Art Education: Developmental Skills

Grade Level Tasks for Art Skills

Cutting: with scissors, following a drawn line; free cutting of shapes.
Tearing: tearing of simple shapes, using small consecutive tears.
Folding: creasing paper into halves, fourths, fan folds; crumpling and smoothing paper.
Fastening: applying paste to paper and attaching one or more paper to a support.
Drawing: exploring line and color with fingers, pencils, felt pens, chalks, brushes.
Modeling: exploring qualities of plasticene and ceramic clay, bread and cookie doughs.
Constructing: use of hammer and other basic tools; wood, paper, and cardboard.
Printing: applying tempera paint to objects and printing on paper or cloth.
Textiling: tabby (over one, under one) weaving with paper strips and/or thick yarns. Simple stitching on loosely woven fabric.
Painting: exploring color, line, shape, and texture with tempera and finger-paints; mixing secondary color from primaries; control of paint on horizontal surface.
Children will increasingly assume responsibility for the care, clean-up and storage of materials. They will learn to conserve and recycle materials.

Cutting: More than one thickness; on a fold to make symmetrical shapes; cutting without a drawn line.
Tearing: simple shapes from paper.
Folding: even halves, fourths, eighths; approximate thirds; fans.
Fastening: develop conservative use of paste, glue, tape, stapler. Select a fastener appropriate to the task.
Drawing: expressive with chalk, crayon, pencil, felt pen, brush, stick, fingers, fiber.
Modeling: with clay, plasticene, doughs; explore pinch technique and texturing.
Constructing: extend use of basic tools with wood, paper, cardboard, and natural objects.
Printing: extend skills with gadgets, vegetables, rollers, leaf, styrofoam.
Textiling: tabby weaving with paper, fibers; simple stitches on burlap; dip-dye with paper into washable dyes; braiding with three strands.
Painting: continued experiences in color, line, shape, and texture with tempera and finger-paint; control of paint on slanted surface (e.g. easel); mixing tints and shades by adding black and white to hues.
Designing: create repeat design using one motif.

Children will increasingly assume responsibility for the care, clean-up and storage of materials. They will learn to conserve and recycle materials.

Cutting: radial designs (e.g. snowflakes); increasingly complex shapes without a drawn line.
Tearing: more complex shapes.
Folding: into uneven divisions; complex folds (e.g. origami).
Fastening: facility with paste, glue, tape, stapler.
Drawing: extend capability with chalk, pencil, crayon, felt pen, brush, fiber.
Modeling: extended capability with clay, plasticene, doughs; strip-laminated papier-mâché; 3-D form with aluminum foil.
Constructing: extend use of basic tools with wood, paper, cardboard, and natural objects.
Printing: extend gadget, vegetable, roller, leaf, and styrofoam techniques; cardboard printing.
Textiling: continue skills with paper-strip and yarn weaving; simple stitchery on loose fabrics and/or wire; beginning macramé knot techniques; spool knitting; braiding with three or more strands.
Painting: extend capabilities with finger-painting and tempera; mix colors to achieve desired hues, tints, and shades; use color expressively to convey a mood.
Designing: create designs with alternating motifs; make symmetrical designs; estimate space and quantity for best utilization of materials.

Children will increasingly assume responsibility for the care, clean-up and storage of materials. They will learn to conserve and recycle materials.

Cutting: free cutting of complex shapes, with and without drawn line.
Tearing: complex shapes such as figures, trees.
Folding: forms such as paper airplanes, simple origami.
Fastening: facility with paste, glue, tape, stapler.
Drawing: extend capability with chalk, crayon, pencil, felt pen, brush, fiber; explore charcoal and oil pastels.
Modeling: extend capability with clay, plasticene, doughs, papier-mâché, and foil. Utilize slab technique to build with clay. Glaze bisque-fired clay objects and/or underglaze engobes and clear glaze.
Constructing: extend use of basic tools with wood, paper, cardboard, and natural objects.
Printing: extend gadget, vegetable, roller, leaf, and styrofoam techniques; cardboard printing.
Textiling: facility with tabby and basketweave, using yarn on frame looms; weaving on reed or branches; knowledge of a variety of stitches for use on fabric; ability to produce simple macramé object; knit on large needles; multiple-strand braid (fingerweaving); applique one or more fabrics to another with stitches; apply block print to fabric.
Painting: extend capabilities with finger-paint and tempera; use complements to dull intensity of hues; painting with colored sand and glue.
Designing: create simple poster using visual symbols and a minimum of lettering. Stencil repeat patterns.

