Easy Art Sub Plans - The Mitten

This winter art lesson idea was written by a fourth grade classroom teacher. Though her school doesn’t have its own art teacher, she tries to fill in that gap by doing art with her students herself. Because this was created and used by a non-art person, I feel like this would be perfect for a substitute teacher to use. 

You want your art sub lessons to be easy to use, but interesting enough that your kids buy into it. I think this one will do the trick. 

I would use this with first, second, third or fourth grade.

 

This teacher used construction paper, crayons (I am guessing the ones that are made specifically for use on construction paper), and a mitten template.  The snowflake design was cut out of paper and glued on top.

 

If I was going to use this as a sub lesson, I would consider using the construction paper, but would more likely just go with white drawing paper. Markers would make beautiful drawings, but again, I am not sure I would leave my markers available to a sub I didn’t know. (I would want someone to emphasize taking care of markers.)

 

I also would consider having a snowflake template for the kids to trace, as cutting out a snowflake might be one complication too many for a sub. Kids love tracing, so they would love having two things to trace in this lesson.

 

As an inspiration for the lesson I would lead in with a picture book or video. The one that comes to mind first is The Mitten, by Jan Brett. If you do not own it, your school likely owns multiple copies. Check early though. This one is likely to get checked out all winter.

Guess what!!!!  Jan Brett has a YouTube video of herself reading the book!!! A video lead in sounds like a great way to engage the kids. If you have a sub that can work basic technology, I would definitely go with the video.

Visit "Teaching Art with Kelly B." You’ll find multiple examples of her student’s work.

11 Easy Art Plans Based on Children's Books

When I sub in art, I enjoy teaching lessons that are tied into children's literature. The instant tie into quality books helps capture the students' attention, which is crucial to teaching in a short term assignment.  

Here are some lessons that use children's literature. You may click on the image to go to the lesson.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Lesson by Miss Young's Art Room

The Gingerbread Man

Lesson by Art Sub Lessons

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, 

by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes

Lesson by Sharpy Woman

The Pesky Rat, by Lauren Child

Lesson by Fairy Dust Teaching

Ish, by Peter A. Reynolds

Lesson by Art Project Girl

The BFG, by Roald Dahl

Lesson by Art Sub Lessons

Magic Trash - A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art

Lesson by The Old Paintbrush

A World of Your Own, by Laura Carlin

Lesson by Art Is Basic

Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold

Lesson by Art Sub Lessons

The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat

Lesson by Art Sub Lessons

The Night I Followed the Dog, by Nina Laden

Lesson by Art Sub Lessons

Silly Sandwich Art Lesson

Silly Sandwich Art Sub Lesson

This lesson idea has been around for a while and it is still as good as ever. Kids love "silly" and fun anything and this is no exception.  You can load anything you want on a silly sandwich. Food, toys, the kitchen sink. It's all good. 

If you have time, cutting 12” x 18” paper into 6” x 9” makes for a fun size.  This size really exaggerates how silly and big this sandwich is.

If you want to save yourself some time, I have this lesson fully formed in a PowerPoint in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  There are photos of real silly sandwiches and student samples.

It works great as a lesson to leave with your substitute teachers. All your sub needs to do is read the script and follow the directions. Classroom teachers and art teachers can teach it too, but subs love this one. The kids stay engaged doing it.

Oh! And I added a word find puzzle about sandwiches for those early finishers.  You can check it out here:  Art Sub Lesson - Silly Sandwich

Back to School Art Sub Plans - Dot Day

Dot Day for Back to School Art 

Teachers love to integrate Dot Day into their Back to School lessons since, for many, they happen around the same time. (September)

 

Here are Dot Day lessons from Ms. O’Hanley, Tales from the Traveling Art Teacher  She’s got a video link and multiple lesson ideas that a sub could do.  

 

One of my favorites is this radial symmetry design done on a paper plate.  Check it out! 

Art Sub Plan Idea - Easy Shape Tracing

This lesson would be great for an art sub with just a small bit of tweaking. I can't imagine leaving a lesson that includes black tempera paint, but there are work arounds.

