A great art curriculum teaches real art skills without boring kids. That means drawing dragons and learning about art history but also artists out there creating right now. They don’t even notice that they’re leveling up their art skills while learning the elements of art such as color, line, texture, and value.

A good art curriculum helps kids embrace their need for step-by-step directions AND their need for choice.

It also involves multiple mediums. Art is more than just “how to draw” or “how to use watercolors”. Kids should be able to explore multiple art supplies to see what they love.

Elementary students should gradually build skills in drawing, painting, sculpting, and the Elements of Art. They should also explore different materials, learn about artists and art history, and develop confidence in their own ideas.

Strong art instruction teaches kids how to think like artists, which sometimes means tracing, sometimes means drawing from observation, and sometimes means veering off course and putting a Minecraft creature in their art.

No. You do not need formal art training to give kids a strong art education. You just need support along the way (Hi! That’s us!)

Our projects are step-by-step with plenty of pictures, easy to follow instructions, and most of our lessons come with video. 

Want to see what that looks like?

→ Click HERE to try our free Tide Pools art bunde.

Pick projects that teach the same big idea but give kids room to work at their own level. Younger artists can keep it simple and use templates, while older kids can add more detail, technique, and give themselves a challenge. 

Remember, the goal isn’t for every project to look the same. It’s for every child to make it their own.

Kids should not have to choose between learning real art skills and fun projects!

While kids are drawing a dragon, you can focus on teaching tints and shades in the coloring of a dragon’s wing. You can practice different lines (an Element of Art) while designing some fur for a cat that’s having a bad hair day. 

Need to learn portraits? Why make them draw themselves when they’re already self-conscious? Instead draw an ogre, a knight with removable helmet, or they can even turn themselves into a collectible figurine!

Art skills and fun should work together, not against each other! After all, we want kids excited to create the next time.

Art history shouldn’t stop with the old masters. Kids should learn about artists from the past, but they should also see the incredible artists creating work right now.

At Soul Sparklettes Art, we love connecting both—so kids can see where art has been, what artists are doing today, and all the different ways they can make art their own.

You don’t need fancy supplies to create.

9×12 mixed-media white paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, oil and/or soft chalk pastels, watercolors, tempera or acrylic paint, and air dry clay are our go-to’s.

If you want to spend a little more, the best place to spend it is on better quality paint and paper (because cheaper paper rips and can ruin art and cheaper paint doesn’t go on with the colors you expect).

→ Click HERE for our Amazon list of our faves!

For most kids, once or twice a week is plenty to build skills and keep art feeling fun. What matters more than doing art every day is giving kids regular chances to create and have a say in what they’re creating.

At Soul Sparklettes Art, we’re big believers in making art something kids look forward to—not another box to check.

Glitterbombers is the Soul Sparklettes Art membership for kids from PreK through middle school and the adults who teach them.

Members get step-by-step video art lessons, printable resources, complete curricula, art history, themed project collections, drawing guides, extensions, and a large library of projects using a wide variety of materials and techniques.

Families and educators can follow a structured curriculum, build their own plan, or simply choose lessons based on what their kids are excited to learn.

-> More on the Glitterbombers Membership

Not exactly—you can’t trial the Glitterbombers membership itself. But you can try free Soul Sparklettes Art projects and bundles first so you can see how we teach, how the video lessons work, and whether our style is a good fit for your kids or classroom.

Try a free bundle: Tide Pools

Try one of our videos: Primary Color Moth

And look through our lessons here: Glitterbombers Lesson Library

Yes!

Glitterbombers HIGH is designed for tweens, teens, and even artsy adults in a way to let them explore their own way and develop their own artistic style.

From drawing to painting to sculpting, GBHIGH members enjoy a library of fun lessons, new ones every month, and the ability to create to a step-by-step printable or video. They also have access to ELEMENTAL 1 Middle & High, an art curriculum teaching the Elements of Art.

-> Learn more about Glitterbombers HIGH