Teaching Art to Students Who Have Autism

After I retired from teaching art, I subbed for my old art teacher friends. It was always helpful to have instructions for how to deal with students with special needs. Here is a website that has lots of help for teaching art to students who have autism. You might include some of this information in your sub plans as needed.  Tips for Teaching Art to Students Who Have Autism

Here's another blog post I wrote on the topic:  

Balloon Play

Art Lesson for Special Needs and Autism Classes

Winter Art Sub Lessons for Elementary

Here are some elementary art lessons that would make great sub lessons for winter and the new year. Some have directions and visuals included and some you will need to tweak a little.

"Winter landscapes by 1st grade - one day project" by Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists. One day lessons can make great sub lessons.  This one makes such a gorgeous work of art. Paint isn't a great medium for subs, but can be substituted with crayons or markers.  If you will let your sub use markers, make sure you  leave lots of instruction about how the students should use them.

"Snowman Directed Drawing Art Activity," by Proud to Be Primary. This blog post includes both written directions and plenty of visuals.  Crayons or markers can easily replace the paint used in the blog post.

"A Cup of Fantasy," at Arteascuola.  These painted cups are so colorful.  I am sure they can be recreated in crayon or marker.  You could make step-by-step visuals pretty easily for this one.

"How to Draw Penguins," by Cassie Stephens.  In this blog post, Cassie gives visuals, including a step-by-step one for how to draw the simple penguin shapes.  Students add whatever details they think up, so these can all be individualized.

Oh, boy. Teachers are wondering what to do with their antsy art classes this last week before winter break. Don’t give up and give them over to videos. Fun art lessons for that last week before Christmas vacation can be had at this TPT shop: Centers and Early Finishers.

This is a complete lesson at TPT. 

This is a doodle activity at TPT. 

This is another doodle activity at TPT.

This one is a freeby at TPT.

This is a fun activity over at TPT.

"Patterns for the New Year," by Strong Rock Elementary Art Gallery blog.  This teacher gives an overview of this lesson about goals for the new year.  You could provide your sub with simple visuals and directions to go along with this lesson.

Here is another complete lesson about Chinese New Year.

Here is an updated blog post with more ideas for the week before winter break.More ideas for the week before winter break.

Ugly Christmas Sweater - Art Sub Lesson

You could totally turn this into an art sub lesson! Read about this lesson idea at the Little Yeti blog. https://artisandesarts.blogspot.com/2013/01/ugly-holiday-sweaters-grade-45.html

If you would like a fully formed, 25-page lesson about ugly Christmas sweaters that can be taught by anyone, check out the lesson by Cool Classroom Stuff on TPT.  It is a no-prep, fully scripted lesson with tons of examples. There are four templates from which the students can choose.

Christmas Ornament Card with Pattern

Art Sub Lesson - Christmas Ornament and Card

This lesson could be fun and easy for elementary, middle, and high school. It is written as a multiday lesson, but I am sure you can adapt it for one.  

Check out this lesson plan at NeoWhimseys blog, which has very detailed lesson plans. 

It uses simple supplies: paper and pen. You could also use other media, such as markers or crayons.

Art Sub Plans Worksheets - Day of the Dead

Sugar Skulls, Piñatas, and Sombreros - Art Worksheets

Here is a fun elementary art project for Cinco de Mayo, Halloween, or Day of the Dead. It can be set up as an art center; used as an early finishers project; or taught as an art sub lesson. There are templates, sample patterns and examples of three different designs. See more about this set of worksheets at TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers

Art Sub Lesson Plan - Silly Monsters

Halloween Art Lesson - Creating Silly Monsters

“Creating Silly Monsters” is a fun lesson about monsters that you could use in an art center; as a regular art lesson; or for an art sub. It is super easy to teach and kids will love it. Check it out at TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers  It would be timely around Halloween but could be taught any time.

Art Sub Lesson Plans About Monsters

Elementary Art Sub Plans about Monsters

Look no further for easy elementary art lessons about monsters. Here are lesson plans that would be fun to teach in October or at Halloween. They would all be perfect for art sub plans.


If you like leaving YouTube videos for subs, here is a sea monster lesson from Steve Harpster.  He shows kids how to draw creatures using letters of the alphabet. In this video, he uses the letter "A."

This "Name Alien" lesson is by We Heart Art.  This lesson ends up far from where it begins!

"There Be Monsters" is a lesson about sea monsters as they were drawn on  ancient maps.  

Students observe the old maps and monsters and create their own.

Here's a worksheet for early finishers at TPT.

"Create a Silly Monster"  This would be great for subs, art teachers, and classroom teachers.

This "Name Alien" lesson is by We Heart Art.  This lesson ends up far from where it begins!

"Clown and Poodle" originally wrote about this lesson. It is based on the old song, "The Purple People Eater." Originally, I linked to that blog, but it no longer seems to exist.  Here is my blog post about that lesson.

This sweet kindergarten lesson is by Artisan des Arts. 

"Her Dabbles" came up with this lesson called Silly Monsters. 

