The goals of drawing lessons in elementary school are to use student observation skills, imaginative powers, concentration, memory and recall ability. Drawing also teaches important line and space elements. Younger students, for example, can make simple sketchbook drawings on any topic; older elementary students can begin drawing objects from real life. Contour and blind contour drawings, where students draw the outline of an object without lifting their pencils, are particularly useful in developing observation and hand-eye communication.
A collage is a work of art made from pasting together materials that aren't normally associated with each other. The goal of collage in an elementary setting is for students to figure out how to illustrate their ideas using found materials; they also learn about the elements of color, shape and texture. Some specific ideas include collages using materials you might find in the trash; multi-media collages illustrating a particular artist, such as Picasso, Monet or Matisse; or collages that use pieces of colored paper to make a complete picture.
In elementary school, art lessons involving painting introduce students to working with colors, different types of paint and brush techniques. For younger children, use a painting lesson involving blending primary colors to make a secondary color to teach color identification. Older elementary children can take on more advanced lessons, such as a self-portrait. An artist known for portraiture, such as Van Gogh, can be introduced; based on his work, students can make their own emotional self-portraits with a mirror and paints.
Working with colored pencils, chalk pastels and oil pastels give students an understanding of how each media requires different application and blending techniques. As with painting, students get acclimated to working with color and learn the different ways these materials can be used. Creating chalk pastel drawings on dark paper, for example, is a great tool for teaching positive and negative space and color balance. Students drawing pictures with colored pencils learn to integrate patterns, textures, highlights and lowlights.
Sculpture requires a student to think in a three-dimensional way. It teaches students about the elements of space and 3-D shape while challenging them to manipulate materials into a particular form. Sculptures are usually based on a theme and can be carved, modeled, chiseled, constructed or cast. Many different materials may be used in the classroom, such as plaster, wire, wood, clay, stone, sand, and even balloons. Messy or complicated sculpture lessons should be left for older elementary students.