A joyful, process-focused art curriculum for 3-year-olds that celebrates creativity as a gift from God. Through sensory exploration and free expression, students develop fine motor skills, explore various art materials, and discover the joy of creating. Emphasis is on the process of art-making rather than product, with no judgment or correction of creative choices.
Explore various art materials freely and joyfully, developing confidence as a creator
Develop fine motor skills through painting, drawing, tearing, gluing, and sculpting activities
Recognize that God made us creative and that we can use our hands to make beautiful things
Express ideas, feelings, and experiences through art while building vocabulary to talk about artwork
Click any week to see daily lesson details.
Free exploration with crayons, making marks and scribbles on paper. Celebrate that God gave us hands to create!
Grasping crayons and making intentional markshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making large circular motions with crayons while moving our whole arm. Talk about circles we see in God's world.
Large motor movement with crayonhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing vertical lines by moving crayons up and down. Notice tall things God made like trees and giraffes.
Directional mark-makinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making horizontal lines across the paper. Look at stripes in creation like zebras and rainbows.
Horizontal mark-makinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free drawing combining all the marks we've learned. Each child's creation is unique and wonderful!
Independent creative expressionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Exploring red finger paint, feeling its texture and spreading it on paper. God made our sense of touch!
Tactile exploration and spreading painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using yellow finger paint to make swirls and circles. Talk about yellow things God created like the sun.
Creating circular motions with fingershands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting with blue finger paint, making marks all over the paper. The sky shows God's beauty!
Covering space with painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using two colors of finger paint on one paper and watching them mix. God made so many colors!
Exploring color mixinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making handprints with finger paint to create a garden. Thank God for our special hands!
Printing with handshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Learning to hold a paintbrush and dip it in paint. Explore making different strokes on paper.
Grasping and controlling a paintbrushhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using the brush to make dots all over the paper by dabbing. Count some of the dots together!
Dabbing motion with brushhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making long lines across the paper with the brush. Practice moving the brush smoothly.
Creating continuous brush strokeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting zigzag lines back and forth across the paper. Talk about lightning God makes in the sky.
Directional control with brushhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using multiple colors with the brush to create a colorful painting. God's creation is full of color!
Changing colors and continuing to painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Tearing construction paper into pieces. Feel the paper and hear the sound it makes!
Tearing paper with two handshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Learning to use a glue stick to attach torn paper pieces to a base. Practice twisting the glue stick.
Using glue stick and pressing paper downhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Tearing and gluing many colors of paper to create a collage. Each piece makes the picture special!
Tearing and gluing multiple pieceshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Tearing soft tissue paper and gluing it. Notice how different paper feels different!
Tearing delicate materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free creation with torn paper pieces of all types. Celebrate the unique artwork each child makes!
Independent collage creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Exploring play dough by squeezing, squishing, and feeling it. God made our hands strong!
Hand strengthening through squeezinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling play dough between hands to make long snake shapes. Make them wiggle and move!
Rolling with palmshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Patting and flattening play dough to make flat shapes. Pat, pat, pat!
Flattening with palmshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using fingers to poke holes and pinch the play dough. Make different textures and patterns.
Fine motor control with fingershands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free creation with play dough, making whatever the child imagines. God made us creative!
Three-dimensional creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Looking at a colorful painting and naming the colors we see. Point to your favorite color!
Observing and identifying colorsdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Describing what we notice in an artwork. Talk about shapes, lines, and objects we recognize.
Verbal description of artworkdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Talking about how artwork makes us feel - happy, calm, excited. Art can show feelings!
Emotional response to artdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Each child shares their favorite part of the artwork. Everyone can like different things!
Expressing preferencesdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating our own artwork inspired by what we looked at. Our version is special and unique!
Art response and creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gathering leaves and noticing their colors, shapes, and textures. God made each leaf special!
Observation and collectionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Placing leaves under paper and rubbing with crayons to see the leaf shape appear. Magic!
Rubbing techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing small twigs and sticks onto paper to create a nature picture. Feel the rough texture!
Gluing three-dimensional objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Arranging and gluing flower petals on paper. Thank God for beautiful flowers!
Arranging and gluing delicate materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a collage with all the natural materials we've explored. Celebrate God's creation!
Combining multiple materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting on very large paper with big arm movements. Make big, bold marks!
Large motor painting movementshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using sponges to dab and print paint on paper. Feel the squishy sponge!
Printing with spongeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting while listening to music, letting the brush move with the sounds. Art and music together!