Children will increasingly assume responsibility for the care, clean-up and storage of materials. They will learn to conserve and recycle materials.

Cutting: free cutting of complex shapes, without drawn line.
Tearing: figures, trees, and other complex shapes.
Folding: origami; score cardboard and heavy paper for paper sculpture forms.
Fastening: the correct use of rubber cement and model glue.
Drawing: facility with chalk, crayon, felt pen, pencil, brush, fiber; increase capability with charcoal rendering and oil pastels.
Modeling: continue experiences with clay, plasticene, and doughs; laminated papier-mâché, and foil; slab technique using clay slip to join; use of stain engobe and glaze on clay forms; salt and flour maps.
Constructing: build models of cardboard, paper, and balsa wood; full scale "stage sets" for dramatic play.
Printing: extend skills with earlier blockprinting materials; explore printing with paraffin and plaster of Paris blocks and crayon-resist printing.
Textiling: facility with cardboard, frame, and paper-plate weaving; experience with 2-harness table loom; extend knowledge of stitchery and applique techniques and simple quilting; knitting on needles; finger crochet; coil basket technique; tie-dye with two or more dyes; printing in two or more colors on fabric.
Painting: explore watercolor, using wet paper, dry paper; even wash and graded wash techniques; acrylic or latex paint for outdoor murals.
Designing: draw and cut simple block letters; design posters, including simple lettered message. Unless a lesson specifically calls for mechanical aids (ruler, compass, etc.) encourage free expression.

Cutting: complex outlines and interior openings.
Tearing: increase precision.
Folding: achieve accuracy as required for 3-D geometric forms.
Fastening: acquire means of fastening without adhesives or staples, such as slitting, folding, tying.
Drawing: explore gradation of value (shading); proportion; action; simulation of texture; repetition (as needed for animation techniques); cartoon and caricature methods; beginning concepts of perspective (variable size, atmospheric color, overlapping); methods of enlargement by grid systems.
Modeling: combine media in sculpture; coil technique with clay.
Constructing: approximate correct proportions in models of rooms, furnishing, vehicles.
Printing: use of heat transfer technique and simple collograph methods.
Textiling: extend facility with all basic fiber and fabric skills.
Painting: develop capability with watercolor techniques; multicolor washes, calligraphic brush strokes; explore color mixing to obtain monochromatic, analogous, complimentary and split-complimentary color schemes; use of acrylic and/or latex paints for out door murals.
Designing: incorporate several elements into a unified design, with and without lettering. Unless a lesson specifically calls for mechanical aids (ruler, compass, etc.) encourage free expression.

Cutting: use of Xacto knife (with close supervision.)
Tearing: continue to increase precision.
Folding: complex origami folds and accuracy in complicated 3-D geometric forms.
Fastening: facility in all forms of fastening, with economical use of material.
Drawing: continue to develop ability to represent objects with line, value, texture, and color; integrate objects into a composition using balance (symmetric, asymmetric, radial); convey ideas pictorially without verbal message; demonstrate understanding of various ways to show perspective; one- and two-point linear perspective; enlargement or reduction with and without grids.
Modeling: combine media in sculpture; subtractive sculpture (carving); clay modeling on an armature.
Construction: scale models; full size stage sets or room environments from small plans or models.
Printing: linoleum blockprinting; acetate intaglio; collographs.
Textiling: fabrication of clothing, furnishings, decorative articles from fiber and fabrics.
Painting: facility of expression with tempera, finger-paints, watercolors, latex and/or acrylic outdoor paints; explore textile paints.
Designing: extend ability to incorporate elements into a unified design, with or without lettering. Unless a lesson specifically calls for mechanical aids (ruler, compass, etc.) encourage free expression.

• Art Classes for Children Ages 4-12 >

• How Parents Can Help >

• Materials >

• About Kay Alexander >

• At Home with Art: Art Lessons >