Procure the number of chairs you will need depending on your class size before you begin the lesson. Wood is the ideal material for these chairs, and those made of hard plastic are also feasible; however, metal or soft plastic chairs do not have surfaces conducive to detailed painting, and should be avoided. Begin the lesson by showing students a sample of the chairs they will be painting.
Instruct students to draw the chair using sketch paper and colored pencils, which they will use to plan out how they will paint their chairs. Students will be required to give their chairs at least one base color and one design. Have students show you their sketches when they are finished to make sure they meet the requirements and are school-appropriate. Once approved, students will pick out and label chairs with their names and set them aside until the next lesson.
Instruct students to lay out a newspaper or another protective surface beneath their chairs. Students will apply at a coat of primer to their chairs. If your class is using hard plastic chairs with metal legs, students should only use the paint on the plastic surface. Students will allow the primer to dry overnight. The next day, students will use the wide paintbrushes to apply their base color or colors with the oil paints.
Lay out the stencils, wood pencils, thin brushes and acrylic paint before the next lesson. Students will use these materials to trace the outline and finally paint the design they planned in the sketching phase. These designs can be abstract or representational and should should take up at least one of the larger surfaces of the chair, such as the seat or the back. This phase should take at least two or three days, and possibly more if students want to paint more elaborate designs.
Ask students, once they are all finished with their designs, to bring their chairs to the front of the room and explain why chose to paint them the way they did. After the project is complete, students can either keep their chairs in the room for use in class or bring them home to show off to their family.