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The Ultimate Guide To Adding Art and Music Appreciation To Your Homeschool

This guide will help you get started with art and music appreciation in your homeschool. My hope is to help you overcome all the normal excuses. I hope it encourages you!

I don’t have time to teach art. I am so far behind in my core subjects. I have no talent in art. We will do some projects over the summer.

Sound familiar? In my years of homeschooling, I have heard many excuses from my friends on why they do not include art and music in their weekly routines. Truth be told, I thought some of the very same things until I realized that these two subjects are easily incorporated into our daily lives.

Why Include Art and Music Appreciation in Your Homeschool?

No matter what style of homeschool you use – textbook, classical, unschooling, or anything in between – art and music can be woven into your year. The study of great works of art, the listening to uplifting pieces of music, and the freedom to be creative in any subject can enrich and expand what we already offer to our children.

If this is your first time to journey into this world of art and music appreciation, you can find joy experiencing these subjects with your children and growing alongside them. I will share how we have done this in our family and how I have encouraged others to do so in their lives – homeschooled or not. Be open to the possibility that you can add some art and music into your homeschool day.

How To Make Time For Art and Music Appreciation: “I Don’t Have Time”

Music Appreciation

Music appreciation can easily by accomplished by picking two or three composers a year and pulling them up on your favorite digital listening platform. Start with the well-known masters such as Bach, Beethoven or Mozart. Choose a playlist and then regularly listen during your homeschool day or as your drive in the car to other activities. Each time you listen, you will quickly become more and more familiar.

Many times the children will easily recognize a composer and they will shout out how they heard this piece in a movie or during a cartoon. Some composers will not immediately be liked but you will find that after you get a ‘taste’ for a certain composer, their music will grow on you. If your children have not been exposed to classical music, it may take some time before they will enjoy the sound of it. Don’t give up. You might also like: The Best Way to Add Music to Your Homeschool.

Art Appreciation or Picture Study

Art appreciation, or picture study, can be a complement to your other subjects. I start by choosing an artist that goes along with the period of history we are studying. After selecting the artist, I find a source for viewing that artist’s work. The internet is a valuable an efficient source for finding a great quantity of artwork.

My two favorite choices are Mark Harden’s The Artchive artchive.com and Olga’s Gallery abcgallery.com. Another source is the library where we find art books, children’s biographies and videos that supplement our picture study. We study four to five different artists a year this way. It will not take long before your children are recognizing famous artwork when you are going about your daily life.

5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday

Set Aside Fine Arts Fridays!

Who doesn’t love themed days? Certainly not Taco Tuesday!! I’m sharing 5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday without overwhelming your homeschool schedule. Don’t miss Stef’s post full of Fine Arts Friday tips!

The Ultimate Guide to Fun Friday Activities for Kids – Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

Keep it simple and have fun!

How to Include Fine Arts When You Are Behind in Your Homeschool

Still wondering how to include fine arts in your homeschool? I will answer the reasons families put off a study of art and music appreciation. Here are some practical suggestions for weaving art activities into your more academic subjects.

Fine Arts Curriculum is an instant pdf download with helpful notebooking pages, links to resources, and an opportunity to earn High School credit!

Here are more details on a Fine Arts Credit for High School with A Homeschooler’s Quick Guide.

I’m So Far Behind In My Core Homeschool Subjects

Art and music need not be separate subjects or boxes to check off on your homeschool schedule. In our family, the art supplies are easily accessible and that reminds us to use them in many of our core subjects. Try some of these ideas and see how easy it is to be ‘art aware’ when you are working in language, math, science and history.

In the early grades, my children always enjoyed drawing a picture and then writing a story to go along with it. As they grew through the grades, their writing pieces would include an illustrated cover or a picture to illustrate the story.

Ideas for Math and Literature

To supplement our math lessons, we used picture books with colorful illustrations as a gold mine for things to count. As your read children’s literature, make sure to point out the beautiful illustrations and allow them to use that artwork to copy on their own. Copying great artwork is fun for children. Literature is full of inspiring artists like Eric Carle and Tomie dePaola.

Ideas for Science

During your science time, have you started a nature journal? We start a new one each year and fill it with sketches of objects we find outside or animals we observe in our yard and from our window. Any topic in science can be made more interesting by drawing what you are learning, making diagrams of experiments, including sketches of concepts and cutting pictures from magazines.

