drawing lessons year 3

A Year of Art Lessons with Year 3 – Introduction

By Jan Miller

This resource is part of a collection called Teaching Art to Year Three .

Following my AccessArt Award of ‘ Talented Art Teacher Winner ’, and with the AccessArt team kindly announcing that I impressed them with the ‘sheer energy and range of work with the children’, I have been invited to present a series of projects. The projects share a range of ideas I have used in art lessons over one year, with a particular year group, in this case Year 3.

This post is intended to inspire and give food for thought rather than as blueprint for projects, as I recognise that we are all working in very different environments, with restrictions of materials, time and space. Some are lucky enough to have more freedom than others but the pressure of levels, targets and SATs within the core curriculum has seen a squeeze on creative subjects. It is so important to ensure children experience regular opportunities to practice the main skills associated with artists, makers and designers . I remind the children that everything that surrounds us needs designing – The UK’s creative industries contribute £92bn to the economy; that’s £10million per hour!

The projects will be a snap-shot of the work produced over one year by my mixed-ability class, aged 7-8, teaching them weekly for an hour. They are currently working on a Japanese theme which relates their art projects to their class topic. Other considerations, when planning, ensure the children have opportunities to work on a variety of scales, formats and surfaces using a range of materials and techniques.

My aim is to develop children’s confidence in their knowledge and understanding of processes and be informed by contemporary and International art (although we do reference historical work and the big heavy-weights of the art world).  I celebrate all children’s work together on display and encourage my older GCSE students to work alongside classes of younger children. More often it’s the younger ones providing the positive attitude and inspiration with their willingness to explore any new challenges presented. Techniques are demonstrated but I encourage children to vary and add their own twist, personality and interest. Feedback is verbal to individual pupils and I avoid giving them numerical marking, focusing instead on encouraging the positive and improving aspects.

I hope to inform AccessArt readers by showing PROCESS, sketchbook drawings, through to PRODUCT, final pieces, that are developed over several lessons. The images will illustrate the different outcomes reached by the children, celebrating the interest and variety of individual responses.

I currently teach Art, and also Design & Technology, to children aged 7 to 16 at Moreton Hall School, Oswestry, Shropshire. I have over twenty years’ experience teaching Art to children from age 3-18 and have (honestly) never repeated a single project during that time. Inspiration for my projects comes from art exhibitions, museums, art books and having a camera permanently around neck. My degree in Illustration drives my interest in ensuring drawing features centrally in all projects, at the beginning as well as throughout and in all media. I particularly enjoy developing print and mixed media pieces with my classes as it gives children the opportunity to have an individual response. I facilitate AG&T children running their own lunchtime club and I also manage an after school club.

I am the Editor of an Art broadsheet published for Independent schools and hold themed art workshops for large groups, inviting several local schools to attend. These are well subscribed to as the children go home with finished large work and it is a good opportunity for teachers to liaise and discuss projects and products. I manage to secure sponsorship for all the art materials from our local educational supplier. I hope to share one of these projects over the next few months.

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Jan Miller: How I Teach Art

All children have a good quality sketchbook and observation is a key skill that is developed. They are available for children to test colours when painting or try out techniques. As well as using them for research, they draw from observation and are encouraged to sketch for pleasure from imagination in the back of the book during free time.

Sketchbooks used for observations, research drawing and experimentation.

I always incorporate a mixed media piece each year to give children the opportunity to explore creative processes; given limitless choices of materials as they layer wet and dry materials. Often they work larger than A2 size and I expect them to work standing up to create bigger marks. They are not mimicked techniques but children are introduced to methods, share findings and learn from each other by sitting with different peers each lesson. Tea stain, shoe polish, wax candles, food colouring are used alongside traditional materials.

Exploring colour through mixing and layering materials and working on different surfaces including plastic and black card.

Recording through different types of drawing is paramount. Children from the youngest age are familiar with using a range of pencils – HB, 2B, 4B. Erasers are used to add texture in tonal areas, but are not relied on to erase mistakes; changes are built into their work. Drawing is used for different reasons with types of line, weights of line and mark-making being encouraged and considered. Drawing themes, to develop their observation, from anywhere.

Observational Drawing

Transparent shoe storage boxes are perfect for storing objects of interest to draw. Labels can be dropped in the front and moved around. Natural objects are perfect to begin the collection and children are keen to contribute with shells, pine cones, dried gourds, seed heads and flotsam & jetsam. A few more boxes can prove invaluable with small plastic animals, packaging, pieces of machinery, cups, old tools, even light bulbs, pegs and pasta have made good objects to observe and draw recently. I found visiting charity shops and car boot sales are good starting points.

Drawing in ink with found materials. 3-coloured pencil technique- converting tones into red, yellow and blue.

Observation drawing capturing the shape, form and material, using HB, 2B, 4B pencils.

Drawing on A1 paper, even for the youngest children, is commonplace – A2 is used for larger classes. We often tackle the expanse with graphite sticks and a range of pencils over several weeks or work quickly and spontaneously with inks. Developing confidence to daw on a large scale is important. Large coloured mixed media pieces are then developed over several weeks.

Large Scale Drawing

Shared drawing is something we undertake to encourage children to work on the same paper.  This ensures they do not fear mistakes and working on top of others’ drawings encourages the notion of continually changing and improving.

Collaborative Drawing

Using a variety of marks and lines is vital to add interest to work. It avoids children using smudging and striving to produce photographic realisms at the expense of creating an interesting drawing. The inclusion of thick and thin lines can be used in any media. I try and turn ‘stitched’ lines into confident ones and appreciate that all responded differently.

Incorporating many marks and textures

Drawing knitting – A2 size, selecting from Indian ink, paint, printing ink and using asst. tools other than brushes!

I do not shy away from working 3-dimensionally and particularly enjoy seeing children exploring the limitations and possibilities of found materials. Often the 3D work then allows children to engage in photography and these objects and the images can then be worked from to create their 2-dimensional work. When space is limited, the children simply work small-scale in the model-making, and the work is stacked in fruit trays to dry. Materials are often found or reclaimed, or as simple as using papier-mâché.

The Sea. Found and recycled materials- foam, old shirts, plaster, pillowcase stuffing, beach combing.

Milk Carton Romans

Wire, plaster, clay, old paint brush bristles.

Each year sees the children build on their earlier experience.  Printing, for example, develops over the key stage; from sticky foam, potato prints, mono printing, 1-color quick print to 3-colour quick print, collagraph and scratching into plastic to create mock-etching.  We are lucky enough to have access to screen printing and a printing press, but these are used very occasionally. Instead they learn, and practice, to control printing using pressure and quantity of ink. Children enjoy the physical and tactile nature of printing and they use small, old wooden tie presses to add pressure. Planning is flexible and this allows children to steer projects by repeat printing, and adding to, with the ability of extending the task.

Press print, monoprint, lino print, printing with found materials, collagraph printing plate, foam.

Children from the youngest age group are familiar with the properties of different paints, so they can make informed choices, although they are always learning. When working on a sustained piece, lessons encourage children to resource the materials they need.  Children familiarise themselves with some key paint names from an early age.

Painting from own photographs.

At the end of painting lessons, left-over colour is used to paint scrap papers and print patterns using rollers, children love to help with this. These are used for collage and mixed media work, providing instant and often usual colours. There is no waiting for drying time and washing palettes, with the children using the collage to plan and explore colours alongside each other more thoughtfully.

Choices of collage – ready-made colour and pattern.

Children are more proficient than ever with photography, especially with the use of quality phone cameras. Children use the camera to photograph their 3D models. They control lighting with torches and lamps and experiment with coloured card for the background. To identify their model, they include their initials on a small piece of paper in the shot. Photo Editor, as part of Microsoft Office, allows the basic editing tools of cropping, varying the contrast, colour, lighting etc. to be used by younger children.

Photography is built into most projects. I try and add a creative effect into their photography especially when combined with 3D. Recently, the children made some small simple clay models of coral and used found materials with interesting texture, tied together with pipe cleaners, and dipped into plaster – bubble wrap, twigs, plastic flower, packaging, paper straws, and fabric. Once hung down to dry stiff, the models were all photographed together with an acetate projection of their coral drawings over the top.

Often photography is used to create a composition by capturing a close-up of a 3D piece or objects. Whilst drawing from real life is by far the best practice for children to look carefully, they do prefer to work from photographs. Even the young Year 3 children use a simple 4-square grid to scale up accurately and are able to then refer to the photograph over several weeks.

Dipping found materials in plaster, exploring projection through photography.

Angles, lighting and composition are explored through photography.

Creating compositions from collaging elements of photographs have made worthy creative starting points. Cutting images, often printed or photocopied on various sizes, gives the children creative choices; they find making decisions challenging. Children are often involved in the photographing and sharing of images as I avoid simply handing out images to work from. Through careful cutting they explore size, layering, cropping, overlapping and looking for repeated shapes to add further interest. They enjoy asking for peers’ opinions and once glued, they take ownership, and increased interest, of their compositions.

Layering – 2 images together are combined and used as inspiration to explore pattern, colour and negative space. They are given a choice of materials. They developed an understanding of the limitations and possibilities of materials including wax resist, as well as adding textures with sand and salt.

Teachers can act as facilitators. I occasionally surprise the class with unplanned lessons, which are called – ‘simply respond’. A recent lesson found the children faced with slices of tree trunk, twisted branches, logs and knotted pine timber. The natural inspiration was coupled with a box of wet and dry materials, such as inks, candle wax, pastels, watercolours, markers, charcoal etc. They tended to work without talking, some making a hesitant start; others dived straight in, feeling and smelling the wood, examining it closely then exploring the materials. Some used all materials simultaneously; others limited themselves to ones they felt most confident with.

Simply Respond.

Other \”Simply Respond\” Activities:

• ‘Simply respond’ – paper straws and thin wire was what welcomed children when they came to an Art lesson. Seashells were their inspiration. They were given just 15 minutes to make a structure before drawing their model, giving equal consideration to the shadow.
• ‘Simply Respond’ – printed patterned paper, images of Portuguese figures in historical costumes, scissors and tape. Making clothes in small groups was enjoyed by all but observing the dynamics and team building was the most interesting. They had to plan and discuss and allocate roles- designers and cutters. They tried to re-create folding and pleating techniques from the images of the baggy trousers. The clothes were drawn subsequently in a 45 minute session with grey and black paint.
• A Turner prize quiz; ‘An Eight Year old could make that’ discussion –  questioning modern art; can Art, such as Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ figures, be on a beach or does Art have to be in a gallery? Topical or newsworthy – what makes the Salvator Mundi worth $450 million? Some of the most enlightening art discussions begin with one child’s visit to a gallery at the weekend.

Adding an unplanned lesson is necessary, in response to a gap in their understanding.

Drawing using perspective is a difficult task for any age. I try and build drawing, with some element of perspective, into all year groups and introducing it early is worthwhile. Once they can create something that appears 3D and ‘jumping of the page’, they are keen to practice. A successful project was drawing boxes that were turned inside out to create assorted white shapes. Each table had a couple of boxes and children worked on beige sugar paper identifying parallel lines and adding dark, middle and light tones to the  mid-tone paper with chalk and charcoal.

Looking for lights, darks and the tones in between.

Sometimes we use sponges to quickly rid the white paper, making it less daunting to work on. Children feel white paper highlights mistakes from the start and immediately ask for erasers. Embossed wallpaper glued around a poster tube will create a textured continuous printed surface, or you can purchase textured rollers. We tend to work large and fill the page so little background remains, but when working in charcoal or pencil, sometimes the background benefits from the white space. Often we like to fill backgrounds with a flat colour and mix a pot of poster paint and white emulsion which unifies the work and provides an inexpensive thick chalky colour that hides all the unwanted marks. Small printing blocks were used recently to fill the background quickly with colourful texture but to be truly effective, the children needed to have a masked-off area. This is easy with thin newsprint or tracing paper and if the shape is big and simple and is held on with a couple of bits of sticky-tac. It is a good skill to learn early to avoid cutting designs and gluing to a separate background.

Background added last – Ink and press print background. Background added first – screen print.

This is primarily through verbal feedback. I photograph their work in progress so they can self-assess their own and peers’ work. It is an effective method to make a stop and evaluate the successes and target areas to focus on. They are encouraged to name two aspects that went well and two areas to improve with children working in pairs to review. It is a visual record for sketchbooks when classes change teachers and act as starting points to aid writing reports.

Children evaluating at the end of a project helps to steer future schemes of work. If we can ascertain what they enjoy most then this is a sound base for subsequent plans.

I sometimes use a whole school theme, linked to a country or period in history, as a starting point for the term’s art. Research can be used with all classes and the library can display research books. Often the same starting point, theme or painting is developed through several pieces of work by the class and across year groups. All appreciate seeing the other classes’ work progressing. Work is displayed and celebrated throughout, as well as at the end of the project. My expectations are high for all children and they respond to this. My primary classes will tackle any challenge I present, as they believe I have confidence in them.

Having a smaller group allows the use of specialist materials such as masking fluid and children enjoy using new techniques and processes. Water is sprayed onto paper and a base layer of colour wash is put down, before a quick blast of the hairdryer. Masking fluid is drawn on using the wooden end of the paintbrush before another dry and another layer of colour. The process is repeated, drawing with masking fluid or just adding marks and stronger colour stronger is build up. The fun comes when the image is rubbed and the masking fluid peels away to reveals the lighter coloured marks.  The effect is similar to paper batik with melted wax or drawing into ink with bleach.

Ink and print with masking fluid.

I teach art to all classes age 7-11, allowing me to plan and monitor their projects carefully. However, it is important when working with a new class that you have knowledge of their prior experience to avoid repetition and to build on skills. Each September, when meeting Year 3, I look forward to nurturing new artists, with the exciting prospect of building their knowledge.

Often, art projects must tie in with class topics or cross-curricular links with History or Geography. If I have time to research art from that period or country, it can be very successful as the children are already interested and knowledgeable, and class topic books help develop initial sketchbook research. It is also interesting for the teacher to learn about the many different styles of art too.

If you are teaching several subjects, Art may not be your specialist subject. If you have the theme of Romans each year, it could still be tackled differently with some research books or searching the internet for inspirational images. Even if you are restricted by plans and limited by resources you can be creative with just some inexpensive sugar paper and charcoal. Even if you have to repeat projects seen on the walls and shelves the previous year, remember that the same children will not have experienced projects before, so it will be new and exciting to them. You can improve through the experience of teaching it more than once, taking the best aspects forward.

Japanese, Mayan, Roman portrait.

I try and plan for 2 x 2 year blocks for KS2 juniors. Each 6 – ½ term cycles will ensure the children experience an opportunity to develop several main pieces:  a large-scale pencil drawing, two large mixed-media pieces using wet and dry materials, a layered painting, two types of printing, 3D- often using papier-mâché or found materials and ceramics, as well opportunities to work in charcoal, collage, etc. This is not a rigid list and is supported by sketchbook work.

I also teach Design & Technology and use their making projects as an extension of their art project by addressing the 3D element but increased meaning. When children work from a historical painting in Art, their D&T projects run concurrently. A moving picture with mechanisms, such as sliders and pop-ups, explained the key features of the painting. This developed into their subsequent projects, taking inspiration from one of the characters in the painting to design and build a pop-up puppet and marionette puppet. They progressed onto building a moving wooden framed toy using cams to illustrate the painting story. D&T projects require drawn plans and purposeful design, so utilising their art research is ideal.

Mechanisms and structures – making a moving toy or clock explain the content of a historical painting.

sharon L June 25, 2019 @ 10:40 am

Thanks so much. This is brilliant -really inspiring! You’ve given me lots to think about.

Mad May 26, 2021 @ 10:01 am

This is terrific. Thank you for sharing, I will take away lots to think about.

Paula May 26, 2021 @ 1:54 pm

We’re glad it inspired you – jan is an amazing teacher xpaula

Pam P January 21, 2022 @ 9:51 pm

Thanks so much! I’m currently tasked with creating a new art & design scheme of work for the school, and this has been very helpful.

Katie P February 24, 2022 @ 1:07 pm

WOW! In awe! Absolutely love how you get the best from your students. So much to take in, so much creativity, such a lot to think about. Thank you very much for sharing.

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Children love their pets and we have a whole unit that explores this special connection. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, cuddly, scaled and slimy delight children and also offer a special kind of companionship.

All about me

Explore UK artists with these colourful art lesson plans. Your students can discover the art of designers Orla Kiely and William Morris, create works inspired by Eric Carle,  David Hockney and Simon Wiltshire in this quintessentially UK art unit. We will use a range of materials and techniques including collage, printmaking, watercolour painting, drawing, mixed media and painting. 

Farm Animals

Students will have fun creating a range of farm animal artworks, some are inspired by artists Jean Dubuffet and Pablo Picasso. We'll use stylised and realistic techniques to bring a variety of different farm animals to life! In this unit, students will use collage, painting, drawing, clay and printmaking, whilst having all the fun at the farm.  

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USA Artists

Explore US artists with these colourful art lessons. Your students can discover pop art, modernism, neo-expressionism, abstract and folk art all in this American dream of a unit. We will use a range of materials and techniques including collage, watercolour painting, mono-printing, mixed media and painting. 

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Wellbeing art lesson plans! In this unit the art lessons are based on increasing your students wellbeing and knowledge of self. We  look at emotions and positive thoughts while practising mindfulness by focusing on the present. 

Have fun learning about owls, a bird of prey symbolising wisdom and found in nearly every environment on Earth. They are charismatic birds of prey and in folklore, a symbol of wisdom and intuition.

Visit Mexico and explore the art of cultural events such as the Day of the Dead. Draw a portrait of famous Mexican artist Frida Khalo and tool a metal heart. Learn about Tonala clay owls and design an Aztec patterned cactus bowl.

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The Impressionists are one of the most well known group of artists in art history. They created their impression paintings in the 1860s to 1880s. 

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Create amazing mythical creatures in these fun drawing, painting and sculpture projects. There are monsters, dragons and unicorns to make and sculpt, a beautiful pegasus from marbled paper and a fun undewater mermaid to draw.  

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Fruit and Vegetable Art Lessons. In this unit, students will enjoy creating a range of  mouth watering fresh fruit and vegetable inspired art works. A wonderful cross-curricular unit to promote healthy eating!

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Celebrate and Remember! In this unit the art lessons are based on some of the social and cultural events that occur throughout the year. 

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All About Me

All About Me art lessons! In this unit the art lessons are based on our students, their hands, their interests, their faces. Create personalised artworks sure to engage your class!

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Looks at illustrators from the UK, USA and Spain. Create art inspired by famous picture book author, Eric Carle and learn about contemporary illustrators Clare Youngs, Mia Charro and Gareth Lucas.

Ecuador and Peru

Visit Ecuador and Peru and explore the wonderful colours of the region. Look at the amazing wildlife of the Galapagos Islands and learn about Alpaccas and Llamas in Peru. 

Look at aspects of Japanese art and culture, creating artworks of sushi, kimonos and origami. Learn about manga and notans and celebrate spring with a cherry blossom artwork or carp kite.

