Back to School Art Lesson Drawing Prompts Fast Finishers Bell Ringers Challenges

These 40 Back to School Art Challenge Cards give students quick, themed art practice that reinforces art making skills, the Elements of Art, and creative thinking and experimentation through a choice-based, flexible approach. Each task is half-page size to save paper and give kids an ideal space to explore, and all cards are black line for easy printing.

They are made for art teachers, classroom teachers and homeschool educators. Use one a day as a warm-up or bell ringer, or pick and choose the tasks you want students to complete. They are small enough to finish in a short time while still giving students regular practice.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “My art students loved doing this early on in the year as a great way to review the previous years lessons that they may have forgotten about over the summer. It also gave me the opportunity to check in with all the students and walk around more freely to connect with them all.” Marilyn F.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• 40 Back to School Art Challenge Cards
• Lesson Plan
• Rubric so students know how they will be assessed
• KWL to complete before starting the daily tasks
• Back to School Reading Page to introduce the theme
• Back to School Poem
• Artwork Reflection, Creative Process Reflection and 3 Stars and a Wish pages
• National Standards page
• Cover Page for coloring or for a booklet of the cards
• Optional template for gluing completed cards into a collection

HOW TO USE IT

Use the cards as mini-lessons, explorations, sub lessons, homework, sketchbook glue-ins, art centers, warm-ups, bell ringers, exit tickets or when-you're-done activities. You can use one each day, assign a handful over a week, or give students full choice.

Use any art medium you like, or give students full choice: wax crayons, colored pencils, felt markers, watercolor paints, soft pastels, oil pastels or tempera paint.

Standards listed: Grade 3: VA:Cr1.1.3a, VA:Cr1.2.3a, VA:Cr2.1.3a, VA:Cr2.2.3a. Grade 4: VA:Cr1.1.4a, VA:Cr1.2.4a, VA:Cr2.1.4a, VA:Cr2.2.4a. Grade 5: VA:Cr1.1.5a, VA:Cr2.1.5a, VA:Cn10.1.5a. Grade 6: VA:Cr1.2.6a, VA:Cr2.1.6a, VA:Cn10.1.6a. Grade 7: VA:Cr1.1.7a, VA:Cr2.1.7a. Grade 8: VA:Cr1.1.8a, VA:Cr2.1.8a, VA:Cr2.2.8a.

FAQ

Can I use these with any art materials?

Yes. Use whatever supplies you have, from crayons and colored pencils to markers, watercolor paints and pastels.

Are they suitable for multiple grade levels?

The included standards are for grades 3 to 7, and the open-ended prompts adapt to upper elementary and middle school. Younger students can do them with a bit of guidance.

Can I share this with my teaching team or school?

It is for single classroom use only. Additional licenses are available at a discounted rate for teams and schools.

Is it editable?

No. It is a non-editable PDF and uses American English.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “This is a great resource. I use these art challenge cards to reinforce the lesson I taught them the day before. Not a big deal, but I wish there wasn't a challenge number on them since I'm teaching in a different sequence.” Jennifer A.

★★★★ “Great resource. I printed them in a booklet and had students use them as an early finisher task.” Taryn M.

★★★★ “Fun product and easy to implement and use. Thank you” Kristen T.

★★★ “My students enjoy these bell ringers as Opposed to their typical bell ringers of replicating lines in shapes.” Amee B.

★★★★ “The perfect back-to-school activity for art class. I really hope this author makes more of these for other times in the year! I definitely plan to use this resource for fast finishers and would love to have more packets just like this for every season and holiday!!” Recess a.

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. Clip art may be used 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