Ideas for History

History gives you the opportunity to draw maps, sketch an event, and draw, paint or color illustrations for reports. My younger students would draw a picture of a historical account. I would write a caption that my little ones dictated to me to go along with the artwork for their journals. You might also like Fun Activities for Your History Class.

I hope this helps you with some practical ideas for including artwork in your homeschool day.

If you think you have no inborn talent for art, we are here to help! This is the easiest objection to overcome. Very few of us are blessed with a background in art and music that would make us ‘experts’.

I Have No Talent in Art

Honestly, you do not need to be an expert. Just like any other homeschool subject we teach, if we don’t know about something, we find a resource and learn right along with our children. My best suggestion is to get out the paints, the colored pencils, the chalk pastels or what you have on hand and to play with the materials alongside your children.

It actually is a great experience for children to see their parents learning along with them. Model how to “mess up” and how to give new things a try. You may surprise yourself. View artwork together and share what you feel when you look at each piece.

I Am Not Familiar with Many Composers

Learn to enjoy classical music with your children. Share with then which compositions you like best and which ones you don’t care for. My children love to see me pretend to play the organ every time Bach’s “Toccota and Fuge in D Minor” starts playing. As time goes by, you will become your own expert and you will know what you like and don’t like. I have learned not to be intimidated by others and their opinions.

This is an area where there are no right and wrong answers. You have lots of freedom to just enjoy the experience.

We Will Do Some Projects Over the Summer

This excuse is really just a form of procrastination. How many summers roll by and you still have not done a single art project or viewed a single piece of artwork? What you waiting for? Sit down and make a short list of artists and a short list of composers for the year. Take it one step at a time and stay flexible.

It takes very little planning or time to give your family the opportunity to be exposed to great art and music. The effort you put into finding ways to use your art supplies in your every day routine are well worth it.

Incorporating art and music into your child’s life reaps immeasurable benefits. Problem solving skills, heightened awareness to the world around them, a sense of well-being, and increased motivation are all gained when you expose your child to great music, artists and creative opportunities regularly.

You need to provide the opportunity, the inspiration, and the enthusiasm. If you do, your children will be greatly rewarded by becoming well rounded in life as well as their homeschool subjects. Don’t let another year go by! There is no excuse.

We have so many resources here on the blog, in our fine arts series and in our membership. You can pick a grade and follow the flexible suggestions for each week.

Check out our art and music appreciation plans for homeschool!

Playlist for each grade can be found on Spotify and YouTube

Homeschool Fine Arts Curriculum for All Levels

You ARE an ARTiST Homeschool Fine Arts lesson plans organize great art and music appreciation resources into the classical four-year cycle of history and seasons each week with a Charlotte Mason flavor. Here you will find homeschool fine arts curriculum for the whole family!

These lesson plans are available for Grades 1-12 and will offer families three different options for art study and a detailed plan for music appreciation.

family style fine arts curriculum for homeschoolers

If you don’t feel that a full year of fine arts appreciation is for you, you can also choose from a collection of unique art and music appreciation unit studies which typically last 6-9 weeks.

Each flexible and easy to use 32-36 week plan includes notebooking pages, coloring pages plus both Spotify and YouTube links for art tutorials and listening to classical music.

What is Picture Study? A Simple Guide for Kids (includes free printable art cards)

Homeschool Fine Arts Q&A: How Real Families Make It Work – We have received many questions, comments, and praise regarding the Homeschool Fine Arts curriculum. But you know what it’s like buying homeschool curriculum! Us homeschool moms value word of mouth endorsements from our closest friends. Well we pulled together some of our Members (aka close online friends) for a little help answering questions. We hope these homeschool friends can shed some more light on the Fine Arts Curriculum and how it fits in their homeschool! So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the Q&A session.

Fine Arts Fridays: Homeschool Lessons with Nana – Fine Arts Fridays and homeschool lessons with Nana are a creative way to add joy to your homeschool! Integrate homeschool art appreciation, music appreciation and hands on art lessons into your learning in a fun way.

The Beauty of Art, Music and Nature in Your Homeschool – My children have become acquainted with winter nature study, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Giotto within a few short months! Our Fine Arts Friday has become a fun and hands-on way of learning about great art and exciting time periods. Afterward, we head outside for our nature study and #outdoorhourchallenge. Fridays have become a rich, full day of beauty and learning like never before! Won’t you join us?

art and music appreciation for your homeschool

Homeschool Fine Arts Sample

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    More Fun With Homeschool Fine Arts for the Family

    Your time learning about famous artists and composers can be some the best of your homeschooling. Here are some more resources to encourage you:

    Composer biography pages by Stef Layton of Layton Adventures

    Composer Biography Pages by Stef Layton of Layton Adventures

    In addition to discounted fine arts titles, our You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members receive a fantastic pack of Composer Biography pages by Stef Layton. These printable pages include sections to add interesting facts, most famous works, your favorite piece and how the composer’s piece makes you feel.

    Includes these composers: Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Verdi, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and a blank page to fill in for any other composer you are studying.

    You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members receive 50% off each fine arts title!

    This comprehensive guide has everything you need to get started with art and music appreciation in your homeschool.

    Written by Tricia and by Homeschool Fine Arts founder and curriculum author, Barbara McCoy.

    Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

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    What is Picture Study? A Simple Guide For Kids

    Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don’t miss the free, printable art cards to help you get picture study started!

    Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don't miss the free, printable art cards, below, to help you get picture study started!

    What Is Picture Study?

    Picture study is a wonderful way to introduce children to all types of masterful art. The simple act of taking time observe and discuss provides an opportunity for children of all ages to engage in fine arts.

    Simple Steps for Picture Study

    1. Choose the painting to be viewed.
    2. Have the child sit quietly and just look at the painting.
    3. After a time of looking, hide the painting from view and ask your child to tell you what he remembers about the painting. Have him list the literal objects he sees in the painting like trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.

    That’s it. It’s as simple as that.

    To extend the activity for older students, you may have them sketch the painting from memory.

    Homeschool fine arts plans include picture study in every year plan. Each week has a clickable link to an online image that you can use in your picture study.

    If you are having trouble with your children narrating back what they see in the painting, you can go over some vocabulary with them so they have the words to give you.

    Here are some ideas to get you started.

    Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don't miss the free, printable art cards, below, to help you get picture study started!

    Questions To Ask In Picture Study

    What kinds of lines do you see?

    • sharp
    • thick
    • jagged
    • heavy
    • choppy
    • vertical
    • diagonal
    • fuzzy
    • thin
    • curved
    • graceful

    What kinds of textures do you see?

    • rough
    • smooth
    • hard
    • shiny

    What shapes do you see?

    • circles
    • rectangles
    • triangles
    • squares

    What colors do you see?

    • bright
    • dark
    • strong
    • reds/oranges/yellows
    • blues/greens/purples
    • browns/whites/grays

    Download Your FREE Printable Art Question Cards

    Get Your Free Art Cards!

    Subscribe to get your free printable Art Cards.

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      Homeschool Fine Arts Curriculum for All Levels

      You ARE an ARTiST Homeschool Fine Arts lesson plans organize great art and music appreciation resources into the classical four-year cycle of history and seasons each week with a Charlotte Mason flavor. Here you will find homeschool fine arts curriculum for the whole family!

      These lesson plans are available for Grades 1-12 and will offer families three different options for art study and a detailed plan for music appreciation.

      fine arts curriculum for grades 1-12

      Each flexible and easy to use 32-36 week plan includes notebooking pages, coloring pages and YouTube links for art tutorials and listening to classical music.

      Read a full review of the Fine Arts Curriculum and and learn how to use this resource family-style.

      Here are some homeschool mom tips for making fine arts fun!

      You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members receive 50% off each fine arts title!

      Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don't miss the free, printable art cards to help you get picture study started!

      By Barb McCoy, founder of Homeschool Fine Arts Plans and the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

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      The Ultimate Guide To Fun Friday Activities For Kids

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      The Popularity Of 4 Day Homeschool Weeks

      Do you implement or have you ever considered a four day homeschool week? Just like there is a trend towards four day work weeks, many homeschoolers keep Fridays free of structured learning and instead, have “Fun Fridays”.

      5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday

      Fun Friday Activities For Kids

      Who doesn’t love themed days? Certainly not Taco Tuesday!! I’m sharing 5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday without overwhelming your homeschool schedule.