Australian Animals

Explore the wonders of the outback with these engaging and creative artworks of Australian animals for years K-6.

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Creative Kids Art Lessons has a range of exciting art activities for grade 3 classes. Each comprehensive art lesson plan has detailed step by step instructions and images on how to create inspiring works of art with your year 3 class.

Our art projects include drawing, painting, printmaking, craft, clay and sculpture. Every lesson plan addresses ACARA , Australian curriculum requirements for the recommended grade level.

Creative Kids Art Lessons feature art activities based on themes such as animals, the seasons, Christmas, and famous artists such as Andy Warhol and popular food artist Wayne Thiebaud. Find out about contemporary children’s book illustrators and try out some art ideas in their style.

Subscribe to our newsletter for access to our free lesson plans, or purchase one of the featured lesson plans below and try out an art idea with your class. The Rainbow Serpent is a wonderful Aboriginal Dreaming Story and a project that the whole class can create together.

To access all our lesson plans,  sign up for a monthly or yearly membership . We’d love to have you join us.

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Mexican Art – Sugar Skull

Celebrate Mexican culture with a vibrant Sugar Skull artwork. Use […]

John Olsen ‘Lines on a Journey’

Learn about famous Australian Artist,  John Olsen and create a […]

Noise Level Poster

Classroom Management – Noise Level Poster. Download and display in […]

Rainbow Serpent – class project

  Get the entire class involved in creating this Aboriginal […]

Luna Park Drawing

Recreate the fabulous face of Australia’s iconic Lunar Park. Use […]

Curious Bird

Create this 3D curious clay bird using air-dry clay. Learn […]

Baby Koala painting

Use reference images provided to create a painting of this […]

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Creative Kids Art Lessons

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Year 3 Draw Accurately

This Year 3 Draw Accurately lesson covers the prior learning of measuring length and estimating using near numbers, before moving onto the main skill of drawing lines accurately using centimetres and millimetres.

The lesson starts with a prior learning worksheet to check pupils’ understanding. The interactive lesson slides recap the prior learning before moving on to the main skill. Children can then practise further by completing the activities and can extend their learning by completing an engaging extension task.

National Curriculum Objectives Mathematics Year 3: (3G3a) Draw 2-D shapes and make 3-D shapes using modelling materials; recognise 3-D shapes in different orientations and describe them

Due to the nature of the questions on the worksheets, this lesson is not available in interactive format.

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Lesson Slides

These lesson slides guide pupils through the prior learning of measuring length and estimating using near numbers, before moving onto the main skill of recognising unit fractions. There are a number of questions to check pupils' understanding throughout.

Modelling PowerPoint

This powerpoint can be used to model the questions that the children will complete on the Varied Fluency and Reasoning & Problem Solving worksheets as part of this lesson.

These are the same as the lesson slides on Classroom Secrets. You can assign this as an activity for pupils to access individually in school or remotely from home.

Vide Tutorial

In this Draw Accurately Video Tutorial, Vanessa shows pupils how to measure lines and read a ruler carefully. She uses key vocabulary including centimetres, millimetres and rounding.

1 Prior Learning

Video Tutorial

In this Measure Lengths Video Tutorial, Laura shows pupils how measure different lengths in cm and mm using a ruler. She gives demonstrations of how to position the ruler to get an accurate reading. Laura also discusses how to read measurements on a ruler when the starting position is not zero. There are questions for pupils to answer throughout the video.

Interactive Activity

This Year 3 Measure Lengths Game aims to support pupils' understanding of measurement.

This Year 3 Measure Lengths Flash Cards Game aims to support pupils' understanding of measurement.

This Year 3 Estimate Answers and Inverse Operations Game checks pupils’ understanding of checking answers.

2 Varied Fluency

This differentiated worksheet includes varied fluency questions for pupils to practise the main skill of this lesson.

This Year 3 Draw Accurately Game checks pupils’ knowledge of how to measure accurately with a ruler.

2 Reasoning & Problem Solving

This draw accurately extension task includes a challenge activity which can be used to further pupils' understanding of the concepts taught in the draw accurately lesson.

Mixed Practice

This worksheet includes varied fluency, reasoning and problem solving questions for pupils to practise the main skill of draw accurately.

This differentiated worksheet includes reasoning and problem solving questions to support the teaching of this step.

Discussion Problem

This worksheet includes two discussion problems which can be used in pairs or small groups to further pupils' understanding of the concepts taught in this lesson.

This differentiated worksheet includes varied fluency and reasoning and problem solving questions to support the teaching of this step.

2 Additional Activities

Home Learning Pack

This Summer week 7 Maths pack contains varied fluency, reasoning and problem solving worksheets

Consolidation Pack

This Properties of Shape Consolidation Year 3 resource will help your pupils consolidate their understanding of Summer Block 3: Properties of Shape.

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A collection of Year 3 Art planning, resources and teaching ideas, all ready to download. Teach your class all about famous artists and movements, traditional art forms from around the world and more with these time-saving packs.

Warhol and the Pop Art Movement

Introduce your class to one of the most iconic artists of all time with this 'Warhol and the Pop Art Movement' scheme of work for Year 3 and Year 4...

The Tudors Topic

This planning pack is full of fun, engaging Tudor activities for KS2 that will transport your Year 3 or Year 4 class back to the time of the Tudors...

Famous Buildings

Your class will never look at buildings the same way again after this 'Famous Buildings' scheme of work for Year 3/4! They will investigate a varie...

William Morris

This William Morris KS2 Art lesson planning pack will get your Year 3 or Year 4 children thinking about the Industrial Revolution in a new light as...

Investigating Patterns

This fun and creative 'Investigating Patterns' scheme of work enables your class to explore, create and manipulate a variety of different kinds of ...

Seurat and Pointillism

These Seurat and Pointillism KS2 lesson plans are guaranteed to make your Year 3 or Year 4 class dotty about art! Not only will they find out about...

Vincent van Gogh

Introduce your class to one of the most famous artists of all time with this Vincent van Gogh KS2 Art scheme of work for Year 3 and Year 4. Discove...

This Indian Art KS2 lesson planning pack for Year 3 and Year 4 children will help immerse your class in the fascinating art and culture of India as...

Immerse your class in the beauty of nature with these six ‘Plant Art’ lessons for Y3/4. Children will be introduced to a variety of plant-themed ar...

Journeys Art

Take your class on a voyage of discovery with this set of 5 Art 'Journeys' lesson plans. Your class will have the chance to glimpse the fascinating...

This LS Lowry KS2 Art planning pack comes with everything you need to explore the endearing artworks of the British artist LS Lowry. The included s...

Under the Sea Topic

Take a journey to the deepest depths of the oceans as you and your class dive into life underwater with this fantastic KS2 'Under the Sea' topic.  ...

Can we change places?

Introduce your class to the world of sculpture with these 'Can we change places?' KS2 Art lessons for children. Start by getting them to think abou...

Discover a whole new way of looking at art teaching with this helpful and creative Year 3 and 4 'Viewpoints' scheme of work. Enter the surreal worl...

Sonia Delaunay

Introduce your class to one of the great female artists of the 20th century, Sonia Delaunay. In this art scheme of work for Y3/4, children will fin...

Jewellery Designers

Jewellery designing is made easy with this creative and engaging 'Jewellery Designers' scheme of work for children in Year 3/4. Explore some famous...

At the Pantomime

Prepare for shouts of 'He's behind you!' and 'Oh no, he isn't!" as you and your class enter the wacky world of British pantomime! After exploring e...

Light and Sound Topic

Packed full of exciting lessons and activities, these KS2 science primary resources 'Light and Sound' lessons are the perfect way to delve into a n...

Recycled Art

Instantly download these ready-to-use Recycled Art lessons for your KS2 class. Inspire your class with materials that would usually be recycled or ...

Whole School Art Curriculum Pack (Year 1 to Year 6)

Download a complete Art curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6, covering all the National Curriculum objectives for KS1 and KS2. This curriculum pack pr...

KS2 Art Curriculum Pack (Year 3 to Year 6)

Download a complete Art curriculum from Year 3 to Year 6, covering all the National Curriculum objectives for KS2. We also have a KS1 Art Curriculu...

The Rainforest Topic

Take a trek into the depths of the rainforest with this Rainforest Topic for KS2 children. Packed full of engaging and inspiring lessons across a r...

The Prehistoric World Topic (Stone Age to Iron Age)

Journey across millions of years of prehistory with this KS2 Prehistoric World topic for Year 3 and Year 4. This series of 18 lessons across a rang...

Ancient Egyptians Topic

This KS2 Ancient Egyptians topic for Year 3 and Year 4 is packed full of fun ancient Egypt activities and projects to fully immerse your class in l...

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35 Free and Easy Directed Drawing Activities Anyone Can Do

Uncover the artist in every kid!

Regardless of your artistic abilities, you can still help your students improve their own artistry thanks to directed drawing activities. They walk you through the process step-by-step so anyone can create their very own masterpiece. Teachers often lead the session by drawing on the whiteboard or chart paper while students follow along. Although there are a ton of good options for instructional videos, a favorite of ours is the Art for Kids Hub on YouTube —they have hundreds of videos spanning all interests. Here are some of our favorite free directed drawing activities for kids. Grab your favorite art supplies and get creative!

1. Fancy Flowers

Draw these simple flowers, then fill them in with markers or colored pencils to personalize them.

Learn more: Kitchen Table Classroom

2. Baby Yoda

Whether you call him Baby Yoda, The Child, or Grogu, he’s bound to be one of your most popular directed drawing activities!

