Start Strong: Art Projects for the First Month of School
Explore creative art projects for the first month of school, perfect for grades K–9! These back-to-school art lessons will help you build routines, spark creativity, and start the year strong in your classroom or homeschool.
Start Strong: Art Projects for the First Month of School
The first month of school is a special time for art educators teaching grades K–9. It’s when you set the stage for a year filled with creativity, routine, and community-building. Those first few weeks are more than just icebreakers—they’re the foundation for everything to come. By choosing thoughtful art projects, you can introduce your students to the art room, establish expectations, and ignite a love for creativity right from the start.
For many teachers, back-to-school season can feel like a whirlwind of to-do lists, new faces, and classroom prep. That’s why it’s so important to have a collection of engaging projects ready to go—ones that are purposeful, fun, and adaptable for different grade levels. The right activities during this time not only help you build strong routines, but also give your students a chance to share about themselves, explore new materials, and settle into the joy of art-making.
In this post, I’ll share a variety of art projects for the first month of school (K–9) that will help you start strong. From simple drawing prompts to community builders, grid draws, and art projects, these ideas are designed to make your first weeks easier, more inspiring, and full of creativity for you and your students.
Free Back-to-School Inspiration Guide 🎨✨
The beginning of the school year is always a mix of excitement, anticipation, and—let’s be real—a bit of overwhelm. As art teachers, we want to create a classroom environment that feels welcoming, creative, and inspiring from the very first day. But with so much on our plates, it can feel like a lot to carry. That’s exactly why I put together my FREE August Back-to-School Inspiration Guide for Art Education.
This guide is designed to spark ideas and help you step into the year with confidence. Inside, you’ll find:
- Back-to-school art lesson ideas for grades K–12
- Sketchbook prompts to ignite creativity
- Tips for building strong art room routines
- Inspiration to start the year with positivity and joy
Whether you’re teaching little ones who are brand new to art or older students eager for new challenges, this guide will give you ready-to-use ideas to make your first weeks a success.
👉 You can grab your free guide here: August Back-to-School Inspiration Guide
I hope this resource helps lighten your planning load and fills your classroom with creativity. Let’s make this school year the most art-filled and inspiring one yet! 💜
Back to School Directed Drawings
The first resource that I love to have on hand are back to school directed drawings. Directed drawings are great for encouraging fine motor skills and following steps, but also you can make them as big or as small as you want. You can even encourage creative thinking by allowing students to create them in choice art mediums or adding their own artist flavor to the design after having followed the steps to create the initial drawing. They can be as simple as drawings on paper or in journals or sketchbooks, or you can take them and make them into artworks! It is really up to you on how you use them, and they are great to have on hand when you need flexible resources in the first month of school. They’re also great for building confidence in drawing in your students!
You can grab back to school directed drawings by clicking here.
Or for a roll and draw directed drawing version, click here.
Back to School Art Classroom Community Builders
One of the most effective ways to start your year strong is through the use of community builders. This helps you get to know your students, and also allows them to get to know each other. Not only that, but this is an effective classroom management strategy as you are actively building relationships with your students by participating in the community builders also. The more your students know you, the more they trust you, and the more they will be willing to participate and engage in your lessons. It is essential to have a plan for community builders- AND make them MEANINGFUL. Don’t just do them because you think you should, have intention behind them. You are doing this so you can build positive relationships with ALL the learners in your classroom.
If you want art classroom specific community builders, click here to grab my resource.
Back to School Grid Drawings
I like to include some grid drawings at the start of the year because they help students build their confidence and drawing skills. For younger students, I do back to school themed cartoons that they can copy. However, for your Middle School and High School students, have them do black and white images so they can practice value and shading. Of course, these can also have a back to school theme to make them engaging for the start of the year. These can be stand alone art lessons or they can be used as either bell ringers for the week or fast finisher activities to other lessons. These are also great to have in your sub tub, just incase something comes up and you need an art lesson that anyone can teach.
You can grab the elementary leveled cartoon grid draws here.
Or for your Middle and High School students, grab the back to school photograph grid draws here.
Back to School Challenge Cards
Art challenge cards are a great way to encourage creative and critical thinking while also reinforcing skills learned and allowing for continued practice. I like to have a variety of challenge cards that reinforce the elements of art through an engaging theme. Because it is back to school, I like to have back to school themed art challenge cards and then have them explore concepts like the Elements of Art or creativity. These are great to use as both bell ringers and fast finishers. You can even have a classroom or individual prize for completing them all!
You can grab my back to School art challenge cards by clicking here.
Back to School Van Gogh Crayon Art Project
This art project idea is absolutely stunning for back to school displays. Not only is it a great way to reflect the post-impressionist style of Vincent van Gogh, but it is with a twist: Van Gogh styled Crayons! Perfect for a back to school theme! This artwork includes a full step-by-step tutorial and all the assessments and plans you need to teach this easily! Because everything is already planned with my art lessons, the only thing you need to do is grab the art mediums and teach it!
You can grab this perfect-for-elementary art lesson by clicking here.
