How to plan for children’s art week

How to plan for children’s art week 

Children’s art week is occurring from the 29th June to the 19th July. It is important for SBMs to get prepared for this week, before the school holidays. It is the perfect opportunity for children to get creative and have fun. Encourage your school to participate as children’s art week is great for exploring and trying out new activities which help with building key skills up for children.  

This year there is no theme, and it is entirely up to schools what they want to do to celebrate the week. Let your staff decide how they want to integrate art activities into their lessons.  

Schedule school events throughout children’s art week 

Guide your staff with their planning by creating a schedule for school events. This can be activities such as art-focused assemblies or creating your own school art gallery with workshops for children to participate in. This will ensure that your school have plenty on for children’s art week.  

Your staff will be able to plan their art lessons around the school events. They will be encouraged to continue celebrations as you have set an example to the teachers.  

Organise activities outside of school 

As well as planning activities for the week during school, start to think about what children can participate in after school. Arts and crafts are perfect for after school activities so considering multiple art slots is a must. As the weather is becoming hotter think about how to incorporate art with being outdoors. Such as using paint to create a widlife art piece on paper rolls. Ensure that you can put some tables outside or something for children to lean on for outdoor art activities.  

Make an after-school timetable to hand out to your staff and pin up around the school. This way teachers are aware of schools plans for extra art activities and can volunteer to run the sessions. Ensure you have a meeting with your staff to run through extra details and allow teachers to sign up for the after-school activities.  

Make time for educational art trips 

Plan some educational art trips that the whole school can attend. These trips can be as simple as organising to go to an art gallery or a workshop that children can get involved in. Take notes of places that have availability for bookings and list them down once selected. Pin the final list in the staff room with extra  copies for teachers to take. This way, your staff can choose which trip their class can go on so there are no clashes. Have a section on the list next to each trip for teachers to sign up to a specific trip. This will keep track of what trips are being taken by which class, which will also help with finance for the trips so that you can book them. 

Stock up on essential art supplies 

The most essential part of preparing for children’s art week is to ensure that your school is fully stocked up on art supplies. More art will be occurring within the week throughout the school than usual, so it is imperative to not run low on supplies. Every pupil will be using a plethora of art tools so have a wide range available for the teachers to hand out and store in their classrooms.  

There are some essential art supplies that every school need which are perfect for children’s art week.  

Paper 

Paper  is the base of most art creations so you must ensure that there is plenty of them for children’s art week. Ensure that you have plenty of basic paper for normal drawings and sketches. Different sizes are the best for children’s art week. Pupils can do all different types of art on the perfect size for their projects. For fun art pieces that are vibrant and creative, have plenty of A4 assorted paper.  

Think about other sorts of paper your school will need for the week such as card.  

Paint 

It is important to have different types of paint available in preparation for children’s art week. For younger children, ensure your school has a wide range of washable paint so, when they get messy the paint can easily be cleaned up.  

For an eco-friendlier alternative paint consider stocking up on eco paint. This is better for the environment plus the packaging is all recyclable too making your school greener.  

Felt pens & colouring pencils 

Felt pens and colouring pencils are staple must haves for art. Have a wide range of different felt tip pens that older children can use for colouring in and drawing  as they become more confident with using them.  

Colouring pencils are perfect for all ages to create art with. Sketching and colouring in is easier with pencils therefore your school will need them in bulk. Ensure you account for pencils snapping or becoming too small to hold through sharpening. Have more than you need in case.   

Glue 

Having plenty of glue in stock is essential for crafting. Have different types of glue so that your school can stick down materials in the best possible way depending on what they are creating. Have more glue sticks as these are the preferred type and most used.  

Art utensils 

Your school cannot function for art week without art utensils to use the art supplies. Stock up on paint brushes and have some extras too that are all different lengths. This will allow your school to be able to do different types of painting.  

Sponges are also great to have for the week for younger children to do sponge painting. This will ensure they can explore their creativity and play with textures.

Extras 

The key extras an SBM needs to have in preparation for children’s art week are items such as glitter. Other essential items are pom poms, sequins, and other craft pieces that can be added to art. Ensure you have plenty of protective wear too, to lower the chance of mess. These are essential to pair with art supplies as they take the children’s art a step further.  

To be prepared for children’s art week, make sure that your school is fully stocked up so that your staff can have plenty of different materials to incorporate within their classes. Plan time for school activities to celebrate the week so your school can participate and run efficiently throughout the period. By doing this, you help your staff with their planning and can keep track of the finances that come with the preparation.