Back to School Name Word Art Project First Week of School All About Me Art




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Selected reviews from TPT
★★★★★I used this activity with my HS Spanish 100 students. I gave them "getting to know you" sentence starters in English. Then they shared and translated the sentences to Spanish. Then they did the art and inserted the Spanish sentences. While they worked (over three classes), I was able to circulate and work on pronunciation of these sentences with small groups. Now my walls have great student art!
Maureen O. · September 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★My students absolutely loved this project during the first week of school! It was engaging, creative, and helped them express their personalities while building classroom community. The directions were easy to follow, and the final projects turned out beautiful for our classroom display. Great for upper elementary learners!
CARMEN R. · May 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you so much for providing this wonderful resource! The kiddos had an absolute blast decorating and learning about the origins of their names. It was such a fun and meaningful activity, and it sparked some great conversations. We truly appreciate the creativity and thoughtfulness that went into putting this together!
nera B. · September 2025 · TPT review
Overall rating on TPT: 4.8 out of 5 from 17 ratings (see every rating on TPT). These are selected 4- and 5-star written reviews by teachers on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), shown word for word. TPT's newer 4-point scale ("Extremely satisfied" = 4) is converted to stars.
If you are looking for a creative, personal, and highly engaging Back to School art project, this Name Word Art Project is such a strong choice for the first week of school. Students create a bold name art design layered over an all about me art background, helping you learn more about your students while they build confidence, express their identity, and make artwork that looks amazing on display. This lesson combines name art, word art, self expression, and Back to School classroom community building in a way that feels meaningful instead of busywork.
VIDEO ART LESSON
This is a video art lesson. Your download includes the lesson plan and printable pages, plus a "Watch the Video" page with a clickable link and QR code to the step-by-step video tutorial, so you can watch it anytime and show your class again later.
Do you want a Back to School name art lesson that is fun, personal, and display worthy?
Are you hoping for a video art tutorial that works well for classroom teachers, art teachers, and homeschool families who want a low prep but high impact art lesson?
This one is a beautiful fit.
This Resource Includes (Non-Editable):
- 2 Page Lesson Plan – Teacher planning pages with the lesson overview, materials list, learning outcomes, competencies, and step by step teaching flow
- National Art Standards Page – Suggested standards to help connect the lesson to your curriculum and planning
- Critical Thinking Questions Page – Guided discussion prompts to spark conversation about creativity, artistic choices, and meaning in art
- Art Rubric – A simple rubric for assessing creativity, craftsmanship, effort, and meeting the project criteria
- Words to Describe My Art Reflection Page – A vocabulary building page where students brainstorm words that describe their art and artistic style
- Instagram Reflection Page – A creative reflection page where students draw their process and finished work, then write about their experience
- Journal Writing Page – A process reflection sheet where students write about successes, challenges, and emotions they experienced while creating
- Artist Statement Page – A structured page for students to explain their ideas and artistic choices
- Finished Example Artwork – A colorful sample to hook students and show what the project can look like
- How To Draw Name Word Art Page – A printable visual guide showing the layout of the hand shape, large name letters, and final design structure
The resource includes the video tutorial, lesson plan, step by step drawing handouts, rubric, reflection worksheets, artist statement template, bulletin board display sign, and a finished artwork example, which makes this a very complete Back to School art resource rather than just a one page activity.
WHAT STUDENTS LEARN
Through this Back to School name art lesson, students build both artistic skills and personal connection to their work.
- Name art and word art design
- All about me art expression
- Creative thinking and identity through art
- Line, shape, space, texture, color, form, and value
- Experimenting with watercolor and choice art mediums
- Reflection and artist statement writing
- Confidence during the first weeks of school
- Vocabulary for describing art and artistic style
This is a hands on and easy to do art lesson where students create Name Word Art Artwork for Back to School and explore who they are through art making, which is exactly why this works so well as an early year project.
WHY TEACHERS LOVE THIS
This Back to School art activity makes those first days feel more creative, more personal, and much less chaotic. Instead of a random filler lesson, students create something connected to their identity, interests, and voice. That makes it a wonderful project for building classroom community while also creating a beautiful display for Meet the Teacher, Welcome Back Night, or your classroom walls.