      Fine Arts Friday is an easy way to incorporate the You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Curriculum. I know, you’ve already booked August and you’re doing ALL. THE. THINGS. I was right there with you signing up for every activity, co-ops, and sports. Trying to be a homeschool superhero. You don’t have to exhaust yourself (and your children) with one more monster size obligation.

      fine arts Friday for homeschool
      Meet #FineArtsFriday Friends!

      Fine Arts Fridays: Art and Music Appreciation

      For fun Friday activities, Stef says, “Knowing every Friday we were going to spend a bit of time on art helped my youngest, with delayed fine motor skills, mentally prepare while also keeping my oldest, who has a library of sketch books, happy.”

      Fine Arts Fridays: Homeschool Lessons with Nana – Fine Arts Fridays and homeschool lessons with Nana are a creative way to add joy to your homeschool! Integrate homeschool art appreciation, music appreciation and hands on art lessons into your learning in a fun way.

      The Beauty of Art, Music and Nature in Your Homeschool – My children have become acquainted with winter nature study, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Giotto within a few short months! Our Fine Arts Friday has become a fun and hands-on way of learning about great art and exciting time periods. Afterward, we head outside for our nature study and #outdoorhourchallenge. Fridays have become a rich, full day of beauty and learning like never before! Won’t you join us?

      Homeschool Hymn Studies

      Homeschool Hymn Study: Weaving Beauty Into Learning – With a homeschool hymn study, you are weaving beauty into learning! Dawn Peluso’s hymn studies are a great way to learn history, music and God’s Word.

      A Beautiful Easter Hymn Study for Your Homeschool – Join us for a beautiful Easter hymn study for your homeschool and video art lessons to match! Music and art help us all to connect learning with a special holiday plus build sweet memories together as a family.

      A Merry Christmas Hymns Study – Whether you homeschool as normal through December, add in Christmas activities, or trade all your homeschool curriculum for ‘Christmas School,’ a Christmas hymns study can be an enjoyable part of your school day. It is a beautiful opportunity for the family to learn and worship together.

      Thanksgiving Hymn Favorites: Learning Activities for Your Homeschool – A season of thankfulness and gratitude would not be complete without sharing thanks to God for all of our blessings. One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here, I’ve included Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with learning activities for your homeschool.

      Make Your Homeschool Art Museum Field Trip Extraordinary

      Homeschool Field Trips

      5 Ways to Make Your Homeschool Art Museum Field Trip Extraordinary – A homeschool art museum field trip has been on our list for years. This year, we have already been to one and have another planned for next semester. Here are 5 things I’ve learned about how to maximize the educational experience and family fun on your field trip to the museum.

      The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips – you don’t necessarily need to leave your home to have access to things. There are so many resources you can use to enrich your homeschooling, right online! Virtual Art Museum Field Trips are one of those things!

      Why You Should Take an Art Museum Field Trip – It is one thing to study a piece of art or an artist with a book or an online artist study. It is quite another to see a piece of art in person – and to see, up close, the actual brush strokes by the artist. That is one reason why you should take an art museum homeschool field trip. And here are a few more reasons you should go.

      Van Gogh Experience for Homeschoolers – Our entire family definitely felt immersed in Van Gogh’s beautiful works of art. Especially in the immersion room after walking through the galleries! The Van Gogh Experience would also be a great homeschool field trip or educational opportunity to celebrate your Van Gogh studies. This is a great way to experience the paintings and works of this famous artist. We had a wonderful time!

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Nature Study in Your Homeschool

      Discover the beauty of art and nature study in your homeschool and help your children explore the simple joys of the outdoors. There is so much to marvel about in God’s great creation! The Beauty of Art and Nature Study in Your Homeschool.

      How to Use the Outdoor Hour Challenges for Homeschool Family Nature Study – When getting started in homeschool nature study, here are some simple ideas to consider for your outdoor time.

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Bears: An Art and Book Study for Your Homeschool – Delight in a bears art and book study for your homeschool! This is a beautiful combination of art, nature study, and living books to grow a gentle learning adventure about the world around us.

      Nature Study Crafts for Kids: Easy Activities for Learning and Fun! Nature study crafts for kids are a hands on way to learn. What beautiful and easy activities for learning and FUN! Let us show you how.

      Spring Homechool Nature Study with Art – Perfect for commemorating spring, Nana’s spring homeschool nature study with art explores all creatures great and small and all things bright and beautiful! These nature-inspired art lessons are easy and fun for the whole family!

