Art History Lessons for Kids
Welcome to Art History for kids! These 10 progressive lessons will be a fun and interactive way to introduce your kids to the history of art. Each Art History lesson will include a short read aloud summary, 1-2 videos, and a fun and easy craft. We begin with Cave Painting from Prehistoric times and work our way up to the Renaissance. Coming soon are lesson’s 6-10 and will include Northwest Coast Art, Impressionism, Modernism and more!
My vision is:
Read through the lesson together (either on the computer or use your iPhone to “screen mirror” to your TV so everyone can see the images). I’ve also included a text document at the end of each section – I find it helpful to read along on paper while the images are on the screen for the kids to view
Watch the linked videos to help explain the lesson further
Art Project will allow the kids to experience the history of the lesson in person!
Each lesson should take under an hour. Throughout the lessons you’ll see red bolded questions – when you come across these, stop, and really pose these questions to your kids to encourage their critical thinking.
I studied Art History in college so most of this information comes from my university book: Janson’s History of Art. There’s a reason I studied the history and didn’t focus on actually making art – I hate the mess and I’m not at all crafty! So be reassured that each of the crafts aren’t too complicated and should be achievable with many things you have at home (although pop over to my Amazon List to grab the few extra things you may need).
Week 1 - Prehistoric Art and Cave Painting
I bet you draw, color, play with playdough or listen to music almost every day. What other art do you do each day? These are all examples of art, but human beings haven’t always made art. The first humans, or Homo sapiens, lived about 315,000 years ago, but it’s only about 40,000 years ago that we have the first signs of art.
Week 2: Egyptian Art
The Egyptian civilization spanned from approximately 3,000 - 1,000 BC, that's 2,000 years! How many years has America been a country?? We divide these years into 3 sections: The Old Kingdom, The Middle Kingdom, and The New Kingdom.
Week 3: Greek Art
The art and traditions from the Egyptians and Prehistoric people are really different from anything we experience in our lives today. I bet there aren’t a lot of cave drawings or pyramid graves in your neighborhood! But what we find from Greece will seem really familiar.
Week 4 – Romanesque vs. Gothic Architecture
The Middle Ages spanned from 476 AD when the western Roman Empire fell, to 1400 AD or the beginning of the Renaissance. During this time, the power of the European civilization moved from Greece and Rome toward the north, to Germany, France and England.
Week 5 – The Renaissance
Many people would argue that the Renaissance period is the most important time in the history of art. But the High Renaissance itself was only 25 years long (1495-1520). Six men: Leonardo, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giorgione, and Titian were the main artists of this period, and when they died the Renaissance basically ended.