Expressive painting movementshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using a brush in each hand to paint at the same time. Double the fun!
Bilateral coordinationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting while standing at an easel or taped-up paper. Use our whole body to create!
Painting with full body movementhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making circles with crayons, paint, and our fingers. Find circles in the room - God made circles!
Creating circular shapeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using square stamps or sponges to print squares. Count the corners together!
Stamping and shape recognitionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating triangles with crayons and paint. Stack them to make mountains God created!
Drawing triangular shapeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing shapes we found around the house or room. Circles, squares, and triangles everywhere!
Shape identification and drawinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free creation using all the shapes we've learned. Combine them to make something special!
Combining shapes creativelyhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Dipping blocks in paint and pressing them on paper to make prints. Press and lift!
Printing technique with blockshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using cut vegetables (potato, celery) dipped in paint to make interesting prints. Nature stamps!
Printing with natural objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting on bubble wrap and pressing it onto paper to create textured prints. Pop, pop, pop!
Creating texture through printinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using cookie cutters as stamps to print shapes. Make patterns and designs!
Repeated stamping and pattern-makinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free exploration with all the printing objects. Create a colorful print masterpiece!
Independent printing explorationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making free scribbles with crayons, letting our hands dance across the paper. No rules, just fun!
Free scribbling and hand movementhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Exploring scribbling with markers. Notice the bright colors and smooth lines!
Using markers with controlhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Scribbling with chalk on dark paper. Watch the colors pop! God made light and dark!
Drawing on dark surfaceshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using many colors to create a rainbow scribble picture. Layer colors on top of each other!
Layering colorshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a scribble picture and telling a story about it. Every scribble can mean something!
Connecting art to narrativehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Learning to tear pieces of tape and stick them on paper. Tear, stick, press!
Tearing and placing tapehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making lines with tape on paper. Create straight lines, curved lines, and zigzags!
Arranging tape in patternshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Placing tape on paper, painting over it, then peeling the tape off. Surprise underneath!
Understanding resist techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using colored tape to create designs and pictures. No glue needed!
Creating with colored tapehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Combining tape with crayons or markers to create mixed media art. Two materials together!
Combining materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Getting the brush wet and touching it to watercolor paint. Watch the colors come alive!
Using wet brush with watercolorshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Dropping wet paint onto paper and watching it spread. The water makes it move!
Observing watercolor flowhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting on wet paper and watching colors blend together. Colors mix like magic!
Wet-on-wet techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using many colors of watercolor paint. Let them touch and blend on the paper!
Color exploration with watercolorshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free painting with watercolors. Enjoy the beautiful, flowing colors God helps us create!
Independent watercolor explorationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Feeling clay and squeezing it in our hands. It's different from play dough!
Exploring clay texturehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling clay between hands to make balls. Make big ones and tiny ones!
Rolling spheres with clayhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling clay into long snake shapes. Make them wiggle and curl!
Rolling coils with clayhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using fingers and tools to poke patterns and textures into clay. Make it bumpy and interesting!
Creating texture in clayhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making a simple animal shape with clay. God made all the animals!
Forming recognizable shapeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing straight lines across the paper. March our crayon like we're marching!
Creating straight lineshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing wavy, curvy lines. Let the crayon dance and wiggle across the page!
Creating curved lineshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing zigzag lines like lightning in the sky. Sharp corners and points!
Creating angular lineshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing spiral lines that curl around and around. Like a snail shell God made!
Creating spiral lineshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a picture using all different kinds of lines. Lines can make anything!
Combining various line typeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Touching and exploring different textured materials. Rough, smooth, bumpy, soft!
Tactile discriminationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Placing textured objects under paper and rubbing with crayons to see the texture appear!
Creating texture rubbingshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Adding sand or salt to paint to make it bumpy. Paint with texture!
Creating textured painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing different textured fabrics onto paper. Feel each piece before gluing!
Creating tactile collagehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating artwork that has many different textures. God made rough and smooth things!
Combining textureshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing or painting very large circles using our whole arm. Big, big, big!
Creating large shapes with large motor movementhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making very small circles and dots with our fingertip or crayon. Little, little, little!
Creating small shapes with fine motor controlhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing both big and small shapes on the same paper. Compare the sizes!
Understanding size relationshipshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing shapes that get bigger and bigger, like they're growing. Start small, end big!
Creating graduated sizeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a picture with big shapes and little shapes - like a family! God made big and small!