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Gameschooling for Fun Friday Activities

      Whether stuck inside or adding fun to your Friday learning, here are some great ideas and some encouragement to get you started! The Game Homeschool is a great overview with a giant list of games for learning!

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Homeschool Art Lessons For Hands On Homeschool Learning

      Julie says, “As with every chalk pastel lesson we use in our homeschool, I adore how the boys never tire of this type of learning. Using art to learn is such an interactive teaching strategy.” – Skeletal System Activities: Everything You Need for Learning and Fun!

      Nana has art lessons to complement every subject you can think of for your Fun Friday:

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Homeschool Fine Arts: Art and Music Appreciation for Families

      You ARE An ARTiST now offers family style and grade level Fine Arts Curriculum. High school students can earn one full Fine Arts Credit. Which is super exciting! This curricula is much different than the traditional Chalk Art Lessons with Nana we have all come to love. While Nana is filming more art tutorials for Clubhouse Members, this curricula is an instant PDF download, so you can go at your own pace! Pick whichever grade you like, and if you’re anything like me with one child dipping toes in three different grades … friend, you’ve got yourself some options. Pick the topic / time period that matches up well with other core curriculum.
      Clubhouse Members can purchase Fine Arts at 1/2 price – must be logged in for discount.

      Here are more details on a Fine Arts Credit for High School with A Homeschooler’s Quick Guide

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Each fine arts curriculum offers additional art appreciation books, music, and podcasts that you can use as you have time available. They also encourage you to incorporate hands-on famous artists’ and composer art lessons with Nana. These plans pull together affordably priced materials along with internet links so you can have a reasonably priced art and music appreciation program. There are 32-36 weeks planned at each level, and this allows your family plenty of flexibility to complete the curriculum in one homeschool year.

      If you don’t feel that a full year of fine arts appreciation is for you, you can also choose from a collection of unique art and music appreciation unit studies which typically last 6-9 weeks.

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      More Kids Activities For Education And Fun

      What other fun Friday activities would you set aside a Fun Friday for? Of course, any holiday is always a fun time to learn something new:

      With You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse membership, you can enjoy access to all 800+ of Nana’s video art lessons that complement the lovely learning in your homeschool. And, with Clubhouse membership you can choose to receive 50% off the Fine Arts titles and 50% off membership to our sister site, Homeschool Nature Study.

      Homeschool Fine Arts Resources Bundle

      Two winners! We are giving away two bundles! Two winners will receive the bundle of resources that go with the grade of Fine Arts they are using. (Fine Arts Title not included). Resources include the suggested art appreciation books, music appreciation books, art application books for the Homeschool Fine Arts grade.

      Enter to win via the rafflecopter widget, below:

      a Rafflecopter giveaway

      Homeschool Fine Arts Sample

      Get your FREE sample of homeschool fine arts, below:

      Get Your Fine Arts Sample!

      Subscribe to get your free week of art and music appreciation.

        We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

        Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

        Posted on

        The Ultimate Guide To Art Appreciation In Your Homeschool

        Building a love for beautiful art is something that happens over a period of time for our children. This guide has everything you need for engaging art appreciation in your homeschool.

        When we first started homeschooling, art appreciation appealed to me, but I didn’t know where to start. Sometimes you just need to dive in and give it a try and that is exactly what I did with my children.

        Even though I had no real background in this subject, I did have a passionate interest in paintings and art history. I had a desire to learn more and along with my children we learned together as the years went along.

        What did we do to get started? What method helped us get our feet wet with art appreciation? How did we progress slowly through the years? What things have stuck with us?

        Homeschool Art Appreciation: Getting Started

        • Use a series of artwork from one artist and that will help define for your children the artist’s style. Pick four paintings you like and share those one at a time.
        • Picture Study or Narration: Closely observe and enjoy one painting at a time, increasing your child’s awareness of what it means to have a “style”. View the artwork together and have your children tell you what they see in the painting. Many people call this narration or picture study. Most paintings have some sort of story to tell. Encourage your children to try to guess the painting’s story.
        • Keep the artwork you are studying in plain sight for a period of time. Make the painting your computer’s desktop background or have a print of the painting in a prominent place where you spend time each day.
        • After you have studied two or more painters, begin to compare and contrast the artists. How are they different and how are they similar? Over time this will help your child learn more about the periods of art history. But in the beginning, just make casual observations.
        • Come up with a way to review the artists from time to time. Keep your prints in a notebook, binder or folder. Pull them out at the end of each term and spend a few minutes going over the various paintings and artists. This is a fun time for children once they start to accumulate a number of artists. Keep the mood light and do not make it like a test.

        When my children were younger, I chose an artist where their style was particularly apparent and easy to see. We studied Mary Cassatt, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Renoir and a few others. These artists appealed not only in subject matter but in showing a distinct style.

        These early years were focused on gaining an interest in art and not so much in learning about art movements or art history. The viewing of artwork and then perhaps learning the title of the painting and the artist’s name were about all we did for art appreciation.

        If your child has an interest or you are starting your program of art appreciation with older children, of course you can add in a little more depth by reading a biography for the artist or perhaps making a drawing of the painting you are studying.

        I would create a folder that was not fancy. I would print out four prints on a sheet of photo paper and then slip it into a clear sheet protector. Those would go into a three ringed binder.

        I also used Dover coloring books to go along with the artist’s paintings as a quick follow up for an artist if the children were interested and had a desire. We kept everything very casual and positive.

        As they got older, we would attach the art prints in a spiral sketchbook. They would print the title under the print along with the author’s name. Again, keeping it simple and enjoyable.

        Art Appreciation For Young Children

        Art is a thing of the spirit, and we need to teach it in ways that affect the spirit. We realize that the ability to appreciate art and interpret it is as universal to all people as intelligence, or imagination, or the ability to form words to communicate. But that ability needs to be educated. Teaching the technical skill of producing pictures isn’t the same as appreciating art. To appreciate, children need to have a reverent recognition of what’s been created. Children need to learn about pictures: they need to learn about them a line at a time, and as groups, by studying pictures for themselves rather than by reading about them.

        – Charlotte Mason, volume six, page 214 (More in Charlotte Mason Homeschool Art Appreciation)
        • Study one artist at a time.
        • Study at least four prints one at a time, using careful and casual observation.
        homeschool high school

        Adding Depth To Your Study for Older Children

        • Follow up with learning the name of the painting and the artist’s name, if desired.
        • Store the prints in a three-ringed binder or in a spiral sketchbook and review at the end of each term.

        Hands-On Activities For Art Appreciation In Your Homeschool

        Follow up with a coloring page from a Dover coloring book or an art lesson with Nana! Or you can simply sketch a part of the painting or the whole thing.

        Remember that your goal is to spark a love for great artwork. This goal is one that can be achieved using any artist that suits your family. Here are some websites that I find helpful for viewing artwork

        The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips is your extensive guide to why, how, and where to find virtual art museum resources.

        Art Appreciation Online

        The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips – There are so many resources you can use to enrich your homeschooling, right online! Virtual Art Museum Field Trips are one of those things!

        ABCGallery.com – A large, online art collection

        A Fine Arts Homeschool Curriculum For All Ages

        Art and music appreciation are subjects that if not given priority, fail to be done in our home. (It’s probably safe to assume that is true for many homes.) It seems like every year I plan on adding art appreciation to our long list of subjects and at the end of the year I realize that once again I haven’t done it. It’s been so helpful to find a Fine Arts Curriculum that does all the work and organizing for me!

        You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Curriculum offers art and music appreciation plans for grades K-12. Minimal prep plans for your fine arts needs! A review from The Curriculum Choice

        One of the reasons I have need a fine arts curriculum to help me is because I know next to nothing about art. It should be simple enough to add in picture study to accompany history. But that would require me to actually know which artists and paintings are most significant. Sure, I could probably research, learn and figure some things out. But thankfully I’ve discovered the You ARE An ARTiST Fine Art Curriculum that was written by someone much more knowledgeable than I, and has already done the work for me.

        YOU ARE AN ARTIST FINE ARTS CURRICULUM

        You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts is an art and music appreciation program that works seamlessly into your homeschool studies.

        The You ARE An ARTiST art and music appreciation program has 12 yearly plans based on a chronological 4-year history cycle. These are divided into the stages of learning of the classical trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric). 

        There are options for every grade level and each plans includes notebooking pages, coloring pages and YouTube links for art tutorials and listening to classical music.

        fine arts

        Find out more about our Fine Arts Curriculum HERE.