Ms. Pearce's Art Room has this lesson called "Circle Monsters." Kids lovetracing shapes. Here they can create original monsters just by starting with tracing circles.

This Scribble Monster lesson came from "Art  with Ms. B"

Fun Art Sub Lessons for October

I found the most wonderful Halloween lessons that could be turned into art sub lessons.  Check these out!!!

Amy, at Makes and Takes, gives step by step instructions and many visuals for this lesson. She used black paper and oil pastel, but this could easily be done with crayon on a lighter paper.

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At Panicked Teacher, Susie gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make this patterned pumpkin.  I believe she is a classroom teacher who has to supplement art instruction in her class for most of the school year.

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This lesson, at ArtfulNest, was written for middle school.  You could write it up as a fifth-grade lesson or sixth-grade one.  You could also bring it down to the upper primary grades with a change of media.  Leave your subs some good visuals.  They could teach this!            

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Monster lesson.  There are lots of wonderful visuals and complete details here.  It is taught with paint and gadget prints, but you could so easily adapt it with crayons for your sub lesson. Visit Line FrØslev. There are wonderful things over there.

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Here's one done for you already.  Step by step instructions were written here  by Ms. Crisco over at Crisco Art. Always a good type lesson to leave for a sub.  

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Here's a haunted house lesson that I created.  The information about it is in a post at Art Sub Lessons.  Art Sub Lessons - Halloween Haunted Houses

BONUS...Here's another one.  Yippee!!!  Creating Silly Monsters

Here's an extra goodie of my own.  Subs will love if you leave a worksheet for those early finishers!!!  This worksheet has an assortment of details for decorating their jack o' lantern. It also has a lightly drawn in pumpkin for them to use as a base.  As a complete lesson, students could draw on another sheet, their own pumpkin shapes and use the worksheet as a reference.  There is also a sheet with 3 sample decorated pumpkins.  $.99 at my TeachersPayTeachers shop:  Art Sub Lessons.

Easy Art Sub Lesson for Halloween

Easy Art Lesson - Yayoi Kusama

Looky! Another fun and easy art lesson you can teach for Halloween! An art sub plan based on an artist, can, of course, be taught anytime, but since it features pumpkins, it seems time appropriate. 

Based on the art of Yayoi Kusama, students design and pattern their own work.

Written as a creative center activity, it can also be used for an art sub.

Who was Yayoi Kusama?

A Japanese artist, born in 1929, she works mostly in sculpture, however, she is well known for her works in a wide array of other media and fields of art as well. 

Her art has the flavor of pop art and is heavily based on her life history. Much of her work has ties that deal with mental illness, for which she has struggled for most of her life.

What art pieces is she most known for?

There has been a resurgence of interest in her work. What people seem drawn to in her shows are her rooms covered in mirrors. These rooms reflect from wall to wall and give an illusion of infinity. 

Pattern is a big theme in her work. Part of that is her attempt to control patterns and ideas that repeat over and over again in her head obsessively. Her images and sculptures of patterned and polka-dotted pumpkins are very publicized these days.

Where can I find an art lesson or center activity based on this artist?

TPT store, Centers and Early Finishers, has a lesson called The Patterned Pumpkins of Yayoi Kusama. Click here to check it out:  Art Lesson on Yayoi Kusama.

This lesson includes: 

--two photos of art by Yayoi Kusama with a brief description of her work

--a sheet with three sets of directions you may use in a creative learning center. (Cut out the one that applies to what you want the students to do.)

--a line drawing of a pumpkin that you may copy for each student or you may use as a model for the students to draw on their own

--a line drawing of a pumpkin with patterns that you may copy for each student or use as a model for step 2 of their drawing

--an example of the finished work

As a center activity, if you want the students to create the entire drawing on their own, supply the station with plain paper, pencils, and crayons.

If you want the students to fill in the sheet with the pre-drawn pumpkin shape, make sure to include the copies of that drawing; pencils; and crayons.

If you only want the students to color the pre-drawn pumpkin that already has patterns, provide copies of that drawing and crayons.

If you want to teach this as an art lesson, you may print out the visuals to show the students up close, or you may project the images.

Back to School - Easy Art Sub Lessons

Easy Art Sub Lesson Plans for Back to School

Back to School time. What an awkward time to be absent from your classroom.  Here are some posts that would make great art sub plans. They are easy enough for a sub to teach and interesting enough to engage your kids. Click on the links to find out more about these fun and easy lessons.

Kindergarten and Preschool Art Lesson Plan
by ME!  Jan @ Art Sub Lessons blog

Free Art Sub Lesson - Lines, Lines and More Lines
by ME!  Jan @ Art Sub Lessons blog

Minions
by Miriam at Arte a Scuola

Collaborative Creatures
by Katie Weymouth at Briargrove Elementary Art Page

Dot Day
by Ms. O'Hanley at  Tales from the Traveling Art Teacher

Here's a post with multiple ideas for drawing things using circles: Back to School Art Activity: What Can You Make Out of a Circle Shape?

Leave a comment below if you know of more great ideas for kids for back to school art.