Combining various sizeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Learning to hold scissors and make snipping cuts on paper strips. Open and close!
Basic scissor grip and snippinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making snips along the edge of paper to create fringe. Snip, snip, snip along the edge!
Repeated snipping motionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Cutting green paper strips to make grass. Snip them short and tall!
Cutting with purposehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Cutting paper into small pieces to make confetti. Cut, cut, cut!
Multiple cuts on paperhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Cutting pieces and gluing them onto paper to make a picture. We can use scissors to create!
Combining cutting and gluinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Mixing red and yellow paint together to discover orange. Watch the colors change!
Color mixing explorationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Mixing yellow and blue paint together to discover green. Like grass and leaves!
Color mixing explorationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Mixing red and blue paint together to discover purple. A royal color!
Color mixing explorationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting with two colors and letting them mix right on the paper. Watch them blend!
Mixing colors on paperhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a painting using all the colors we've mixed. God made so many beautiful colors!
Using mixed colors creativelyhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating art that shows something that makes us happy. Use bright colors and big shapes!
Expressing emotions through arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing or painting something we love. Family, pets, toys - anything special to us!
Personal narrative through arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating art to say thank you to someone. Art can be a gift!
Art as communicationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating artwork using mostly our favorite color. Everyone's favorite is special!
Personal choice in arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Choosing any materials and creating whatever our heart wants to make. God made us creative!
Independent creative expressionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Dipping cotton swabs in paint and dotting them on paper. Make patterns and pictures with dots!
Dotting techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using feathers as paintbrushes. They make soft, tickly marks! God made bird feathers!
Painting with natural objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling toy cars through paint and driving them across paper. Vroom, vroom!
Rolling objects through painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Putting marbles in paint and rolling them in a box or on paper. Watch them make swirly lines!
Marble painting techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Dipping string in paint and dragging or pressing it on paper. Make wavy lines!
Painting with stringhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Stacking boxes to build towers and structures. How tall can we build?
Balancing and stackinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing boxes together to create a sculpture. Connect them in different ways!
Joining three-dimensional objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting the box sculpture we created. Add color to our creation!
Painting three-dimensional objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Adding paper, stickers, or other materials to decorate our box sculpture. Make it special!
Embellishing sculptureshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a robot or creature from boxes. God made us creative builders!
Imaginative three-dimensional constructionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Finding and tearing out colorful pictures from magazines. Look for bright colors!
Selecting and tearing imageshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing torn or cut paper pieces onto paper. Overlap them and fill the space!
Arranging and gluing paperhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing fabric scraps onto paper. Feel the different textures of fabric!
Working with fabric in collagehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Adding buttons to our collage. Arrange them in patterns or randomly!
Gluing three-dimensional objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a collage using all different materials. Combine everything we've explored!
Multi-material collage creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Looking at illustrations in a colorful picture book. Notice how the artist used colors!
Observing illustration techniquesdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Discussing how pictures help tell the story. Pictures show what's happening!
Understanding visual narrativediscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Each child chooses their favorite illustration from the book and explains why.
Expressing preferences about artdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating our own drawing inspired by the book's illustrations. Our own special version!
Art inspired by other artistshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating an illustration for our own story page. We can be book illustrators too!
Creating narrative illustrationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making patterns with two colors - red, blue, red, blue. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Creating simple color patternshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using stamps to create repeating patterns. Press, press, press in order!
Creating patterns with stampshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing or stamping patterns with different shapes. Circle, square, circle, square!
Creating patterns with shapeshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using stickers to create patterns on paper. Peel, stick, peel, stick!
Creating patterns with stickershands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating artwork that includes patterns. Patterns are everywhere in God's creation!
Incorporating patterns into arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using droppers to drop paint onto paper. Watch the drops splash and spread!
Using droppers for painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Letting paint drip down the paper. Tilt the paper and watch it run!
Exploring gravity with painthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gently tapping a paint-loaded brush over paper to create splatters. Tap, tap, tap!
Splatter techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Dropping paint on paper and blowing through a straw to move it. Blow the paint around!
Blow painting techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Combining drips, drops, and splatters to create an action painting. Paint can move!
Combining paint techniqueshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Putting paint on one side of folded paper, pressing it closed, and opening to see the mirror image!
Creating symmetrical paint printshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a symmetrical butterfly using the fold and paint technique. Both sides match!
Understanding symmetry through butterflieshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing on one side of a folded line and seeing how it could match on the other side.