From experience, I know that kids love tracing. Cans. Coffee lids. Flat tools. The more diverse, the better. Crayons are a perfect medium here and great to leave with subs.

Get inspiration from this gorgeous lesson from The Moffatt Girls.

Art Sub Plan - Creative Letter Drawings.

Creative Letter Drawings for First Grade

Ms. Nguyen had to start teaching at a new school with little or nothing in the way of supplies.  She came up with this lesson that used what little she did have.  Here is a simple lesson that a sub could possibly do.  Check it out at Art with Mrs. Nguyen.

Art Sub Plans - Boat on a River of Pattern

Elementary Art Sub Plan "Boat on a River of Pattern"

This art looks like it could be turned into a sub lesson pretty easily. It was over at 4monkeysstudio.

This lesson could be so appealing to both students and subs. It is a simple idea that most everyone would succeed at. 

I found another lesson that might be a good lead in. Check out this blog post at JuliannaKunstler.com The blog post is called, “Zen Landscape....Creative Pattern.” She has step by step direction for how to do the drawing and has visuals to go with it.

Chinese Dragon - Kindergarten Art Sub Lesson

Chinese New Year  Dragon

I have revamped an art sub plan that I made a few years ago.  It is in my TeachersPayTeachers shop.  (If you bought the previous version, please download this new and improved version for free!!!)

This is a lesson that I have taught in my own art room and the kids have always loved it.  Before the lesson, I always liked to show YouTube videos of Dragon dances during the Chinese New Year celebrations.  There are also lovely children's books on the subject which would go great with this lesson.  You don't need either to teach this lesson though.  I've added lots of visuals and background that provide motivation for the students.

I have heard from classroom teachers as well as art teachers who have taught this.  They all seemed to have success and the kids loved it.

World of Your Own - Art Sub Plan

World of Your Own - Art Sub Plan - Creativity Drawing

Here is a beautiful book-related lesson from Marcia Beckett at Art is Basic.  The lesson is based on the book, A World of Your Own, by Laura Carmen. Check out her blog to see this fun and easy lesson.

The book encourages children to imagine a world of their own. The lesson that Marcia presents is open ended to give students a chance to really imagine something of their own making.

If you are looking for an art sub plan that is ready to go RIGHT NOW, check out my TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons.  My shop is full of art sub plans. Most are totally no prep and use only the simplest materials. They can be taught by anyone.  

Here’s one of my lessons that is based on a totally imaginary scene:  Beyond the GingerBread Man.  This one is based off of the idea of the gingerbread man and gingerbread houses. Kids would be happy drawing simply either one of those. But in art class, we want to do more than that. So in this lesson the kids look at pictures of standard kinds of gingerbread creations and then more unique and creative ones. They share their new ideas with each other and then draw them. 

As I have taught this lesson, the kids have been highly engaged. As a sub in a class of students who don't know me, engagement is important. As an intro to the lesson, I started with a Speakaboos video on YouTube that I downloaded. It was one with John Krasinski, from The Office, as a narrator. You certainly could also supplement with one of many fun books about the gingerbread man. After that I showed the PowerPoint lesson.

Art Sub Plan - Imagination Drawing

Art Sub Plan Using Imagination

Here's one I haven't seen before!  Check out this lesson at Dansquare's Art Education.

It is based on this book, ““If.......”, by Sarah Perry. (Not an affiliate link, btw.). Here’s the blurb from the book.  “ Take a fantastical journey through an inspiring world where anything can happen: leaves turn into fish, cats fly with wings, humans have tails, frogs eat rainbows, and dreams become visible. 

First published in 1995, Sarah Perry’s delightful picture book of “surreal possibilities” was the Getty’s first children’s title. Twenty-five years later it remains a visual feast that children of all ages enjoy.”

That sounds like a book that would be a good addition to your classroom library in addition to having. Good lead-in for this lesson.    

Kindergarten Art Sub Lesson - Monsters

Kindergarten Art Lesson - Monsters

"Monsters" is a topic that has a high level of interest for elementary students. They don't have to be scary monsters, though some kids love, love, love the scary ones. Think of all the Sesame Street Monsters. Some are on the scarier side than others, but they're all basically furry and sweet.

