Christmas Santa Claus Art Lesson Santa Portrait Drawing Holiday Art Activity

In this Santa Claus Portrait Art Lesson, students in grades 3 to 6 draw a detailed Santa face with black marker and oil pastels. Along the way they learn about the history of Santa Claus, build literacy skills and reflect on their own art.

It is a print-and-teach December lesson for classroom teachers, art educators and homeschool families. Students explore facial features, texture, expressive linework, shading and color blending, and you get a full lesson plan with a Draw and Design hook, KWL chart, reading comprehension, writing prompts, reflections and an art rubric.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE)

• Full Lesson Plan with mediums, hook, participation strategies and cross-curricular guidance (pp. 5 to 7)
• Reading Passage: History of Santa Claus (p. 8)
• Directed Drawing: How to Draw a Santa Claus Portrait, Steps 1 to 4 (p. 9)
• Art Rubric for assessment (p. 10)
• Bulletin Board Display Sign “Santa Claus Christmas Artworks” (p. 11)
• Draw and Design Challenge Hook: design Santa’s ultimate sleigh (p. 12)
• KWL Chart: Santa Claus History (p. 13)
• Reading Comprehension Story: The Santa Surprise Scanner (pp. 14 to 15)
• Reading Questions and Answer Key (pp. 15 to 17)
• Sight Word Tracking List (p. 18) and Word Bank of Tricky Words (p. 19)
• Opinion Writing Prompt: Santa’s Sleigh, Traditional vs. Modern (pp. 20 to 21)
• Narrative Writing: Santa’s Problem Write and Draw (pp. 22 to 23)
• Art Meaning Reflection Pages (pp. 24 to 25) and Top 3 Things I Love About My Art (p. 25)
• Compare and Contrast: Traditional Santa vs. Modern Santa with answer key (pp. 26 to 27)
• Art Reflection Pages (pp. 28 to 31) and 3 Stars and a Wish Reflection (p. 31)
• Artist's Statement Pages (p. 32)
• Principle of Design: Focal Point Activity (p. 33)
• Element of Art: Value, Gray Scale Activity (p. 34)
• Element of Art: Line, Zen Doodle Page (p. 35)
• Finish-the-Picture Christmas Scene (p. 36)
• Example Artwork (p. 37)
• Full Step-by-Step Photo Demonstration, Steps 1 to 17 (pp. 38 to 54)

HOW TO USE IT

Everything is structured for you, so you can print, project and teach. Use it for a December art lesson, a holiday literacy project, a Santa Claus history activity, a sub plan or a homeschool holiday unit.

The step-by-step visuals make it easy to teach in any learning environment, and the literacy pages let you extend the art lesson into reading and writing.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Classroom teachers, art specialists, substitute teachers and homeschool families teaching grades 3 to 6.

How long does the project take?

Most students complete the portrait and art reflections in 2 to 3 class periods, depending on grade level, class routines, demonstration style and time available. The literacy components can extend the lesson further.

What materials do I need?

According to the lesson plan (p. 5), black felt marker, thick white paper (cardstock recommended) and oil pastels.

Is it editable?

No. All pages are non-editable to preserve the formatting, artwork and instructional design.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist and educator whose work has been featured on NBC LX News and in OCO Magazine as the featured educator on the cover of the October 2025 edition. She designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers, and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this resource for classroom, homeschool or personal educational use, and print and project it for student learning.

YOU MAY NOT: share it with other teachers or post it online. Each educator must purchase their own license.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic