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Using broader, messier materials encourages openness and creativity. Pencils and erasers will make the process take much longer and lead the kids to constantly erase their mistakes. Provide a wide variety of children's paints and markers for kids to choose from. Using paints and markers will also encourage the kids to work faster and create a higher volume of work. A sense of familiarity with the subject will give kids the confidence they need to start a new project. For example, you would choose something that the kids may have seen or drawn before, such as a bouquet of flowers in a vase or a cat. You wouldn't choose a piece of obscure architecture or a person they've never heard of. When kids see the teacher drawing or painting too, they tend to engage with the lesson more fully. Use a large piece of paper, a whiteboard, or a projector to show the kids how you would draw the subject. Practice drawing it beforehand and, if you can, show several different styles. Showing the students your artistic skills will inspire and encourage them. For example, you could draw an extremely simplified version, a more realistic version, and a cartoonish version. However, always encourage students to make the drawing their own. Your drawing should be a demonstration, not a reference. Challenge the students to create a painting of a memory or draw a scene from their favorite book. This project style will teach students how to combine imagination, memory, and creativity. You'll also see a more diverse response from the class, which can lead to a fun share-and-respond session. You could assign projects like "draw what you did over summer vacation," or "make a portrait out of unconventional materials." This will also challenge kids to draw from imagination rather than observation. Kids who are 8 or older are likely to engage with this project best. However, if you have younger students that could tackle the project, feel free to try it with them. Focus on improvements and successes, centering your encouragement around hard work rather than talent. If children hear criticism, they're more likely to give up. Instead of judgment, use positive encouragements and questions to help them notice things about their drawing. For example, you could give affirmations like "Wow, the shapes you chose look really great together!" or "You're doing a great job at staying focused." If you notice that a student has drawn something unusual or out of scale, such as a person with huge feet, you could ask them something like "Can you tell me more about the feet?" Asking them to elaborate can give you a better idea of how they observe and translate observation to paper.
Use washable paints and markers instead of pencils and erasers. Pick fun, familiar subject for kids to draw or paint. Demonstrate the projects yourself. Try some open-ended projects with kids who are 8 and up. Encourage students frequently and give positive feedback.