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids: How To Draw Baby Yoda

3. An Adorable Dog

Kids will definitely love this easy-to-follow guide on how to draw a basic dog shape. With a few tweaks, they can personalize it to look like their favorite furry pal.

Learn more: Easy, Peasy, and Fun

4. Night Sky Owl

First, kids draw these simple owls, then they add stars with white crayons. Finally, they use watercolors to add the finishing touches.

Learn more: Primarily Speaking

5. Tree Frog

Who doesn’t love a pop-eyed tree frog? The video guides you through each step of the process as you bring your funny frog friend to life.

Learn more: Art for Kids Hub: How To Draw a Tree Frog

This cheery sloth is just hanging around, begging to be sketched and colored!

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids: How To Draw a Sloth

7. Simple Building

Regardless of your drawing ability, you can create a simple house or building like the one shown here just by using basic shapes. Artists can easily customize it to their liking by adding more windows, changing the shape, or choosing different colors.

Learn more: How To Draw an Easy Building for Kids

Say hi to this happy robot, then learn how to create one of your own.

Learn more: Whimsy Workshop Teaching: Draw a Robot

Drawing people can be intimidating, but this tutorial simplifies things for beginner artists.

Learn more: I Heart Crafty Things

Llamas are as popular as ever, so they make the perfect choice for directed drawing.

Learn more: Bilingual Scrapbook: How To Draw a Llama

11. Penguin

The free printable worksheet makes drawing this chubby penguin pal a snap.

Learn more: Natalie Lynn Kindergarten

12. Happy Mug

Since the weather is getting colder, why not warm up with this sweet and silly drawing of a mug winking?

Learn more: Happy Drawings

13. Elephant

Those pink ears! Everyone will want to learn how to sketch this playful pachyderm.

Learn more: Art for Kids Hub: How To Draw an Elephant

14. Chickadee

Check out chickadees at your local bird feeder , then learn how to draw them!

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids: How To Draw a Chickadee

15. Superhero

Since kids usually love superheroes, they will get a kick out of drawing their very own! There are plenty of tutorials on how to draw other superhero styles at the link below!

Learn more: How To Draw Funny Cartoons

16. Boo Bat

We love that this adorable bat is mostly made up of basic shapes that every kid can master.

Learn more: Babbling Abby

This sweet bunny face is the perfect springtime art project.

Learn more: Whimsy Workshop Teaching: Draw a Bunny

18. Pop Art Landscape

Before drawing, give your little artists a brief overview of the Pop Art movement. Afterward, let them put the lessons into place in this fun landscape that includes bright colors and fun patterns.

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids

19. Humpback Whale

Studying the ocean ? Try sea creature directed drawing activities, like this humpback whale.

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids: How To Draw a Humpback Whale

20. Pine Tree

The tree shape is simple, but markers diluted with water turn this into a truly pretty picture.

Learn more: The Kitchen Table Classroom

21. Abstract Face

This abstract face is so simple to draw yet provides so much opportunity for individuality and creativity. Follow the steps for the basic outline, then grab your favorite set of markers, paints, or colored pencils and fill the page with color!

22. Lighthouse

Turn on some soothing ocean sounds and sketch a serene shoreline scene.

Learn more: Art for Kids Hub: How To Draw a Lighthouse

An apple a day … makes good drawing practice! We love that this activity includes both a whole apple and apple slices.

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids: How To Draw an Apple

24. Chick in Egg

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? No need to decide with this directed drawing idea!

Learn more: How To Draw

25. Nintendo Switch

While kids love video games, it is best for them to unplug from time to time and engage in some hands-on activities like drawing. We can’t think of something they would like to draw more than their beloved Switch!

Learn more: Art for Kids Hub

Shoot for the stars when you learn how to draw this rocket headed for outer space.

Learn more: Drago Art

27. LEGO Man

Since kids love LEGO, what better drawing tutorial to try than this adorable LEGO Minifigure?

Learn more: DrawKidsDraw

28. School Bus

Here’s a terrific directed drawing activity for kindergartners when they start school. It will help them see the school bus as a friend!

Learn more: Proud To Be Primary

29. Dinosaur

If you can draw curves, you can create this majestic dino. ( Here’s a T. rex too! )

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids/How To Draw a Diplodocus

30. Pumpkin

This joyful pumpkin would be especially cute during the fall but could be drawn any time of year!

This pink porker is so darn adorable! That curly tail is the best part!

Learn more: A Blog From the Pond

32. Unicorn

Capture the magic of this sparkly creature with this surprisingly easy directed drawing idea.

Learn more: Whimsy Workshop Teaching: Draw a Unicorn

33. Santa Claus

Need some quick Christmas decor? Have your class create a whole collection of Santas for the walls.

Learn more: One FAB Teacher

34. Rainbow Chameleon

Drawing this chameleon is only half the fun—filling him in with vibrant colors is even better!

Learn more: Art Projects for Kids: How To Draw a Chameleon

Ignite an interest in drawing and geography with this fun step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a globe. Although you can draw a realistic map of the world on your globe, you definitely don’t have to!

Looking for more art class ideas? Try these 16 Art Projects That Only Require Basic Supplies .

Plus, inspire kids’ creativity with these 12 online art resources ..

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• Subject planning
• Specialists
• Drawing: Growing artists

Use this unit hub to inform your medium-term plan and to navigate to related resources.

• Art and design >
• Lower Key Stage 2 >

Unit outcomes

Pupils who are  secure will be able to:

• Know the difference between organic and geometric shapes.
• Use simple shapes to form the basis of a detailed drawing.
• Use shading to demonstrate a sense of light and dark in their work.
• Shade with a reasonable degree of accuracy and skill.
• Blend tones smoothly and follow the four shading rules.
• Collect a varied range of textures using frottage.
• Use tools competently, being willing to experiment.
• Generate ideas mostly independently and make decisions to compose an interesting frottage image.
• Make considered cuts and tears to create their ideas.
• Understand how to apply tone, with some guidance about where to use it.
• Draw a framed selection of an image onto a large scale with some guidance.
• Try a range of drawing materials, beginning to demonstrate expressive marks by trying tools in an interesting way.

Suggested prior learning

Drawing: tell a story, lesson 1: see like an artist.

• To recognise how artists use shape in drawing.

Lesson 2: Shading

• To understand how to create tone in drawing by shading.

Lesson 3: Texture pictures

• To understand how texture can be created and used to make art.

Lesson 4: Botanical drawing

• To apply observational drawing skills to create detailed studies.

Lesson 5: Abstract flowers

• To explore composition and scale to create abstract drawings.

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Key knowledge

Formal elements:

Key vocabulary

arrangement

Unit resources

Assessment – art and design y3: drawing.

Assessment resources for this unit. Use

Knowledge organiser

A visual summary document to support

Subject resources

Art and design: long-term plans.

A suggested order for teaching Art

National curriculum mapping

This document maps the National curriculum

A spreadsheet for recording teacher assessments

Art and design: Progression of pupil skills and knowledge

Progression documents showing how skills and

This document lists the new vocabulary

Equipment list

A checklist of art equipment required

Art and design – List of artists

This document lists the artists studied

Cross-curricular opportunities

Mathematics: Geometry – properties of shapes

Science: Light, Plants

Build on the learning

Drawing: power prints, popular content, other subjects.

• Religion & Worldviews
• Design and Technology
• RSE & PSHE

7 Easy Art Lessons For When You’re in a Pinch

Sometimes lesson planning comes down to the wire. Maybe your students went through a project much faster than expected, or you simply did not have the time to get ahead of things. We’ve all been there. It’s not unheard of to scour the internet and social media for ideas, but sometimes we still come up short. No art teacher is perfect, and we all need a lesson idea in a pinch from time to time! We don’t want these activities to be fluff or busywork. Instead, we want them to help our students build skills and scaffold learning.

The next time you find yourself in need of a last-minute activity or lesson, look no further. The following seven activities are easily adaptable for various grade levels. They also require minimal material prep and use supplies you likely have in your art room.

1. Personal Soda Can Label

We live in a consumer world where new beverages, food, candy, and snacks are constantly introduced to the market. Teachers and students experience product and brand design —often without even realizing it. Looking at the typography and imagery of different products can spark interesting conversations with both elementary and secondary students.

One way for students to explore the idea of consumerism through product design and advertising is by creating a personal beverage label. This will require students to brainstorm a brand and identity for their product by picking the flavor, color, and overall look. Use the handout below  to get your students started planning their designs.

Once students have designed their labels, you can take this activity a step further by attaching the design to an aluminum can. Have students participate in a reflection or critique activity. Ending the activity here might be appropriate for your elementary students, but you could take it a step further for your middle and high schoolers. Have students use their aluminum can with a custom label for observational drawing. Beginning students often struggle with matching the text and typography on traditional soda cans. Using the label they initially created will help them build confidence in their drawing skills. After practicing observational drawing skills, students add shading to create the illusion of form. High school students can also explore more package design and advertising elements.

Suggested materials: Paper, drawing materials, aluminum cans (optional) Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school, high school

2. Crushed Soda Can Drawing

Another simple yet effective way to recycle aluminum cans in your classroom is to crush them and use them for observational drawing. When students learn to draw, they eagerly want to draw things as realistically as they can. Students often feel frustrated and disappointed when they aren’t able to draw things perfectly. One way to reduce the pressure of realistic drawing is to begin with an imperfect object. Crushing cans and spray painting them white can serve as a beautiful and cost-effective way to teach basic drawing skills.

Students can draw the cans from life or use a reference photo. If they use a reference photo, you could introduce your students to the traditional grid method or provide them with alternative ways of making a grid.

