’ personal tastes. The students should be allowed to get as creative as they want.
Self Portraits
Students at this age are well developed enough to do a self portrait of themselves. All that you need to do is provide each of the students with a mirror. Then, allow them to draw and color their portraits in with the medium of their choice. Keep in mind that colored pencils generally work the best but some students may prefer charcoals, crayons, or markers. You can consider having them do one realistic self portrait and then allow them to do a self portrait of the way that they really view themselves, in which they can use colors that aren’t realistic and incorporate various aspects of their interests.
Paint and Crayons Mural
Have the children craft a variety of different colors of crayons on a piece of paper. They can create designs with these crayons or they can simply just place the colors where they want them. The children will then use black tempra paint to create a design on top of the paper that they have colored. Allow them to use as much paint as they want, but keep in mind that the entire piece of paper should not be covered by paint. A flower, a heart, or even a cat are some of the different designs that students can create. Allow the murals to dry throughout the day or overnight and see how the crayon colors seep through the design!
These are just a few of the different types of art projects that you can do with 4th grade students. No matter what you decide to do, it is important to keep in mind that students of this age are past the point of doing finger paint and papier-mâché can only keep them occupied for so long. Finding projects that are both creative and that will also help them think outside the box when it comes to developing their artistic abilities is the best thing that you can possibly do.