Understanding mirror imageshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Decorating folded paper that opens into a symmetrical design. God made snowflakes symmetrical!
Creating radial symmetryhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating artwork where both sides match. Symmetry is beautiful!
Intentional symmetry creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Feeling yarn and string. Notice the texture and how they bend and curl!
Tactile exploration of fibershands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing yarn onto paper to create lines and designs. Make squiggles and shapes!
Gluing yarn to paperhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Arranging yarn to make shapes on paper. Circle, square, triangle!
Forming shapes with yarnhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using different colored yarn to create a picture. Layer colors on top of each other!
Multi-color yarn arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Combining yarn with paint or crayons. Mix different art materials!
Mixed media with yarnhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making loops by gluing the ends of paper strips together. Connect loops to make chains!
Creating and connecting loopshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Folding paper to make it stand up. Accordion folds make paper bounce!
Folding paper for structurehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Gluing folded and rolled paper pieces to create a standing sculpture. Build up!
Three-dimensional paper constructionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Curling paper strips around a pencil and gluing them to create curly designs.
Curling paper techniquehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using folded and rolled paper to build buildings and structures. We can build with paper!
Complex paper constructionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting with colors that make us feel happy. Bright yellows, oranges, and pinks!
Associating colors with emotionshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting gently with calm colors like blue and green. Soft, slow brush strokes.
Painting to express calmhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting with lots of energy and bright colors. Fast marks and bold strokes!
Expressing excitement through arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a silly, fun painting that makes us laugh. Wiggle lines and funny shapes!
Playful artistic expressionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting a picture that shows how we feel right now. Art shows our feelings!
Personal emotional expressionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing on the sidewalk or driveway with chalk. Make big pictures outside!
Large-scale outdoor drawinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Collecting natural items like sticks, leaves, and rocks to use for art. God made these!
Gathering natural materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Arranging sticks on the ground to make shapes and pictures. Nature art doesn't need glue!
Arranging natural materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Painting smooth rocks with bright colors. Decorate rocks from God's creation!
Painting on natural surfaceshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Arranging natural materials in a circular pattern. Create beauty with nature!
Creating patterns with natural objectshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling marbles in paint inside a box to create swirly designs. Roll, roll, roll!
Creating art through rolling motionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using a salad spinner or lazy susan to spin paint on paper. Watch the colors spin!
Creating art through spinninghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling toy cars through paint to create track patterns. Drive through the paint!
Creating patterns through rollinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Rolling different sized balls through paint. Big balls make big marks!
Exploring size through rollinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating artwork using any rolling or spinning technique. Art can move!
Independent motion-based arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing circle faces and adding eyes, nose, and mouth. Everyone has a face!
Drawing basic faceshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing simple stick figure people with circle heads and line bodies. People have arms and legs!
Drawing basic human figureshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Looking in a mirror and drawing our own face. God made each of us special!
Self-portrait creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Using paint to create people in our pictures. Add color to our people!
Painting human figureshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Drawing or painting our family members. God gave us families!
Drawing multiple figureshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Experimenting with an art material we haven't used much. What happens when we try?
Artistic experimentationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Combining two art materials we don't usually use together. What can we discover?
Combining materials creativelyhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating art that's extra messy and fun. Getting messy is okay when we're creating!
Embracing the art processhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating art with mystery materials. What will we make today?
Adapting to new materialshands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Inventing our own way to make art. Be creative and try new ideas!
Creative problem-solvinghands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Looking through our artwork and choosing our favorites. Each piece is special!
Reflecting on own artworkdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Sharing our artwork and telling about it. What did we make? How did we make it?
Verbal description of artworkdiscussionClick to view this day's Art lesson →Choosing pieces to display and helping arrange them. Make our art look special!
Curating and displaying arthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating a special piece of art to give to someone we love. Art is a gift!
Creating art as a gifthands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making art to celebrate all we've learned this year. We are artists!
Celebratory art creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Doing our favorite art activity from the whole year. What do we love most?
Personal choice and preferencehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Creating artwork using all the colors of the rainbow. God made all the colors!
Using full color rangehands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Working on a large piece of art using many materials. Go big!
Large-scale creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Free creation with all our favorite materials available. Celebrate being creative!
Independent joyful creationhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Making one more special artwork and talking about creating art over the summer. We are creators like God!
Ongoing creative expressionhands-onClick to view this day's Art lesson →Start with Day 1 and work through at your own pace. Each lesson builds on the last!