Cover the cans with white paint so students can focus on the simplified shapes without worrying about labels or text. Strong lighting can also help students to identify values easily. If you don’t have aluminum cans on hand but still want to try this activity, use these images as references .

To adapt this lesson and take it even further for your secondary students, explore new and advanced techniques to create a background with contrast and emphasis. Students research and experiment with a technique they have wanted to try. Provide them with a demonstration and sampling of some ideas to get them started.

Here are some exciting advanced techniques:

• Monoprinting
• Painted Paper Weaving FLEX Lesson (can be found in FLEX Curriculum )
• Paper marbling

Suggested materials: Paper, drawing materials, aluminum cans Suggested grade levels: Upper elementary, middle school, high school

3. Ashley Mary-Inspired Organic Shape Painting

Exploring abstract and non-objective art can be an empowering experience for students. However, sometimes the freedom to create can leave them paralyzed or push them to overwork their pieces. One way to introduce students to proper painting techniques while exploring color, pattern, and shape is to learn about the contemporary artist Ashley Mary . Mary’s playful paintings are reminiscent of the free-form collages of Matisse. Comparing Mary, a contemporary artist, with Matisse, a classical artist, can provide a foundation for inspiration and discussion. To learn more about Ashley Mary, download our complimentary FLEX Curriculum Artist Bio . Find this and many more artist bios in FLEX Curriculum .

Before students begin painting, have them choose a color scheme. Encourage students to work with a limited palette to push them to make more intentional color decisions. Students create shapes and patterns one paint layer at a time. If using watercolor, this can be a wonderful exploration of how transparent and translucent colors mix and layer. The free-form nature of this painting style also fosters intuitive thinking.

Suggested materials: Paper, acrylic or tempera paint, watercolor Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school

4. Water Droplet Drawing

If you are looking for a skill-building activity to boost your students’ confidence, this is it! Inspired by art teacher Jennifer Sell , this water droplet drawing activity is the perfect way to introduce students to shading and form at any age level. For best results, use a material that blends easily, like graphite, charcoal, chalk, or oil pastel. Use these videos to help guide your students as they navigate through the activity.

To adapt this for your advanced learners, students create the same drawing with two different media. Compare and contrast the process, medium characteristics, and end results.

Suggested materials: Paper, chalk, graphite, charcoal, or oil pastel Suggested grade levels: Upper elementary, middle school, high school

5. Textured Slump Mold Slab Bowl

Are you in need of a one-day clay activity that requires minimal materials? Creating slump molds is a great way to introduce or review making slabs with students. All you need is clay and a mold, like a bowl, to press the clay inside. This idea also can introduce surface texture on clay. Students roll a slab, add texture, then press into the slump mold. If you plan on doing more clay lessons with your students, this is a quick project for students to practice the glazing process.

Suggested materials: Clay, bowls for molds Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school

6. Op Art Drawing

Optical illusions are always exciting for students, and learning how to make them is even better! Some op art designs require more math and complexity, while others are on the simpler side. These op art sphere and cube designs are perfect as an introduction to your younger artists. Check out this video for a step-by-step guide to create them.

If you plan on doing more complex op art activities with your advanced or high school students, these simple drawings will make great bellringer prompts. Connect several spheres and cubes to create more elaborate patterns and compositions. For more op art lesson ideas, check out the Connecting Op Art and Math in FLEX Collection.

For a brief introduction to op art that you can share with your students, check out the FLEX video below:

Suggested materials: Pencil, markers, ruler, paper Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school, high school

7. Color Mixing Lines

The process of color mixing never ceases to amaze students, no matter how many times they have experienced it. This activity allows students to observe color mixing and explore creative drawing processes.

To start this project, students use a water-based marker or watercolor paint. If students use markers, create shapes of color right next to or slightly overlapping each other. Prep an eyedropper filled with water or a paintbrush dipped in clean water. Stand the painting up vertically and carefully drop water on the paper. Watch as the water mixes with the color and drips down the page together.

Use the same method with watercolor paint with a wet-on-wet technique by painting the paper with water first. Add color with the paper held vertically.

Once the paint drips are dry, students identify the positive and negative shapes created by the drips. Students can trace the shapes and fill in designated areas with line patterns.

Suggested materials: Water, watercolor, markers, paper Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school

Alexander Graham Bell said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” With all that art teachers have to do daily, we understand the importance of preparation. However, there are only so many hours in the day, and sometimes we don’t have enough time to get it all done! If you find yourself behind, overwhelmed, or stuck, try one of these activities. They are sure to engage students from start to finish, adaptable for all grade levels, and you can easily tie them into your existing curriculum when you’re in a pinch.

What’s your go-to lesson when you are in a pinch?

How do you prep in advance for a last-minute activity?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Abby Schukei

Abby Schukei, a middle school art educator and AOEU’s Social Media Manager, is a former AOEU Writer. She focuses on creating meaningful experiences for her students through technology integration, innovation, and creativity.

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Primary School Art

Art lessons for Foundation to Year 6 – Victorian Curriculum aligned

Tag: Year 3 art

Crazy cows ~ peter diem inspired year 3-4 art lesson.

Peter Diem (born 1945) is a Dutch artist well known for his expressive use of colour and texture in his art. “He gained worldwide fame because of his vivid paintings and lively, colourful representations of Dutch cows.” We viewed the Peter Diem – Cows website for examples of his artworks and discussed the elements of art Diem used to make them: colour, line, shape, texture, space.

LESSON ACTIVITIES:

Students viewed and discussed Diem’s cow artworks on his website. They were then given a task where they described the elements of art thy noticed in a cow painting. I used a Seesaw activity for them to respond. Here are some student examples:

We viewed some videos of Diem in action to learn about his materials and techniques, noting how he draws the cow, and methods of applying paint- brush, finger, hand, straight from the tube.

Students are shown how to draw a simplified cow, Diem style – just the outline-in the shape of a Diem painting. Students then outline in black or a dark colour crayon or pastel.

Use bright and fluorescent oil pastels to add lines and shapes and patterns, considering the features of Diem’s work. It is then painted over to fill the gaps and a contrast colour painted for the background.

The next lesson we made puffy paint with PVA glue, shaving cream and food colouring in a zip-lock bag, and mushed it around to mix the 3 ingredients. A TINY bit of one corner of the bag is cut off to enable squeezing out fluid lines of puffy paint! They could outline or add lines to their design for amazing TEXTURE.

Once complete, students reflect on their work noting materials (mediums) and techniques they used when making their Diem style cow, as well as the best thing, and what they might change if repeating the piece.

Lesson plan (approx 3 lessons to complete) with learning intentions, success criteria, lesson activities, links to useful videos about Diem & his techniques, steps for drawing, reflection sheet, student examples. Victorian Curriculum links.

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3 year old drawing milestones +

How to teach your 3 year old to draw peppa pig and more.

Are you wondering what your 3 year old should be drawing ? Worried that your 3 year olds drawing of a man is too simple? What are 3 year old drawing milestones anyway?

Drawing is a major cognitive and fine motor milestone for 3 year olds. What they pen to paper and how we facilitate drawing times are really important for overall development and also pre writing skills . 

Crayons and markers for 3 year old art

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So my guess is you already have the basics at home – the thick crayons, some dot markers, some thick markers and butchers paper. 

It’s important to offer 3 year olds a lot of variety in their drawing activities. So unique colored markers, interestingly shaped crayons, different textured papers or pastels. 

Video: Activities for drawing with your 3 year old

This video shows some of the fun ideas for drawing with your 3 year old that are listed. Watch the video or scroll down. 

Benefits of drawing for a 3 year old

Drawing for a 3 year old is actually a developmental milestone. Meaning this is a key marker of your child’s overall development. 

Here are some of benefits of drawing for your 3 year old: 

• Cognition: At 3 years old your toddler is beginning to understand that they have creative ability. Meaning they can think of something and then reproduce it on a page. This is a really critical thinking skill. It means that your 3 year old is able to dissect an image they have in their head and attempt to replicate each part of that image. Seriously amazing stuff! 
• Pre- writing skills: The simple shapes and drawings that your 3 year old is drawing are foundational for learning how to write. Each letter is made up of various shapes. Learning how to draw the pre writing shapes is what will make your toddler be able to replicate each letter later on.  
• Spatial skills and understanding of size . While your 2 year old is drawing circles and lines they are learning a whole bunch about positioning and size. They start out with 3 huge intersecting circles and call it a face and eyes. During the third year this will become 2 small circles which are parallel, inside a big circle. This development and understanding of size and place plays a big role in hand eye coordination and many other skills. 
• Developing attention and concentration on a task. By 3 years old we are expecting that a toddler can concentrate on a drawing activity for anywhere between 10-15 minutes. This should also increase during the year. 
• The small muscles of the hand are developing and learning how to hold and manipulate different markers and crayons. As well as the shoulder, elbow and wrist muscles
• Sensory skills of understanding how hard or soft to press down and how different markers and crayons feel in their hands

3 year old drawing milestones

Some of what we expect to see in a 3 year old’s drawing are: 

• Spontaneous drawing . In other words- you give them a crayon and paper and they draw something without your help or guidance. By 3 we expect to see that a toddler is able to name what they have drawn even if the picture doesn’t resemble what they intended. 
• Longer stretch of time: At 3 years old your toddler should be able to sit for between 10-15 minutes. That doesn’t mean everytime you offer a drawing activity, you can guarantee 15 minutes to drink your cold coffee. But when they are feeling really engaged it can last for that long. You also want to see that your 3 year old is able to fill spaces with color and that they are not getting tired easily from coloring and drawing. 
• Pre writing shapes: A 3 year old should be able to draw a vertical and horizontal line as well as a circle. In the third year they learn to imitate your drawing of a plus sign. 

3 year old drawing of a person 

The drawing of a man is quite an exciting child development milestone. I mean we are all waiting for that cute picture of “my family”, right? 

We may have to wait a little longer. 

A 3 year old should be able to draw some representation of a person but that might just be a few interlocking circles. It’s normally towards the end of the 3rd year that we see a simple drawing of a man coming together spontaneously. That might be a picture with around 4 body parts and proportions being off. 

I think it’s important to say that some toddlers do learn to draw more complex pictures earlier. And that at age 3 it is okay to start “teaching” your toddler some more complex pictures- like peppa pig. 

However, we need to be very mindful of not trying to push our toddlers to “color within the lines” per say., IT doesn’t matter that we can’t recognise what the picture is. But it does matter that they are given lots of opportunities to practice. 

A blurb about drawing a person and its link to intelligence: 

So you may have heard that the detail of a child’s drawing of a person is an indication of their intelligence. Let me explain this a bit further: 

There is an assessment called the Goodenough Harris Draw-a-Man-Test. That has been used since 1926 to understand and measure children’s intelligence based on their drawings. The simplified version of the test is counting the amount of features a child draws on a person (like eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows, pupil etc.) 

It doesn’t measure artistic ability but rather understanding of the many components that make up a 3D  image: a person. And therefore has been found to be a pretty effective tool. 

However, generally the test is used for kids aged 5 and up. 

What that means is- the fact that your toddlers drawing of a man is still 3 circles on a page does not mean anything about their intelligence . It means that they are developing according to the norm. That’s it!

Also by “teaching” your 3 year old to perfect a drawing of a person down to each detail, you aren’t boosting their intelligence. 

If you want to boost your 3 year old’s intelligence through crayon and paper activities: Let them have time for spontaneous drawing! 

Here are some examples of what a 3 year olds spontaneous drawing might look like: 

3 year old pencil grip

In the second year we see toddlers starting to change from that full hand-up grip, to the fingers holding the crayon and pointing towards the paper. This is called a digital pronate grasp and looks something like this.

The key feature are:

• Wrist held high
• Fingers pointing towards the paper but still high on the marker
• The marker is still gripped by the palm of the hand

Towards the end of the 3rd year toddlers should start moving their fingers (independently) into a static tripod grasp.

The key features of this grip are: 

• The forearm faces downwards (towards the paper)
• Straight wrist
• The crayon points out between the thumb and index finger
• The action of drawing uses movement of the fingers mainly

At this age I would not correct pencil grip unless the pencil is pointing out between the last 3 fingers of the hand. 

We dive a but deeper into common concerns about 3 year old drawings and what to do about them further on. 

Instead of focusing of the end product, try to:

• Encourage expression and creativity not a perfect end product or drawing 
• Use words to encourage that the activity is fun not the performance aspect of it 
• Drawing trumps coloring because it uses the brain differently 
• Multisensory drawing 
• Posture and sitting are more important than the way they hold the pencil 
• Drawing is something kids should be doing on most days if not everyday 

A blurb about spontaneous drawing vs. coloring in pages 

Here’s the thing: coloring pages aren’t super powerful for brain development. And actually have been shown to diminish creativity. Ouch!

Spontaneous drawing however has been used as a method for training preschoolers in divergent thinking and imagination. In other words drawing teaches kids to be creative. ( source ).

However coloring pages do have some good uses. They are very useful when you just need your toddler to do something while you switch on the dishwasher, make a quick phone call or sit quietly at a restaurant. 

Raising kids is not only about what’s absolutely 100 % best for them. We also have to put ourselves and daily functioning into the picture. 

So what I say is, try not to do too many coloring pages. Maybe keep it to once a week or less. Or let them color something that they watch you draw. Even if it’s just a simple smiley face. 

If you are looking for some quiet independent on-the-go printable you can grab an I-spy and color matching printable here. 

Activity ideas for drawing with 3 year old

It is great to draw with your 3 year old and let them imitate your simple, age-appropriate drawings BUT spontaneous drawing is also super important. 

What that means is- use the ideas, have fun with them! But also give your toddler time to draw by themselves. And you get bonus points for asking them what their picture is afterwards. 

To recap, some of the important drawing milestones for 3 year olds are 

• Learning to draw a plus sign
• Mastering vertical and horizontal lines and circles. And showing more control in drawing these. This means different sizes and more focus on the actual position of each of these simple shapes. 
• As well as starting to form patterns and place different simple shapes together to form a picture. 

Some fun drawing ideas you can do together (as seen in the video above) are: 

• Tape a big piece of butchers paper to the wall and let your 3 year old alternate between drawing 2 different colored circles. This is great for teaching patterns and sequencing. Plus by practicing a simple shape , like circles on a vertical surface more muscles are used.
• As you saw in the video 3 year olds normally won’t have mastered diagonal lines. So their lion won’t look perfect. However this simple drawing is a great way to practice positioning and spatial relations.
• In truth Peppa Pig does have a lot of steps to it. You could easily settle for drawing just the face. However this is something a lot of kids are very motivated to draw. On the plus side, once they have learnt to draw Peppa, the rest of the family are pretty easy to do to.
• As you saw in the video- my 3 year old drew the flies. If they are up for the challenge, the frog is also suitable to draw. This is a great drawing activity to help 3 year olds practice controlled line drawing. Getting the line to meet the fly is actually quite challenge for this age group.
• The beginnings of a full picture. This again used simple pre writing shapes in order to practice sizing and positioning.
• Drawing lines for snakes and the circles of a caterpillar help your 3 year old practice precion in drawing. Making the lines parallel and the circles touch challenges their sense of position and space.
• Don’t be alarmed if all the faces seem to look a bit grumpy. Drawing a line that curves on each side will take some practice.
• This is a fun way to practice those curving lines, precision in keeping the lines close and using multiple colors.
• At 3 years old your toddler wont be able to draw the perfect snail shell. Aim more for lots of overlapping circles with a snake like body.
• While it’s only at 4 years old that a picture of a man normally becomes recognisable, it’s fun to practice simple stick men even from now. As always, don’t worry if it doesn’t look like a man at the end. Focus on the experience, not the product.

Creating play invitations for spontaneous drawing

As I said above, spontaneous drawing is the creme dela creme of 3 year old drawing skills. So we want to create opportunities for our toddlers to be able to do this without us getting into a weird power struggle. 

You know the kind that happen when you try to put on the teacher hat and your toddler isn’t feeling it. 

Yip, those are less fun and overall kind of discourage your toddler from spontaneous creative expression. 

An easy hack for this is a drawing strew or invitation to play. The good news is these can be REALLY SIMPLE. Like:

• Having a drawing easel out and available 
• Keeping this awesome drawing board on hand for car rides
• Building a time of free drawing into your before meal routine
• Keeping an art set or art supplies with paper in a place that your toddler can freely access
• Doodle pages where the beginning of a picture is drawn but your 3 year old has to make the story through picture.

Common concerns when it comes to 3 year old drawings and what to do about them 

Your 3 year old hates drawing activities:.

The truth is that not all kids are artistically inclined. That is totally okay. Your 3 year old doesn’t need to be the next Van Gogh. 

But, it’s a big but! Drawing is a developmental skill and it is the path that toddlers need to pave inorder to write. If your 3 year old hates drawing activities, mix it up! Get creative but keep offering drawing daily. 

• If your toddler is a builder: pretend drawing the eiffel tower together with lots of lines
• Maybe your toddler loves to be active: Get them to draw lines as a hopscotch board. 
• Offer a lot of variety in the types of markers, crayons and art supplies you offer. And try to engage your toddler by drawing first so that they are able to imitate you. 
• Be cautious of your responses to their disinterest and what they draw. Validate that drawing is fun, not that they have achieved something like staying in the lines. 

Your 3 year old only wants to draw with an adult or watch you draw or says their picture isn’t good

Imitation, watching an adult draw and then copying what you have drawn is a critical stage of learning to draw. Provided it is age appropriate drawing (meaning that it matches the drawing milestones for 3 year olds). 

Sometimes if a kid feels that they need to “achieve” or get the picture just “right” they might shy away from fear of failure. 

This can happen from people praising a 3 year olds drawings or from someone correcting them. It might be because of an interaction with an adult or a sibling.

The point is to focus on emphasising that drawing is fun/ relaxing/ funny/ creative from this point on. 

Try engaging drawing activities with your 3 year old:. Like: 

• You draw a fly and she scribbles on top to “catch” the fly
• Take turns drawing long roads on butchers paper and then driving the cars on the road
• Multisensory drawing activities: like drawing in shaving cream or a salt tray

3 year old drawing on walls

By 3 years old we can expect that your toddler understands that they are not supposed to draw on the walls. So we have to ask why they are still choosing to do it? 

• They love drawing and don’t have another place to do it. If you think this is the reason try getting a drawing easel, or drawing table or even just sticking some butchers paper onto the wall. This way they have a “yes” space that they can come to 
• They are testing a boundary. If you think this is the reason for your 3 year old drawing on your walls- go back to basics. The rule is “we only draw on paper”. Reiterate this and provide paper. I think it’s also good to support them in cleaning up the wall they have drawn on themselves. 

Poor Pencil grip in 3 year old 

Pencil grip is still developing at this age. I know you might be tricked into trying all those cutsy pinterest hacks for correcting your toddlers pencil grip. I really would encourage you not to. The muscles in the hand are still developing. Therefore forcing the hand into a pencil grip that doesn’t match the stage of development will do more harm than good. 