PERFECT FOR
- Back to School art lessons
- First week of school art activities
- Name art projects
- All about me art
- Elementary art lessons
- Classroom community building
- Meet the Teacher displays
- Welcome Back Night artwork
- Homeschool art
- Video art tutorials
- Low prep art lessons
- Bulletin board displays
FAQ
Q: Who can use this resource?
A: This resource is great for classroom teachers, art teachers, homeschool educators, and substitute teachers. It is especially helpful if you want a personal Back to School art project that helps students share who they are through art.
Q: What do students make in this lesson?
A: Students create a Name Word Art Project featuring large name letters, a hand shape, and a personal all about me style background filled with words, interests, and identity based details.
Q: What materials are needed?
A: The lesson plan lists pencil, eraser, black felt, choice art mediums or coloring mediums, card stock or watercolor paper, watercolor paints, and paint brush and water.
Q: How long does this lesson take?
A: This project will usually fit into 1 to 2 classes, depending on student age, pacing, and how much time you spend on reflection and artist statements. That timing is a reasonable estimate based on the lesson plan, support pages, and project structure.
WANT FREE ART LESSONS
Looking for more ready to go art ideas for your classroom or homeschool? Explore options for all my free art lessons on one page here:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen McGiveron, known to teachers and families as Ms Artastic, is an artist, educator, and resource creator who designs engaging visual art lessons for children. Her work has been featured on NBC LX News and she was the featured educator on the cover of OCO Magazine for the October 2025 edition. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast, where she shares art lessons, creative inspiration, and support for educators and families.
Ms Artastic creates resources for classroom teachers, art teachers, and homeschool families who want art to feel exciting, manageable, and meaningful. Her lessons are designed to be clear, structured, and flexible, so teachers feel supported while students still have room to express their own ideas and creativity.
You can start your own child’s or classroom’s creative journey by grabbing this FREE Art Lesson Starter Pack here:
COPYRIGHT TERMS
Images and Lessons are Copyright Products
YOU MAY:
For clip art, you may use them as clip art, website graphics, binder covers, or even bulletin board decorations.
Use this in creative ways! Explore and have as much fun with it as you would like
Buy additional licensing for school use.
YOU MAY NOT:
Use this on OutSchool
Put on your Blog
Share this product with other teachers, administration, or districts. Admin can buy additional licensing.
Sell this product or give it out for free or photocopy it for others.
Sincerely,
Ms Artastic
FILES YOU WILL DOWNLOAD
- Name Word Art Art Lesson - Video Lesson + Lesson Plan - Ms Artastic.zip: the lesson plan and printable pages (PDF), plus a "Watch the Video" page (PDF) with a clickable link and QR code to the step-by-step video tutorial
★ Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library
Pairs Well With
More selected reviews from TPT
★★★★★I was able to download it and use it last minute and students were able to create a great art piece. I wish there was a planning page to support the categories the students had to complete. I did create one myself.
Kerri L. · October 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★Students enjoyed using different mediums to create their art.
KJEd · September 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★Kids enjoyed this easy-to-follow back to school name art!
Heather C. · September 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★All students K-5 loved this activity. The printable examples pages helped them.
Bridget Lenard · August 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★This was a very cute and fun back to school activity! Easy step by step instructions!
Sarah G. · August 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★This is a fantastic resource! Thank you for sharing!
Stephanie H. · May 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★I teach a summer class with students in the Migrant Education program. This was a great art project as a brain break in between ELA and Math enrichment!
Jessica G. · May 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★Creative back to school project that the kids loved to do.
Tammy J. · July 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★This was a perfect back to school project for my art students. The video was easy to follow.
Megan D. · October 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★Loved this project! The finished projects were amazing. We get so many compliments when visitors come to our class. I especially loved the step by step video.
Araceli R. · September 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★kids loved it and the video was a life saver. It was easy to follow.
Lisa F. · May 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★I used this as a beginning of the school year activity to get to know my students. They were really engaged and the finished product was colorful and brightened up our hallways.
Jamie E. · October 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you!
CT M · July 2022 · TPT review
Overall rating on TPT: 4.8 out of 5 from 17 ratings (see every rating on TPT). These are selected 4- and 5-star written reviews by teachers on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), shown word for word. TPT's newer 4-point scale ("Extremely satisfied" = 4) is converted to stars.
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