"Every line tells its own story, even the very tentative ones."
This guide breaks down how to teach line as an element of art to kids from kindergarten through 7th grade, organized by beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels, with project ideas and five picture book recommendations for each stage. It’s part of the Elements of Art series and pairs well with projects like the Twilight Cactus and homemade scratch art fireworks lessons.
The first thing we recommend is teaching color ā because, letās face it, rainbows. There isnāt a person alive who wouldnāt walk into a Crayola factory and not gape at the sheer number of colors in front of them.
But then what?
Line follows beautifully after color ā and because color was taught first, lines donāt have to be black or white. They can be a beautiful array of colors too.
Teaching line in Kindergarten looks a bit different than teaching line to a 5th grader who already knows what straight and wavy is.Ā
So hereās how to teach line to kids, broken down by ages and stages. Instead of exact grades, since no two children are alike, weāve broken down the ages and stages the way we do in ourĀ Glitterbombers membership, by Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced skills.
How to Teach Line | Ages & Stages: What to Teach and When
Ā Beginner (K-2nd)
- Multiple types of lines (straight, wavy, zigzag)
- Free-form lines such as doodles and squiggles (such as in the Spaghetti Monster project below)
- How to create mood with line
- Use line as patterns within art
- Create using continuous lines ā both abstract and having fun drawing items without lifting a pencil
- Use lines to create texture
Advanced (5th-7th)
- Create sketchbook zentangles and patterns
- Create a neurographic line drawing, learning how line can be used for relaxation
- Use line as negative space instead of as positive
- Create a line color scheme, blending their knowledge of color and line together
5 Books for Teaching the Element of Line
Hereās 5 of our favorite books for teaching line (thereās more inside our PEP Curriculum inside the Glitterbombers membership).Ā These are Amazon afflinks which means we earn a small percentage that goes towards coffee at no additional cost to you.
Ready to add Line to your Curriculum?
Ready to add Line to your Curriculum?
Or create your own scratch art paper and use line to create fireworks!
Join one of our Memberships!
This is an example of the fun we have inside the Glitterbombers Memberships. Chose the level right for your students ā Glitterbombers (K-7th) or the new Glitterbombers HIGH (7th-12th). With either choice, youāll have hundreds more art projects, videos, and resources at your fingertips for whatever youāre studying, or whatever art concept youāre ready to teach.Ā Click hereĀ to join our waitlist and find out when we open next!
Grade 1/2 Teacher