Welcome to Creative Classroom! I’m excited to share my journey of integrating art into ESL lessons—especially for us kindergarten teachers who sometimes feel a bit less than creative. Over the past six months, I’ve seen how adding art and movement to our lessons can enhance learning and make our classrooms more enjoyable for both me and my students. Today, I want to help you create a monthly art integration plan that aligns with your prescribed curriculum without taking up too much of your precious prep time. Let’s get started!
Why Create an Art Integration Plan?
Integrating art into your lessons can make learning more engaging for young children. It allows them to express themselves creatively while reinforcing the concepts you’re teaching. Plus, with a little planning, you can keep your prep time to a minimum, giving you more time to interact with your students.
How to Create Your Monthly Plan
Step 1: Choose Your Subjects
Let’s pick four common subjects for kindergarten: Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. We’ll brainstorm simple art project ideas for each subject that can fit into your existing curriculum.
Step 2: Outline Your Monthly Plan
Here’s a straightforward outline for a monthly art integration plan, complete with art project ideas for each subject.
Monthly Art Integration Plan Example
Week 1: Math – Shapes
- Lesson Focus: Introduce basic shapes (circle, square, triangle).
- Art Activity: Shape Collage – Provide colored paper and magazines for students to cut out shapes and create a collage.
- Materials Needed: Colored paper, scissors, glue.
Week 2: Science – Weather
- Lesson Focus: Discuss different types of weather (sunny, rainy, snowy).
- Art Activity: Weather Wheel – Have students create a weather wheel using a paper plate. They can draw and color different weather conditions on each section.
- Materials Needed: Paper plates, crayons, fasteners.
Week 3: Language Arts – Storytelling
- Lesson Focus: Learn about characters and settings in stories.
- Art Activity: Character Puppets – Students can create puppets using paper bags or popsicle sticks to represent characters from a favorite story.
- Materials Needed: Paper bags, craft sticks, markers, fabric scraps.
Week 4: Social Studies – Community Helpers
- Lesson Focus: Learn about various community helpers (firefighters, teachers, doctors).
- Art Activity: Community Helper Hats – Students can design and decorate hats representing different community helpers using construction paper or cardstock.
- Materials Needed: Construction paper, markers, scissors, tape.
Step 3: Keep It Simple
The key is to keep activities straightforward and relevant to the lessons you’re already teaching. By choosing one or two art activities each week, you can easily fit them into your curriculum without feeling overwhelmed.
Handy Materials for Simple Art Projects
To make your planning smoother, keep some basic art supplies on hand. Here are a few essentials that can be used for various projects:
- Paper Plates: Great for wheels, masks, and bases for crafts.
- Construction Paper: Useful for collages, hats, and drawings.
- Markers and Crayons: Essential for coloring and decorating.
- Scissors and Glue: Must-haves for any craft project.
- Craft Sticks: Perfect for making puppets and structures.
Creating a monthly art integration plan doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By focusing on key subjects like Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies, and incorporating simple art projects, you can enhance your ESL lessons while keeping prep time to a minimum. Remember, the goal is to foster a love for learning and creativity in your kindergarten classroom.
I hope this guide inspires you to start integrating art into your lessons! I’d love to hear about your experiences and any creative projects you try. Let’s make learning a joyful and interactive experience for our kids!
Share your thoughts in the comments below about how you integrate art into your teaching.
Have a favorite project or tip? I’d love to hear it! And don’t forget to subscribe to Creative Classroom for more ideas, resources, and inspiration to make learning fun and interactive for our little ones.
Happy teaching!
5 responses to “Making and Implementing a Monthly Art Integration Plan to Your Existing Curriculum”
I can certainly see how implementing art into monthly lesson plans can keep children engaged and excited to learn! Great resources, thank you for sharing.
I feel like art is so often pushed aside and you have to add it yourself as an extracurricular activity (at least it was where I lived). Excellent resource, thanks!
I love the idea of kids using popsicle sticks for puppet characters.
This is such a cute idea! Art and language definitely compliment each other.
Such a great DIY project to do with the kids plus you get yourself an educational piece to use afterwards too. Definitely something I’d love to try for my two little boys.