Different Ways of Making an Art Show for Preschoolers

Theme Show

• Prepare ahead of time for the art show by giving a theme to your students. The theme should be simple such as "animals" or "family." Instruct the children to create their art, whether a drawing or clay model, based on their perspective of the theme. Once each child completes their art project, the teacher will hang the art in a designated area, or place it on a table, for the art show. The day of the art show, the teacher can let each child present their piece of art to the class and tell the class what their rendition of the theme means to them.

Parent Night

• Skip the traditional semester conference night and hold an art show for the parents instead. Set the preschool classroom up like an art gallery with various projects. Hang the art on the wall and create name tags to place under the pictures that label what the picture is and who the artist. Line the desks or tables around the room so the class is open and parents aren't tripping over chairs and other small items. Let the children guide their parents around the room and show off their art. In addition, supply snacks and drinks to the parents.

Community Art Fair

• Take the art show outdoors and display the artistic work of the preschool at a community fair. Set the space up with a large outdoor tent and long tables around the interior perimeter of the tent. The tables will display the art on easels for members of the community to view. Prior to event have each child pick their favorite piece of art to display. If there is a charity the community or preschool supports, consider pricing the artwork to sell and donating the money to the charity.

Classroom Art Show

• Save one piece of artwork each student does every quarter. At the end of the year, each student will have four pieces of artwork to display to the class. Assign one to three students each day to display their art and talk about each piece. In addition to showing off their work, the students will see the improvement they made from their first art project to their last. Depending on the policy of the preschool, invite the parents of the child presenting to come and view their art display.