What this means is that you do not strictlyhave to have this list complete; that is not a condition to limit it to only 25 things nor to feel pressured to include everything from your classroom art shelf. The visual arts basically break down into these five areas-drawing, painting, craftwork, clay work, and color theory. Therefore it is to give students an art supply that consists of those categories above. There are many other wonderful things in this area; please think about purchasing materials that inspire students’ creativity. I will share the 25 main art materials that every classroom should have and arrange. So consider it another handy guide to your art shelf.
Visual Art Areas and Basic Art Materials
Art Materials in the Classroom: Primary Resources of the Montessori Classroom
Choosing the right art material adds more dimensions to the learning experiences of a student. For really specific and more extensive lists, definitions and guidelines, see Early Childhood and Primary Art Guides. So to see how one best flows the use of these resources in one’s instruction, visit my online course Art Teaching Blueprints. Here, I have designed specific lessons according to art areas, detailing what materials should be used in the lesson, where to find them, and how to use them.
A short description of the different visual art areas and their basic art material requirements are:
Drawing Art Materials
Doodling, sketching, tracing, and drawing-they are the early years and primary drawing. Most of this probably can be found in other classrooms (like pencils and erasers), so it is advisable here to make these things special and unique for your arts shelf.
The students are not just required to memorize answers or syllabi, but their minds are trained to create their own opinions by trying to find other solutions, thus learning through practice sometimes even failing, which gets alive active learning in them and enhances their creativity. Teachers point out how bright that creativity is made, but even then sometimes not really that bright is how it discovered. From sharing feedback, peers learn.
Materials Required for Drawing
Basic: Graphite pencils, eraser, sharpener, crayon, colored pencil. Very Valuable: Oil pastel/soft pastel, watercolor pencil, ruler, compass, magnifying glass, stencil.
Painting Art Materials
School provides a range of paints. Each one serves a different function and gives a sensation of a different feel. No matter what paint you want to use, know that it’s non-toxic and child-safe. Apart from paints, students need the required tools and implements to create interesting textures in painting.
Required for Painting
Basic: Acrylic paint; tempera paint; finger paint liquid; watercolor paint. Highly Useful: water crayons/pencils; watercolor paper; canvas; wood; stones.
Color Theory Art Materials
Color theory in a sentence is how colors operate. It really takes years to learn how to have a good understanding of color theory. This is why students should be introduced to it early and starting off with the primary colors-red, yellow, and blue-so that they can mix them up themselves into producing secondary colors.
Materials Required for Color Theory
Basic: Primary colors in acrylic paint, finger paints, and watercolor paints. Extra-useful: Droppers, paint palette.
Clay Modeling Art Materials
Clay gets students more involved with the rest of the lessons. For example, they can form that shape with stamps or with natural things with clay (like leaves). In clay, they can form animals or other forms.
Materials Required for Clay Modeling
Basic: Plasticine Clay (doesn’t harden); Magic Model Clay (hardens). Highly Useful: Earth clay; beeswax modeling clay; carving tools; rolling pins; cookie cutters; stamps; wooden shapes.
Crafting and Making
There are so many possibilities with Crafting and Making. I divide it into four broad areas: sewing, paper crafts, natural crafting, and wood/making. Each area is full of learning and practice opportunities for students.
Materials for Crafting and Making
Basic: Sewing, Paper Crafts, Natural-Crafting, Wood/Making. Highly Useful: Cross-stitching, recycled materials (for example, old sweaters or t-shirts), buttons, yarn, origami paper, magazines, natural objects (feathers, pinecones, seeds), nails, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and wine corks.
Art Material Summary
This is way beyond 25 items and just more than that. Each one of the items here helps students explore, experience, and nurture their creativity through the field of arts.
My Montessori art guides will teach everything there is to know about how each material works and how best to use it, but they will go for a price, or register for my course. It has been structured in such a way that it organizes itself easily and adapts to one’s classroom.No.
If you have any questions about these materials or my course, you can email me directly at Info@Spramani.com.
Additional Tips for Montessori Teachers
- Back-to-School Art Materials Saving Tips
- Early Learning Art Resources for Children Ages 3 to 6
Stages of Art Development: This digital course helps students develop creativity, fine motor skills, and focus. It explains which projects are safe and effective for children of each age.
