Year 1

Visual Arts: Paintings of

Children

Including lessons on: Looking at children in art

Finding out about children from the pastDrawing children

Choosing colours for painting

Visual Arts Unit Plan– Year One

Paintings of Children

Children in Art

To observe children depicted in art and

be able to explain what is shown, who

the children might be, what they are

doing, how they might be feeling etc.

Children Playing in Art

Understand that we can learn about

how children used to play by looking

at art. Painting our friends

To be able to create a piece of art

showing how we play with our friends.

Look at a range of pieces of art depicting

children.

Discuss how what we see can give us clues

about the children.

William Hogarth, The Graham Children, 1742

(National Gallery, London)

Draw or paint some children in a scene,

perhaps from a photograph of the class or a

photograph of siblings.

Explore the different games that the children

are playing in ‘Children’s Games’.

Sketch different positions of children playing.

Pieter Bruegel, Children’s Games, 1560

(Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)

John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose,

1885-6 (Tate Britain, London)

Take some photos of the class

participating in various play activities.

Enlarge the photo on a colour

photocopier if possible.

Ask children to choose a photo and use

it to help them create a painting or

drawing of play.

Discuss what name or title could be

given to the art the children produce.

Core Knowledge

Creative application of

knowledge

Lesson 1: Children in Art

An English artist called William Hogarth painted ‘The Graham Children’ over two hundred years ago. It shows the children of Daniel Graham, who worked for the King. Daniel Graham was wealthy so his children grew up surrounded by luxuries such as nice food, toys, pets and lovely clothes. Children can explore this painting, discussing what they notice. Children can understand that art created long ago can still tell us messages so we can understand what life may have been like. Explain to children that the scene in the painting shows wealthy children and discuss what a painting of poorer children might look like.

See Page 161 of What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Key/Related Vocabulary

Assessment Questions

To understand that art can tell us about people.

To know that art can tell us about people.

To know that art can tell us about how people lived.

To understand that artists can use art to give messages.

Show children a picture of William Hogarth and explain that he was an artist who lived a long time ago. Ensure children understand the term ‘artist’.

Have colour copies of ‘The Graham Children’ available for children to look at in small groups or in pairs. Discuss- what do you notice?

Using an image of the picture on the IWB- scribe children’s comments and around the picture. What do you notice about the picture? Screenshot their ideas as evidence of learning- perhaps print & put copies in art books.

art artist William Hogarth children past luxury wealth clothes message information

What can we find out from works of art?

What do artists do?

How might an artist send a message through his/her work?

Lesson 2: Children in the past

In this lesson children will explore the theme of Children in Art further. They will look at another painting of children; Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by American painter, John Singer Sargent. They will also look at Children’s Games by Pieter Bruegel. Children will build on their previous learning and will explore the art works before describing what they see. At the end of this lesson, children should understand that we can find out about people’s lives long ago by looking at art. They will use the pieces they have studied as inspiration for their own piece of art later in this unit.

See Page 163 of What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Key/Related Vocabulary

Assessment Questions

To understand that art can tell us about how children lived in the past.

Art can tell us about people in the past.

Artists can paint what they see.

Show children ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’ by John Singer Sargent. Discuss what they notice. Explain that this painting took the artist over a year to finish. He only wanted to paint when the sun was setting to paint the light correctly. Also, he painted real children and they don’t stay still for long! The children in the painting are called Polly and Dolly Barnard. The children are lighting Chinese lanterns. The title comes from a song that children used to sing. The artist took so long to paint this picture that all the flowers died and he had to use artificial ones! Have printed colour copies of Pieter Bruegel’s Children’s Games on the tables. Children can sketch any toys or games they see children playing into their art books. Adults to move around each table and discuss what children notice. What does this picture tell us about the past? Highlight that the children are playing with toys that we might not play with today. What would a picture like this look like if we painted it today? If there is time, children can draw some of the things they play with in school/at home.

painting art/artist games/toys past today changes difference

What can you tell me about children in the past?

How can we find out about children in the past?

How to artists tell us about children in the past?

Lesson 3: Drawing Children

In this lesson, children will learn how to draw children accurately. The teacher will show children how to draw the figure of a child and then model how to add detail such as fingers, ears etc Children will look at photographs of themselves playing as a class or individually and will start to identify the details required in a good drawing. Children will sketch into their art books and the process of improving drawings through practice will be emphasised.

See Page 162 and 163 of What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Key/Related Vocabulary

Assessment Questions

To draw a child with accurate detail.

I can use a pencil to draw the shape of a child.

I know how to add detail to my drawing.

I can explain what I have drawn and how I drew it.

Children will look at photographs of themselves playing at school. (Use photos that you already have of children playing in various situations)

Ensure all children are confidently using accurate vocabulary to name parts of their body.

Show children 3 examples of your own drawing of a child on the IWB. Show them one example of a poor drawing, one with more detail and then an ‘outstanding’ one- ask children what is different each time and elicit from them that more detail can improve a drawing.

Children go to their tables with the photographs available and sketch a child in their art books. Encourage children to keep trying even if they are not happy with their first attempts.

detail draw accurate (and all names for body parts)

What makes a good drawing?

How could I improve this drawing?

What detail can you include to tell people about the child you have drawn? (e.g he is wearing a football shirt so I know he likes football)

Lesson 4: Drawing children playing

In this lesson, pupils will learn how to draw children playing. The teacher will show children how to draw the figure of a child and then model how to add detail such as fingers, ears etc Children will look at photographs of themselves playing as a class or individually and will start to identify the details required in a good drawing. Children will sketch into their art books and the process of improving drawings through practice will be emphasised.

See Page 163 of What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Key/Related Vocabulary

Assessment Questions

To draw a person playing with accurate detail.

I know how to draw a child. I know how to add detail to my drawing to show what the child is doing. I can talk to others about my drawing.

Children will build on their learning from the previous lesson. They will look at a range of toys and games (some that you have to hand from the classroom). Recap Pieter Bruegel’s Children’s Games from previous lessons. Look at pictures of children playing with toys and talk about how their bodies need to change- e.g a child kicking a football might have one leg near the ball and the other on the grass. A child throwing something might have their hands in the air etc. Teacher to model how this might be drawn. Children to sketch a child/children playing in their art books.

sketch draw lines (names from previous unit on lines) names for toys names for body parts

Can you explain how you drew your child playing? What do artists need to think about when they are drawing? What can people see in our drawings?

Lesson 5: Choosing Colours

In this lesson children will complete a painting of a child playing. They will build on their previous knowledge of how other artists have shown children playing. They will also build on their drawing skills that they have practised in previous lessons. Teachers should encourage children to include details in their paintings by using finer brushes. E.g. children would use a finer brush for painting eyes and a thicker brush for painting the grass the child is standing on etc. Encourage children to think about what details they are including, is this child wearing school uniform? Sports kit? Where are they? At home? In the park? Etc.

See Page 155 of What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Key/Related Vocabulary

Assessment Questions

To choose colours and brushes to complete a painting.

Artists sometimes use different sized brushes when they are painting. The primary colours are red, yellow and blue. Primary colours can be mixed to make secondary colours.

Give children a range of brushes including fine brushes for adding detail. Model how thicker brushes are harder to use when you are adding small details like eyes. Model swapping brushes for different parts of the painting. Children will paint a picture of a child playing on large sugar paper (or other thick paper) They will use all of their previous learning to complete this task. If possible display paintings that children have previously studied so they can remember what they have seen. Encourage children to use knowledge previously learned about colour mixing. (If children have completed the previous unit on colour then they should be confident with colour mixing- if not you may need to model using paints)

brush thickness fine detail primary colours mixed secondary colours

Can you explain how you completed your painting? What did you need to think about when you were painting? Tell me about the child in your painting.

Lesson 6: Painting and Presenting our work

This lesson can be used for completing paintings and adding more detail if necessary. Children will then present their work to the class or to other people in the school community. They will have the opportunity to stand up and talk about how they painted their picture and what they learned about by looking at famous paintings of children. They will use correct vocabulary when describing parts of the body, colours and art materials. E.g I used a fine brush to draw some detail on my little girl’s face. This final lesson is an opportunity to share and celebrate the learning and achievement of your class.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Key/Related Vocabulary

Assessment Questions

To present a piece of art work.

I know how to describe my painting.

I can use the correct words for colours and body parts.

I can talk to my class about my work.

This lesson can be used to complete any details that children want to add to their paintings once they are dry.

Children will stand up in front of their class/another class and talk about their painting. They will use correct vocabulary and speak in an audible voice. You may want to take the opportunity to do this in an assembly or invite parents in to see their children’s work. Some children may be confident enough to hold up one of the studied pictures by famous artists and talk about what they noticed/have learned.

painting artist draw paint decide show

Tell me about your painting.

What does your painting tell us about the child?

What message does your painting tell people who look at it?

What famous artists do you know about?