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Lesson Plans

Spark creativity with Crayola lesson plans. With hundreds of activities, the learning possibilities are endless. 

Faux Stained-Glass Greeting Cards

It is very meaningful to receive a handmade card. Students will create a faux stained-glass holiday card for someone special in their life.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Creating and presenting handmade cards provides benefits to both the creator and the receiver. It can foster a deeper connection between both parties, it provides an artistic outlet for the creator, and it can be very meaningful for the recipient to see and feel the effort and thought that went into making the card. Ask students to think of someone special they would like to present a card to. It might be for an upcoming holiday or a "just because" note of appreciation. 

  • Step 2

    Have students fold a piece of paper and write a few words on the front of the card such as "Happy Birthday," "Happy Holidays," "I Appreciate You," or anything else. Then have them illustrate it using a technique that makes it look like stained glass, an artform that uses colored glass panels outlined with dark metal. To give their cards this look, they can outline sections of the image using a black fine-line marker, then color in the areas with colored pencils. Encourage them to choose symbols or a scene that would be meaningful to the recipient of the card or relevant to the special day. Then ask them to write a personal message on the inside. They may add more illustrations as well.

  • Step 3

    Have a discussion about how people might feel when they receive a handmade creation. When their card is complete, have them present it to the recipient (or if an in-person interaction is not possible they can mail the cards).

Standards

ARTS: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches. 

SEL: Social Awareness: Understand the perspectives of and strengths of others.

Adaptations

Have students explore the history of stained glass, which began in ancient times. Ask them to look at images of notable stained glass works, such as the Erawan Museum in Thailand,  the Netherlands Institute For Sound And Vision, the Chartres Cathedral in France, the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Iran, and the Chagall Windows at Hadassah Hospital in Israel.

Have students turn the windows in the classroom into a stained-glass masterpiece using Crayola Window Markers. These markers are washable, so the designs can be temporary.