Since monsters of the imaginary sort are not real, there is an infinite amount of ways they can be drawn.  That is what makes them such a good art sub lesson. High interest. Endless possibilities.

Finding art sub plans for kindergarten is a little hard.  Here's a great lesson that a sub could easily do. Find Monsters at the Artisan des Arts blog.

Books  You Might Like to Accompany this Lesson

As introductions to the topic, you might lead in with one of these picture books:

If You're a Monster and You Know It, by Rebecca Emberley

The Monster at the End of this Book, by Jon Stone

My Monster Momma Loves Me So, by Laura Leuck

Spider Sandwiches, by Claire Freedman

Monster Needs a Costume, by Paul Czajak

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

A Fun Video to Go with the Lesson

Now, even more fun than a book as an intro to a kindergarten lesson is a video with singing and kids' artwork, based on a book.  Here is a video of If You're a Monster and You Know It, based on the book of the same name.  If you have a sub who can maneuver to YouTube and project a video, this is a great one.  Check it out at Kris Handley's channel on YouTube: If You're a Monster and You Know It 

Ready-Made, No Prep Lessons in my TPT Shop:  Art Sub Lessons

If you like this lesson idea, you might also like this primary level art sub lesson about Chinese Dragon Parades:  Dragon Dance

or this worksheet for early finishers that you will find here:  Create a Silly Monster

                                          

Art Sub Lesson for Kindergarten - Bugtown Boogie

Kindergarten Art Sub Lesson for Bugtown Boogie

You should check out this art lesson.  When I first saw it, I missed that a good chunk of the lesson was lower down on the page, so don’t overlook this. There are a good number of instructions down there.

This sweet lesson was inspired by the book, Bugtown Boogie, by Warren Hanson. 

If you’d like to check out this book, you can find it performed on YouTube here:  Bugtown Boogie

The version of the lesson that this Mom uses with her son involves rolling a dice to choose bug body parts. You can find this lesson at:  Deceptively Educational.

This reminds me a lot of my sub plan, Ugly Bug Ball. 

If you’d like a fun elementary art lesson about bugs, that’s all ready to hand to a sub, check that one out at my TPT shop. It’s no prep; fully scripted, and full of visuals. It would work best for 2nd grade through 5th grade.

Here's another primary lesson you might like at my TeachersPayTeachers shop.

Art Sub Plan - Circle Monsters

Art Sub Plans for Elementary | Circle Monsters

Circle Monsters.  This lesson idea could easily be used as a sub lesson.  You can find this idea over on Mrs. Pearce's Art Room blog.

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If you liked that lesson, you might also like this no-prep art sub lesson at my TeachersPayTeachers shop. The Ugly Bug Ball.

I have taught this lesson to all levels, Kindergarten through Fifth Grade.  The kids love it!

There's also a monster drawing worksheet for Early Finishers, also at my TPT shop.

Art Sub Lesson Plans - Art Cars

Elementary Art Sub Lesson about Art Cars

Here's an elementary lesson that I taught as an art sub recently.  It is based on sculptural art cars.  Famous art cars include the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile and painted cars by Warhol, Haring and Lichtenstein. Students are lead through photos of famous and not so famous art cars and come up with ideas for their own art car.

I created this as a lesson to be used by an art sub but it certainly may be used by art teachers or classroom teachers as well.

You can check it out here at my TeachersPayTeachers shop.

I always write my sub lessons so that they use the most simple materials, pencil, crayons and paper, in order that they can be put together quickly.

This would be great for an emergency art plan since all you have to do is hand the printed slides to the sub or have them show the
PowerPoint lesson.  It is complete from start to finish.

And best of all, the students find this lesson highly engaging.  That's an important thing when you have a sub in the classroom!!!

Back to School - FREE Art Sub Lesson - K-1

Lines, Lines, and More Lines - Art Sub Plan

This art sub-plan is actually a lesson I taught as one of my back-to-school lessons every year. I taught it with kindergarteners mainly, but also with preschoolers and first graders on occasion. Also, as a part of this lesson, I did a lot of movement, creating silly sounds and lines with our bodies. This made it one of my all-time favorite kinder lessons.