Some things that may be worth getting an occupational therapist to have a look at are: 

• If the crayon exists the hand through the last three fingers of the hand (middle, ring, baby)
• Muscles weakness or tiredness. Meaning your 3 year old seem sto struggle to grip the marker or their hands seem to tire easily 
• Hypermobility: If you notice that your 3 year olds finger joints seem to be very mobile or bend too much.

Your 3 year old seems to get tired quickly when drawing 

The actual act of drawing requires a lot of coordination and postural control from 3 year olds. A 3 year old wanting to put their head on the table after less than 10 minutes of drawing is a concern. Obviously this needs to be consistent and not only that one time that you did drawing right before bedtime. 

I can’t emphasise enough how foundational and critical posture is in young kids. If your toddler does seem to get tired quickly: 

• Check the chair that they are using. I recommend this amazing chair for toddlers because it has great support. But whatever chair you use- make sure it has foot rests and that your toddler is sitting upright. 
• If it’s not the chair and feeling tired is something your 3 year old seems to say often: I highly suggest seeing an Occupational therapist. They will be able to assess your toddlers physical endurance and postural stability. 

No concentration or 3 year old can’t stay seated for drawing

If it seems that your toddler can’t sit still at a table for more than 2 minutes, try: 

• Outside, sidewalk type drawing
• Drawing on a vertical surface – like a easel or butchers paper taped to the wall 
• Standing while drawing at a toddler table

Not drawing a person 

If your 3 year old doesn’t seem to be able to draw a recognizable person I would not be too concerned. It’s normally only towards the end of the 3rd year that toddlers start doing this. And even then, it is normally a simple picture consisting of around 4 body parts. 

In Summary: 

• Drawing is a developmental milestone for 3 year olds 
• Spontaneous drawing teaches 3 year olds creativity and is the best drawing activity you can offer your 3 year old. 
• Invitations for drawing and having art supplies available for your 3 year old is important. You can grab those awesome doodle pages here. 
• You can help you 3 year old perfect pre writing shapes, learn patterns, sizing and proportions by drawing simple things and letting them imitate your drawings. Like the drawing activities in the video above. 

Toddler Drawings: Expectations & What's Normal

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Three year olds love their independence but still need quite a bit of parental and teacher assistance. They begin learning new skills like counting and singing songs. They also begin coloring and practicing their fine motor skills. Free drawing and coloring in coloring books helps children expand their creativity and gives their small finger muscles some dexterity and practice. In the beginning, however, kids can’t jump right in and draw elaborate pictures and concepts. Their drawings start out fairly crude and rudimentary, but as the year continues, they become more recognizable. If you wonder what you can expect from your toddler drawings, there are a few basic skills most master at this age.

Shapes Drawn by Three Year Olds

They begin by drawing basic shapes. Most children draw large and small circles during their fourth year. Some begin earlier than this, but by three, they master the circle shape. They also mimic adults drawing straight, jagged, or curved lines. Three year olds with exceptionally fine motor skills , or those nearing their fourth birthday begin to draw the cross and “X” shape. Since all objects in the world are made up of different shapes, this is the first step to drawing recognizable pictures.

Three Year Olds Drawing People

Three year olds begin drawing extremely simple pictures of people. When you think of a stick figure, take away at least half the detail and you’ve got a three year old’s drawing. Usually they consist of a circle head, because they can draw circles. Then, they might have legs and possibly arms. What can three year olds draw in terms of detail? Younger three year olds don’t draw much in terms of detail. They might add eyes to the face with little dots. Right before the fourth birthday, however, some three year olds begin drawing mouths, hands, hair, and feet. By this point, the stick figure is a bit more recognizable as a person.

3 Year Old Drawing Activities

In general, as long as a three year old practices coloring and drawing on a regular basis, their fine motor skills will stay on par. Evaluating drawings from child to child is extremely difficult because children develop at different rates. The easiest way to evaluate, however, is to recognize progress over time. For example, ask the child to draw a circle or a cross and possibly a portrait of themselves. Then, about 4 to 6 months later, have them repeat the activity. Compare the pictures and look for more drawn body parts and a more recognizable shape on the person. Simply seeing improvement marks success. Improvement throughout the year shows development. You might see a body or feet where there was nothing three months earlier. Anyone who questions, “What can three year olds draw?” should remember that sometimes they still simply draw to draw. Three year olds don’t always try to draw recognizable shapes and objects. Give children the opportunity to color and draw often and their fine motor skills will eventually flourish.

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What Do I Teach My 3 to 5 Year Old To Draw

• Date: Aug 27 2015
• Comments: 6
• Posted in: Draw Cute Animals , how to start drawing with kids , K-6 Art Exercises , Teacher Resources

Let’s start with a Plan

Are you going to want their drawing to be a ‘fun’ activity where you spend precious moments with your young ones? Are you going to enjoy watching them develop, get excited and become absorbed in their art activity? Will you show them what they will need to know to feel secure and confident in your course of action? What is your course of action?

If you are just looking for some ‘easy’ drawings’ to show your child I would suggest you visit all the blogs and pick out the appropriate drawing that interests you.

If you are looking for a Developmental Drawing Program that will provide a solid beginning in art for your child and that will educate, entertain and nurture them … then follow right through this blog. You will get the very best introduction and instruction for a 3 to 5-year-old who wants and needs to draw.

SPECIAL UPDATE; WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED OUR NEW ARTABET ART CURRICULUM FOR PRESCHOOL TO GRADE ONE WITH ALL NEW VIDEOS AND CONTENT. HERE IS THE LINK –  https://www.theartabet.com/what-art-curriculum-do-i-use-to-teach-drawing-to-ages-2-6-preschool-and-kindergarten/

YOU CAN GO SEE THIS BONUS BLOG WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED WITH THIS ONE, Thanks from Ron.

I promise if you do a little reading and some of the Artabet’s preliminary exercises that are coming up you will be more than satisfied with the progress those little hands are going to make.

What you should teach a 3 to 5 year old to draw ?

If you were to teach a 3  to 5 year old to write you would start with the A lphabet.

If you were to teach a 3 to 5  year old to count you would start with the N umbers

If you were to  teach a 3 to 5  year old to draw you would teach them the  Artabet

Snails Sailing

I have taught the Artabet for over 25 years and it is the best plan that I have found for young artists, especially for ages 3 to 5. Here are the 5 reasons why.

Drawing is movement that uses  6 universal lines.  No more and no less! This is a fact.

Learn these  6 universal lines and your child’s progress will be phenomenal!

Practice the  6 universal lines and then start drawing the simple  ‘age appropriate’  drawings I am going to show you.

Artabet is fun, lots of fun!

Artabet layers in artistic concepts that allow the very young child to express themselves creatively. They actually learn a new language!

Kids love ‘whimsy’ and this picture is chock full of fun and excitement. Draw a Story!

Drawing is Movement and the Pencil, Pen, or Brush is an Extension of That Movement

Let’s use the pencil as our primary ‘ drawing tool’.  How you hold the pencil is very crucial to drawing at ages 3 to 5. It is as important as a fine grip on a violin bow, a hockey stick, a spoon, a toothbrush ,,,at this age it is all about holding things and developing the fine motor skills. Tying shoes, doing up buttons, putting on clothes,all motor actions that develop through  proper repetition and guidance.

Time to get a pencil … See How To Hold It … and start drawing !

How a Good Grip Makes a Great Start !

How do I hold my pencil or pen?

Holding the pencil near the tip is facilitated by using a  short pencil.  If you don’t have one, cut one of your pencils to a shorter length, about the size of a crayon. Progress will be faster if you do this as the pencil is now scaled to their hand size. Consider how difficult it would be for you to draw if your pencil was a foot long.

I have observed 3 ways that students  hold a pencil or pen  over the last 25 years. There are of course a few unorthodox ways to get the job done but we will consider only three.

#1  Index and middle fingers on the side of the pen. Thumb is extended and touching index finger.

#2  Index and thumb working together to create downward pressure while the middle finger is curled on the underside of the pen for balance. I develop this grip with my 3 to 5 year olds. Kindergarten and grade one teachers promote this as the best grip. 

#3  All three fingers and maybe even the fourth on the side of the pen with thumb on top. This grip is used by the student so that they can see what they are drawing. Pressure directed downwards by the thumb.

Is one grip better than the other.

I would think that the middle grip is the most demonstrated model for young students. I will re-form a students grip when i feel that the middle grip would help the student draw with more facility than their present grip. Older students who have set their grip in stone after years of practice are best left alone as they have adapted to their grip and manage quite well with it.

Think of the technique needed to glide a violin bow,  execute a pirouette, cut a diamond, shoot par golf,garden and thousands of other endeavours.

The artist needs to make their mark and there are dozens of ways to make that mark just as there are many different ways to move the violin bow or swing a golf club so it is with the artists tools.The pencil and pen should be used with strength, softness, vitality and energy.

The Six Lines You Need To Practice Drawing

You can draw anything with these 6 universal lines.

Do ‘Round and Round on a single sheet of paper. Fill it up with lots of ‘Round and Rounds’

Do the same for each of the 6 lines.  wiggle wiggle may be a challenge … keep at each day until you get it. .

Repeat this Drawing of the 6 Artabet lines each day until they can name them as you do them. Then move to the next step … The Artabet Warm Ups and Energy Lines which are done all together on the same page. Always follow the order – Round and Round, Up and down, Back and Forth, Zig Zag, Wiggle Wiggle, Dot Dot Dot,

Artabet Warm Ups and Energy Lines

Follow the order

Repetition is our mission and ten thousand times is fun.

