One of the benefits of homeschooling is that our children have more time to utilize to pursue their interests, such as art, and with so many online art programs to choose from, their creative potential is endless.
Our oldest son Micah is definitely our creative one; he would like nothing more than to spend his days painting rocks, molding clay or drawing with pencils. Thankfully, we have found plenty of resources to keep his creative juices flowing and flourishing.
Though the arts and creativity seem to have been pushed by the wayside by many schools and considered superfluous, this can’t be further from the truth. Creative activity has been shown to increase academic performance in all areas, not just art. There are a number of ways to supplement your child’s academic lessons with art.
Most boxed curricula such Sonlight,A Beka and BJU Press offer supplemental electives that include art. There are also boxed art curriculum options devoted entirely to the arts, offering a variety of art lessons together, including charcoal, sculpture, pencil, watercolor, acrylics, pastels and ink. The hardest part is choosing which art curriculum will work best for your family. Prices for the following art curricula range in price from $15 for a single DVD to $150 for a boxed set.
Curricula for learning art at home
Atelier
An award-winning DVD-based art curriculum with a sequential and interactive art teaching approach, Atelier supports approximately an hour of video-based visual art training per week. Best for children ages 4 to 16.
Creating a Masterpiece
This is the curriculum that best fit our learning style. Lessons are taught via instructional DVDs by Sharon Hofer. Hofer is a professional artist and teacher who has a passion for encouraging homeschoolers throughout the U.S. and abroad. What sets this curriculum apart is Hofer herself. She is a wonderful teacher and keeps their attention with her unique teaching approach.
Creativity Express
Created by former Disney and DreamWorks animators, along with professional educators, Creativity Express is an animated online art education program for students age 7 and up. The 16 cross-curricular lessons teach the elements and principles of art, with an added focus on empowering kids’ inner creativity, imagination and critical-thinking skills.
Draw to Learn
Draw to Learn is a comprehensive homeschool art curriculum and Bible study series for all ages. Each lesson has three vital steps: read, think and draw.
Drawing 1a for ages 8 or 9 and younger
These free beginning art programs for children approximately age 8 and younger offer nine-weeks of lessons, three times a week.
Drawing 1a for ages 9 or 10 and older
A compliment to the program above, but for children ages 10 and older, Drawing 1a is a free 33-week set of lessons. These lessons, also for beginners, are held five times a week.
KinderART
KinderART has free art lesson plans for parents, craft activities and fine arts lessons for all ages, from toddlers to teenagers and beyond.
Meet the Masters
This free 247-page PDF download includes everything needed to introduce elementary children to history’s great painters. The download includes full-color prints of the masters’ works (you can print them on high-quality paper or just view them on your computer), discussion questions and art activities.
See the Light
Artists Dave and Pat Holt offer a comprehensive art curriculum that teaches a large variety of techniques, art history, chalk artistry, performance art, gospel chalk art (using black light), crafts and creative lettering, all with a Biblical approach. See the Light also has a number of free online lessons.
Additional free online art resources and apps
Looking for other options? Try some of these preferred free online art resources and apps, some of which are tablet and smartphone friendly:
- Jerry’s Artarama
- Draw3D
- Deep Space Sparkle
- The Artful Parent
- Crayola Lesson Plans
- Virtual Lite-Brite
- How to Draw
- Learn to Draw Digital Sketchbook
The library of art resources found online grows more and more each year, giving students the ability to unleash their creativity in new and innovative ways.
Tell us:
Do you incorporate art into your homeschool lessons? What are your favorite art resources?
More about art education
How the arts benefit your child academically
Supplementing your child’s art education
Teaching kids about art
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