You can have this PowerPoint for FREE. You may find it at my lesson plan shop, ENJOY!

Art Sub Lesson for Kindergarten - Dragon Dance

Now that I am retired from full-time art teaching, I substitute teach from time to time.  I realize how important it is for a substitute teacher to be given good plans. Art teachers know to leave a sub-plan that can be taught by anyone, but they also need to leave something in which the students will be interested.

This is a lesson that I taught for many years in my own classroom.  I have created this PowerPoint so that all a sub needs to do is to read the information on each slide as they show the pictures.  Questions are included to help lead the students through a discussion. 

The lesson introduces the students to Asian dragon costumes as they might be seen in parades and festivals.  Along with background information about the mythical dragons, students observe decorative details used in these festive costumes.

Using the most basic art room supplies (paper, pencil, and crayons), students will create their own imaginative dragon costume.

This lesson may be taught as a PowerPoint projection or printed out and each page shown, one-by-one.

This would be perfect as an emergency sub lesson or as a lesson to be taught by a teacher at any time.

You may find this at my Teachers Pay Teachers shop.  

Abstract Art Sub Plan for Kids

Art Sub Plans - Abstract Lines

This could be a good sub lesson.  Check out this abstract art lesson at: No Time For Flashcards
It is a very simple lesson that could easily be taught by a sub. 

It reminds me very much of this lesson, Loopy Line Fish.  

Loopy Line Fish as an Art Sub Plan

This is a find from Art Project Girl.  She says it should take a half-hour or so.  Coupled with a book or video about fish, you could add on the needed time.  Or you could give this to your sub in case they need something to fill in the time.

Another easy way to prepare for an art sub is to go to my shop, Art Sub Plans. I have created complete lessons in which all your sub has to do is read the slides and follow the directions.  They are full of visuals and are created to be used with the most simple supplies.  Pencils, paper, and crayons are all your students will need to create imaginative works of art.

These are perfect for those emergency absences when you do not have the time to write detailed plans but want to leave quality plans for your subs.

Clowning Around - Emergency Art Sub Lesson

I have left this lesson with my subs for a couple of years now.  They seem to do well with it.

I have uploaded it to TeachersPayTeachers here:  Art Lesson for Subs - Clowning Around

As with all my sub lessons, all you need to do is to print out this 20 page PowerPoint and leave it for the sub.  The only materials they will need are paper, pencil and crayons.  All the directions and visuals for your sub are included.  The sub just needs to read the questions and comments on each slide, and that will direct your students.

The lesson begins with photos of clowns through history.  In order to make an art history connection, I have included a medieval masterpiece of a court jester. Each slide includes questions and statements for the students to think about while creating their drawings.

This lesson would work well as an emergency sub plan as the materials are basic and the directions are complete.  The lesson will save you great amounts of time over the years.

Take care.

Learning Centers as Art Sub Activities

Here's an interesting idea to leave for your substitute teacher. Over at The Elementary Art Room, she uses centers as sub lessons. 

You know your students and if they would be good candidates for this option. They would need to already know the routine and the expectations before you handed this idea off to a substitute teacher. 

Go check out how this is organized for her primary grades.  http://elementaryartroom.blogspot.com/2011/01/substitute-art-centers.html

First Grade Art Sub Lesson - Tar Beach

Art Sub Lesson for 1st Graders

This plan is fully scripted and ready to hand to a sub. Provide them with paper, pencil, crayons, and the book, Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold, and they are ready to teach the lesson.

This lesson may be taught as a PowerPoint projection or printed out and each page shown, one-by-one.

The materials needed for the lesson are paper, pencil, crayons, and the book, Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold.

The slides lead the teacher through questions and answers that will encourage the student to let their imaginations lead their own designs.
I have tested this on my own art subs and have gotten positive feedback. I have also taught this lesson myself, and the students have enjoyed it.
This would be perfect as an emergency sub lesson or as a lesson to be taught by a teacher at any time.
You can find this lesson at my shop at TeachersPayTeachers.

OH! And I made an art sub video for that lesson too! You can find it here on YouTube:  Art Sub Lesson Video for Tar Beach