Primary Crayon Art Lesson Back to School Art Project Kindergarten Art Activity

In this crayon art lesson, students create oversized painted wax crayons on a colorful background. It is a mixed media art project that combines paint, oil pastel, drawing, cutting and collage in one lesson, and the finished artwork is bold, cheerful and ready to display.

It is written for Kindergarten to Grade 3 and works as a Back to School art activity or any time you want a crayon theme. It pairs well with The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and suits classroom teachers, art teachers, homeschool educators and sub plans. The lesson is structured, and students still make their own choices about color, layout and expression.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “My students love books about crayons and this was the perfect project to do at the beginning of the year when we are reading all of those crayon books!” Katie H.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE)

• Lesson Plan Page 1 with the lesson focus, materials list, big ideas, learning outcomes, competencies and a preview of the finished artwork
• Lesson Plan Page 2 with a step-by-step Teacher Does teaching sequence
• National Art Standards Page with suggested standards
• Critical Thinking Questions Page about creativity, artistic choices, risk taking and the art making process
• Title or Poster Sample Page to use as a hook
• Art Project Rubric for meeting project criteria, creativity, craftsmanship and responsibility
• Reflection Page about challenges students overcame and the meaning behind their artwork
• Peer Feedback Page in a stars and wish format
• Comic My Art Making Journey Page showing the beginning, middle and end of the art process
• Artist Statement Page
• Example Artwork Page
• How To Draw Wax Crayons Page, a visual summary of drawing and painting the crayon shapes
• Detailed Step-by-Step Pages with visual and written instructions for painting the background, drawing the crayons, adding stripes and oval labels, painting the crayons, adding painted dots, cutting out the pieces, gluing, and optionally adding little crayon faces

HOW TO USE IT

Show the example artwork as your hook, then project the PDF or demonstrate the lesson yourself, and print the support pages students need. Students paint a bright background, draw and paint several crayons on separate paper, cut them out and glue them onto the final composition. Younger students especially enjoy adding little faces to their crayons.

Along the way students practice mixed media techniques, drawing simple shapes, painting with bright color, oil pastel line work, cutting and collage, and the elements of art (line, shape, space, texture, color, form and value). The reflection, peer feedback and artist statement pages round out the process.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Classroom teachers, art teachers, homeschool educators and substitute teachers working with Kindergarten to Grade 3.

Can this be used for more than Back to School?

Yes. It works any time of year as a crayon theme lesson, a mixed media activity or a book companion for The Day the Crayons Quit.

What materials are needed?

Pencil, eraser, black felt, card stock or watercolor paper, acrylic or tempera paint (or watercolor or paint cakes), black, blue or brown oil pastel, a paint brush and water.

How long does this lesson take?

Usually 1 to 2 classes, depending on student age, class length, drying time and how much time you spend on reflection and artist statements.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (5)

★★★★ “This was a great back to school art project to use. The students LOVED it so much.” Melanie N.

★★★★ “A great lesson to have! The layout made it very easy to use, thanks!” Eizabeth T.

★★★★ “This was an excellent resource to get to know my first grade students. The students really enjoyed this activity.” Heather B.

★★★★ “Thank you!!” LaWanda R.

★★★★ “These art activities are perfect for my students. we go through each page in art class and they always turn out beautiful because it is well made.” Passionate P.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist, educator and resource creator who has been featured on NBC LX News and was the featured educator on the cover of OCO Magazine (October 2025). She 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. For clip art, you may use the images as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. 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