1st Grade Back to School Name Art Lesson Fine Motor Skills Crayon Art Project

This 1st Grade Fine Motor Name Crayon Art Lesson gives students a personal way to create a giant crayon artwork with their name on the label. Along the way they practice fine motor skills, name design, line, cutting, gluing, drawing, coloring, painting and creative decision-making.

Students learn that their name is a special word that belongs to them, and that artists can trace, draw, decorate and design letters in creative ways. It is made for elementary art teachers, classroom teachers, homeschool families and substitute teachers, and suits Back to School art, name art activities, fine motor practice and early elementary art centers.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “We learned about names and this was a fun name project to complete and hang up” Sunflowers-n-Glitter

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF AND POWERPOINT)

• Lesson Plan with suggested visual art standards, teacher directions and critical-thinking questions
• Anchor Charts: Your Name and Fine Motor Skills
• How to Draw Your Name Handouts
• Fine Motor Practice Pages: Trace Lines, Trace & Cut Lines, Glue and Dot, and Trace, Cut & Glue crayon practice
• Templates: name plate template, crayon template, Build-a-Crayon creative choice page and crayon artwork page
• Art Making Processes student reading page
• Visual Step-by-Step Tutorial Page
• Fast-Finisher Crayon Coloring Activity
• Art Rubric and Bulletin-Board Display Sign
• Art Explorations: Line activity, Gray Scale Exploration, Make Line Art and Mandala Design
• KWL Chart for fine motor skills
• Read & Respond passage about portraits in art, with questions and answer key
• Spelling Word List about art-making and Spelling Test
• Writing Activities: Crayons Write & Draw, Crayon Art writing and Your Name writing
• Reflection Pages: Art Talk, The Message, Creative Process magazine activity, goal-setting, Look at Mediums, artwork reflection, 3 Stars & a Wish and artist statement pages
• Postcard Extension Activity
• Finished Artwork Example
• Introductory Slideshow about art-making processes, fine motor skills, complementary colors and name art
• Step-by-Step Slideshow for creating the crayon name art project
• Bonus link/QR code to a video demonstration

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students learn that name art uses the letters of a name, and that artists use careful hand movements when they draw, color, cut, glue, rip paper, dot paint, trace lines and add small details. They explore art-making processes and are introduced to complementary colors as they choose a crayon color and a background color that work together.

Students can use the crayon template or design their own with the Build-a-Crayon page, choosing different tops, patterns, labels and bottoms. They add their name to the label, decorate the wrapper with lines and patterns, add paper collage pieces and dot painting details, and finish with a ripped paper and line design background. The finished pieces are ready for a hallway display, Back to School board or art room showcase.

FAQ

What grade level is it designed for?

Grade 1. It may also work for Kindergarten or Grade 2, depending on student ability and the amount of support provided.

Does it help students practice fine motor skills?

Yes. Students practice tracing, cutting, gluing, ripping paper, dot painting, drawing, coloring and adding details.

Is there a slideshow and video?

Yes. It includes an introductory slideshow, step-by-step project slides and a bonus link/QR code to a video demonstration.

Does it include literacy connections?

Yes. It includes a read and respond activity, spelling word list and test, writing activities, reflection pages and artist statement pages.

Is it suitable for homeschool art?

Yes. The lesson plan, templates, slideshow, reading pages, writing activities and video support make it easy to use at home.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic