Podcast Recap – Episode 21

We think it’s pretty fair to say that most, if not all, elementary teachers would agree that Kindergarten is the exception to the rules. They are different from all other grades. They need different things than any other grade. They are a different beast altogether! Because so many art teachers ask advice from one another about teaching art to kindergarten, we wanted to dive into this idea in this episode. 

Survival is the most important thing for the first day! You don’t need to go through everything, in fact, we advise you NOT to go through everything on day one. Take it easy. One step at a time. Only go over the most important things you need them to know about you and the art room. You can always come back to different concepts and procedures as you actually use them. They need repetition more than any other grade level. They are learning from scratch! On that first day, read a book or watch the video of that book, give them a quick and easy activity to do, wait until later to get more complicated materials out 

Other things that can help you teach kindergarten throughout the year…use songs and books, use motions, get moving, use stations when needed, etc. Model everything! Have them point out your mistakes and help you do it correctly. They love when you mess up and buy into all the silliness! Teach everything at a slower speed, break it up more, do more step by step. This is different than other grade levels. These littles need to digest things slower and in smaller pieces. 

Just like any other grade in the building, every class is different and every kindergarten year is different! You never know what you’re getting each year, but that’s part of the fun in teaching right? Listen to this episode to hear more in depth what we think about teaching kindergarten. Do you love teaching art to kindergarten? Or do you dread it wishing you could just teach the older kiddos? We’d love to know!

Keep blending,

Hayley and Laura