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The Drawing Game

Play an artful game! Children will build on each other's ideas to create a collaborative work of art.

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.

Steps

  • Step 1

    Talk to the class about the art of collaborative improvisation, which is where people collaborate to create scenes or dialogues on the spot by building on what the previous person just said or did. Now tell the class they will collaborate on an art improvisation. They will draw an organic shape, which means it doesn't have fixed geometric properties (as squares, circles, triangles, etc. do), and their classmates will build on it.

  • Step 2

    Have each child draw a large organic shape using a dark crayon on a white piece of paper. Now have them exchange their base drawing with another student who will interpret what the shape could become and add to it using more crayon colors. Encourage students to keep exchanging the paper back and forth with their partner, adding fresh ideas with each swap. This activity helps young minds put their imaginations into action!

  • Step 3

    Have student pairs present their work and discuss their process. Did the originator have an idea in mind when the base shape was drawn? Did the child who interpreted it see any other possibilities? How did the art evolve as the activity progressed? How did the original sketch look different when the art was complete? Solicit feedback from other children about other designs they see or stories that emerge from the image.

Standards

ARTS: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

LA: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Adaptations

Extend the improv lesson to drama. Have children form groups of three or four. Have each group come to the front of the class. Give them an opening sentence, perhaps "Once there was an elephant..." and have them take turns adding to the story.

Show images of non-representational art, perhaps "Composition X" (1939) by Wassily Kandinsky or "L’étoile bleue" (1972) by Joan Miró. Ask students to discuss what they think the art suggests and the feelings it evokes.