How to Teach Art in Primary School: Balancing Creativity with Skill
- info64141
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
There’s no shortage of beautiful art projects online. But many teachers will recognise this experience: you try to replicate one of these projects in your classroom, only to end up with results that don’t match expectations. Pupils feel disappointed, and so do you.
The issue isn’t the project itself—it’s what sits underneath it.
The Missing Piece: Teaching the Skills Behind the Art
When we focus only on the final outcome, we risk overlooking the most important part of art education: the skills and decisions that lead to that outcome.
Drawing, in particular, is often seen as something children can “just do.” But in reality, every drawing is made up of a series of choices, whether intentional or not.
To draw with confidence, children need to understand the key elements that artists use.
The 7 Key Elements of Drawing
Whenever a child creates a picture, they are working (consciously or unconsciously) with these seven elements:
Line What kind of line will you use? Straight, curved, thick, thin? Which direction will it go in?
Colour What colours will you choose? Will you use contrasting colours, or a more harmonious palette?
Value (Tone) Can you create light and dark areas? How do you shade effectively using a pencil?
Shape What shapes can you see within your subject? How can you break complex images into simpler forms?
Form Is the object three-dimensional? How can you show depth and volume in your drawing?
Space Where will elements be placed on the page? How do you create balance or a sense of distance?
Texture How can you show how something feels? Could techniques like stippling or cross-hatching help?
These are not just technical terms, they are the building blocks of every piece of art.
Why Teaching Skills Matters
When children aren’t taught these elements, they are left guessing. They may copy shapes or colours without understanding why, which often leads to frustration and less successful outcomes.
But when we explicitly teach these skills—through discussion, modelling, questioning, and practice—something powerful happens:
Children gain confidence
They make more informed choices
Their work becomes more personal and expressive
Importantly, teaching skills does not make all the artwork look the same.
In fact, the opposite is true.
Skills + Creativity = Better Outcomes
There is sometimes a concern that teaching specific techniques will limit creativity. That if we show children “how” to draw, we’ll end up with 30 identical pieces of work.
But children are naturally creative. They will always bring their own ideas, preferences, and interpretations.
What teaching skills does is give them tools.
With those tools, they can:
Experiment more effectively
Take creative risks
Develop their own artistic voice
The result? Work that is both skilful and unique.
Using Online Art Projects More Effectively
Those inspiring projects you see online are still incredibly valuable—but they should be used as a starting point, not the whole lesson.
Before beginning a project, ask:
What skills are needed to achieve this outcome?
Have my pupils been taught these skills?
How can I break this down into manageable steps?
By teaching the underlying skills alongside the project, you set your pupils up for success.
A Final Thought
Great art teaching isn’t about choosing the “perfect” project. It’s about helping children understand how to create.
When we combine skill development with creative freedom, we move away from disappointing results and towards something much more meaningful: confident, capable young artists who enjoy the process as much as the outcome.
If you’re looking for practical ways to build these skills into your teaching, along with ready-to-use ideas and guidance, you can explore more at:
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Let’s teach children not just to make art—but to understand it.