Back to School Crayons Art Project for Primary
For your primary students, I love this art lesson that features crayons! This art lesson is perfect to pair with the picture books The Day The Crayons Quit or The Crayons Go Back to School. This is a mixed media art project that creates cute crayon illustrations within the artwork and is sure to wow parents when they see your display on Meet the Teacher or Open House nights! This artwork is super successful for all kids and each one will look unique as they draw and assemble them.
You can grab this art lesson by clicking here.
Back to School Social Emotional Learning, Identity Art Project
If you teach upper elementary or middle school students, I recommend bringing SEL (Social Emotional Learning) into your classroom right at the start. You can explore each student’s identity and things that make them… THEM with your first art lesson. This is also a great way to get to know your students, make formative assessments about their art making skills at the start of the year to inform your year long plan, and also engage them with MEANINGFUL art that reflects their identity and interests.
You can grab this art lesson plan by clicking here.
Back to School Surrealist School Supplies for Middle School
For your middle schooler’s, another lesson you can do is this Salvador Dali inspired art lesson with a twist! Here we take The Persistence of Memory (did you know this 1931 painting is only barely bigger than the size of a piece of paper?!!? I didn’t. I’m over here trying to make gigantic artworks thinking that’s what the masters did but… NOPE. It’s small!) and mash it up with some back to school vibes! Instead of melting clocks, I have melting school supplies!
You can grab this art lesson by clicking here.
Back to School Alma Woodsey Thomas Apple Art Project
If you would like to try to explore some different artists in back to school themes, why not make art inspired by the art making style of artist Alma Woodsey Thomas? This is an apple artwork inspired by here repetitive style of making marks using color schemes inspired by the color wheel. In this case, we are using primary colors to make some apples using her mark making strategies!
You can grab this art lesson by clicking here.
Back to School Yayoi Kusama Apple Art Project
Another woman artist we can be inspired by Yayoi Kusama. In this art project we explore a variety of Principles of Design. From emphasis with the large apple focal point against a very different background, to contrast with the use of high contrast colors, and pattern and repetition both on the apple and in the background. This mixed media artwork is a show-stopper and is perfect for teaching mixed media art processes. I have two versions of this art lesson- one that is with acrylic paint for older students, and one that is a video format for younger students using oil pastels and watercolor paints.
For the acrylic paint version, click here.
For the watercolor and oil pastel version, click here.
Back to School Picasso Self-Portrait Art Project and Writing Activity
Finally, teach portraiture with a twist! Create art inspired by the art making style of Pablo Picasso with this art and write activity. Your students will all be making unique art designs with this art lesson (no cookie-cutter art here!) and this resource includes both an art tutorial AND various writing activities for a literacy, arts integrated approach to learning! Plus, how fabulous is it that they can make some self portraits, perfect for back to school?
You can grab this art lesson by clicking here.
Final Thoughts ✨
The first month of school is such a powerful time for art educators. It’s the chance to set the tone, build classroom routines, and inspire your students with projects that spark creativity and confidence. From community builders and directed drawings to identity art and artist-inspired lessons, the projects you choose now will shape how your students feel about art for the rest of the year. Starting strong doesn’t mean overcomplicating things—it means being intentional, thoughtful, and ready with lessons that matter.
If you’re looking to make your planning easier, don’t forget that the TPT BONUS Sitewide Sale is happening August 26 & 27! 🛒✨ Everything in my Ms Artastic TPT Store will be up to 25% off with code BTSBONUS25, making this the perfect time to stock up on back-to-school art lessons, bundles, and curriculum resources that are ready to go. From K–9, you’ll find flexible, engaging lessons that take the stress out of planning so you can focus on what matters most—teaching and inspiring your young artists.
👉 Browse the full collection here: Ms Artastic TPT Store
Remember, the first few weeks set the stage for everything that follows. With the right lessons and resources, you’ll feel supported, your students will feel inspired, and your art room will become a place of joy and creativity from the very first day. 💜
And before you go, make sure you grab my FREE August Back-to-School Inspiration Guide for Art Education. It’s packed with lesson ideas for every grade level, sketchbook prompts, and teaching tips to make your first weeks easier and more inspiring. You can download it here (just copy + paste into your browser):
👉 https://msartastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/August-Back-to-School-FREE-Inspiration-Guide.pdf
With the right tools and a little inspiration, you can start the year strong and make your art room the place where creativity truly thrives. 💜
About Ms Artastic
Ms Artastic is run by Canadian artist and educator Kathleen McGiveron, who is passionate about making art education accessible, inspiring, and stress-free for teachers and homeschooling families. With years of experience in the classroom and a deep love for creativity, she designs engaging, ready-to-use art resources that help students of all ages build skills, explore their imagination, and connect with the world of art.
In her TeachersPayTeachers Store, Ms Artastic offers hundreds of resources—from fully planned art units and seasonal projects to sketchbook prompts, art history lessons, and assessment tools. Each resource is carefully crafted to save teachers time while still delivering meaningful, high-quality art experiences for students. Whether you’re looking to teach the Elements of Art, integrate art into core subjects, or spark joy in the classroom with creative projects, Ms Artastic has everything you need to bring art to life with confidence and ease.
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