Wiggles and Zig Zags Big Ones … Small Ones

Let’s Take a Look At Some 3 to 5 Year Old Artabet Drawings

Sharpie and coloured sharpie drawing Age 5 going on 6

Drawing by 5 year old

Drawing by 4 year old going on 5

4 year old Drawing

Drawing by 3 year old

Drawing and painting by age 5

Lady Bug Time ‘Your First Drawing’

Young Children love repetition so stay on the Lady Bug drawing as long as you can. Do not rush them into another drawing. We are developing skills and ability not piling one drawing onto another!! Go at their speed and introduce new material slowly. I can tell you from experience that when one drawing is mastered the rest come easily and smoothly. Always do the warm ups and do not look for results … look for fun and enjoyment

Let’s Draw !

Lots of Round and Rounds

What’s for Lunch?

That should get you started and keep you busy for at least a month if you follow directions. Look over the rest of the blogs and you will find enough to keep you busy teaching your 3 to 5 year old to draw and paint for a long time.

All the ideas for my blogs come from the Artabet Book ‘First steps In drawing’ I recommend it because it has the foundation your child needs.

How to teach drawing and have fun.

Find out how to use the Artabet book for your at home or in school art curriculum right here: https://www.theartabet.com/what-art-curriculum-do-i-use-to-teach-drawing-to-ages-2-6-preschool-and-kindergarten/

ARTABET Fun With Exercises And Games

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6 Comments.

This helped me a lot n lot to teach artabet to my 4 year old daughter..pls keep guiding me

It is a joy to teach the young ones.The very best thing you can do is practice the SIX LINES of the ARTABET every time you draw. Build your skill in mastering these 6 lines. The ebook is a great tool since it sets down in order all you need to practice and makes it fun to learn.Drawing with your child is like talking to them when you are teaching them to speak.feel free to ask me if you need help or something special for your young artist. RON

where can I purchase the artabet book

You can purchase the book on Amazon.com. just put in the title.

What are you looking for ?

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Blog / Water Into Wine: The Hidden Lesson in Jesus’ First Miracle

Water Into Wine: The Hidden Lesson in Jesus’ First Miracle

In John 2:1-12 , we see Jesus (Yeshua) performing his first miracle at a wedding in Cana. The host ran out of wine, and at his mother’s prompting, Jesus asked the servants to fill six water jars with water. When the master of the banquet tasted the water, it had been turned into the finest wine.

At first, this miracle may not seem too important in comparison to some of Jesus’s other miracles, but Jewish weddings are something to behold. The fact that the Messiah’s first miracle occurred during a wedding points to the abundance and blessing that come from our relationship with the Messiah Yeshua. His changing the water into wine was not merely a random act of kindness; rather, it reflected and metaphorically fulfilled the many Old Testament scriptures that speak of God’s people, the proverbial bride, and the Bridegroom to come—Jesus himself.

Yeshua performed His first miracle at a wedding feast as a sneak preview of the ultimate wedding celebration, the messianic wedding supper of the Lamb, spoken of by the prophets and in the book of Revelation. Revelation 19:7–8 says, “‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people)” (NIV). The wedding in Cana of Galilee points spiritually and prophetically to the type of relationship He wants to have with us.

The story of this miracle opens with the words, “ On the third day , there was a wedding at Cana in the Galilee.” The third day of the week is significant in Jewish wedding traditions. In fact, there are three parts to the Jewish wedding: the shiddukhin (arrangements made before the legal betrothal),\ erusin (the betrothal, also known as the period of kiddushin— a period of sanctification or being “set apart”), and nissuin (marriage).

Many Jewish people are married on the third day. If you are in Israel on the third day of the week, you’re going to see many weddings taking place. The reason it’s traditional is that the third day is the only day in the Creation account that God blessed twice. Doubly blessed, the third day of the week is Tuesday, and it’s considered an auspicious day for weddings because “God saw that it was good” ( Genesis 1:10, 12 ).

These weddings are often held outside in the evening, under the stars. The idea is to symbolize abundance and fruitfulness of your descendants, as God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be like the stars of the sky ( Genesis 22:17 ). The Lord brought Abram out into the crisp desert night where the stars were shimmering like billions of diamonds against the blanket of a perfectly dark sky. Oh, what a sight that must have been—no city lights to dim the view! “‘Look up now, at the sky, and count the stars—if you are able to count them.’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall your seed be’” ( Genesis 15:5 ). Those descendants would eventually be from the Seed of Yeshua, which includes you and me! How does this miracle of abundance come? It comes from a relationship with the Messiah, the Bridegroom. He wants you to be doubly blessed. He wants to give you the double portion. He did his first miracle on the third day, which is a day that’s doubly good.

The Signs and Secrets of Transformation

The miracle of turning water into wine shows us that Jesus is not only able to meet our needs but also exceed them. He is able to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. The miracle at the wedding was officially the start of Yeshua’s public ministry, demonstrating that God was beginning to fulfill the messianic promises setting his redemption plan into motion. It makes sense that this miracle of abundance occurred at a wedding because Yeshua is the Bridegroom, and he was coming for his bride. A marriage—an eternal, covenantal relationship—is the kind of relationship God hopes to have with us as well.

The miracle of turning water into wine was a miracle of blessing, abundance, and transformation. God transformed something ordinary into something extraordinary, just as He does with us when He touches our lives and transforms us into new creations. We are turned from water into wine. The old passes away, and the new comes ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ). However, this transformation is not a one-and-done thing, but rather a lifetime process of becoming. Personally, I am being transformed daily from something ordinary into something extraordinary. The old is passing away, and the new is coming into my life. I’m excited as I witness the things God is doing in me. And I’m convinced He wants to do it in your life too.

In this follow-up to his book  Mysteries of the Messiah ,  Rabbi Jason Sobel dives deep into Scripture, biblical culture, and ancient texts to help you better understand the truths and the power behind God’s miracles, and to increase your faith that Jesus can perform miracles in your life.

By taking a deeper look at Yeshua’s miracles, Rabbi Jason reveals promises for all Christ followers based on miracles throughout Scripture:

• Jesus takes the ordinary and turns it into something extraordinary, because He wants you to live out of His overflow (He turned water into wine).
• Jesus wants to renew you so that He can do something new in you (He revealed to Nicodemus the miracle of rebirth).
• You can stop wandering aimlessly or feeling stuck in your current situation, but instead experience abundant life and healing (He healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda).
• God wants to bless you abundantly so you, in turn, can bless others and sow into His kingdom (Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish).

As you go on this journey with Rabbi Jason, a Messianic Jew, he is praying that God will lead you to new insights and breakthroughs in your life. And as God reveals Himself to you in a fresh and powerful way, you will be filled with a sense of His presence and shalom.

Rabbi Jason Sobel is the founder of Fusion Global. He was raised in a Jewish home, and qualified by years of diligent academic work, he received his rabbinic ordination from the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) in 2005. He has a B.A. in Jewish Studies (Moody) and an M.A. in Intercultural Studies (Southeastern Seminary). He is a sought-after speaker and coauthor with Kathie Lee Gifford of New York Times bestsellers The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi and The God of the Way .

Signs and Secrets of the Messiah is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.

Looking for More?

Get a free five-day devotional on five key miracles of Jesus from Rabbi Jason Sobel! Click here to download the devotional.

Related posts:

• Join Kathie Lee Gifford in Israel to Learn Bible Stories in a New Way in The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi Online Bible Study Hosted by BibleGateway.com
• Revealing the Bible’s Messianic Mysteries: A Video Interview with Rabbi Jason Sobel
• “An Extravagant Outpouring:” Reflections on the Wedding at Cana
• Christian Genocide in Africa: An Interview with Johnnie Moore and Rabbi Abraham Cooper
• The Complete Jewish Study Bible Is Now Available

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Oil prices hit highest level in more than a year after U.S. crude draw

U.S. oil futures jumped to their highest in more than a year on Thursday as a drop in crude stocks in the United States added to worries over tight global supplies from OPEC+ output cuts.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) rose above $95 per barrel earlier in the session for the first time since August 2022. They were last down 0.4% on the day at $93.29, however. Brent crude futures were down 55 cents to $96 a barrel after rising to the highest since November earlier in the session.

"The present move up is unequivocally led by scarce supply and actual inventory decline," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM.

U.S. crude stocks fell by 2.2 million barrels last week to 416.3 million barrels, government data showed, far eclipsing the 320,000-barrel drop analysts expected in a Reuters poll.

"Stocks are drawing while demand keeps growing. We are still far away from a price level causing demand destruction," said Stefano Grasso, a senior portfolio manager at 8VantEdge in Singapore.

Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub that is the delivery point for U.S. crude futures fell by 943,000 barrels in the week to less than 22 million barrels, the lowest since July 2022, data showed.

Stockpiles at Cushing have been falling to near historic lows due to strong refining and export demand, prompting concerns about quality of the remaining oil at the hub and whether it will fall below minimum operating levels.

The crude draws follow combined voluntary cuts of 1.3 million barrels a day to the end of the year by Saudi Arabia and Russia, part of the group known as OPEC+ made up of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies.

Russia's ban on fuel exports will not be lifted soon and will remain in place until the domestic market stabilises, the state-run TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov on Thursday.

Though Brent prices are nearing the $100 a barrel mark, "the narrative of higher-for-longer interest rates in the U.S. might dampen enthusiasm and could put a lid on prices," said Sugandha Sachdeva, executive director at Acme Investment Advisors.

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Year 3 Art Planning - Portraits

Subject: Art and design

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

16 October 2018

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8 lesson plans for a Year 3 Art unit on Portraits.

Pupils get the chance to explore different artistic techniques as well as looking at a range of artwork.

Most lessons are differentiated.

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Claire Bell

Would be good if the powerpoint that is referred to in the planning was available to download.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I will look for this later this evening and try to get it uploaded as soon as possible.

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