Fourth grade art students are ready for new challenges, like trying out perspective or exploring tessellations. These projects are all well within their abilities but will also encourage your students to push themselves to create cool new works of art they’ll be proud to take home and show off. We’ve got art projects for 4th graders in every medium, so there’s something for all classrooms.
“I believe the art room is a joyful place where every child’s imagination can bloom and grow, with the right amount of nurturing!” says elementary art teacher Caroline M., known on Instagram as @scs.artteacher. “I love creating mixed‑media projects with my students, especially those that celebrate nature and the world around us.”
Caroline encourages art teachers to embrace a wide array of materials and supplies to encourage creativity at home and school. “My goal is to provide an environment that supports curiosity, celebrates process over perfection, and is ultimately a welcoming space where every student’s creative voice and spirit will grow and flourish.”
Explore some of Caroline’s favorite 4th grade art projects below, along with ideas from Lauralee Chambers (@2art.chambers) and Yvette Ackerman (@ackermans_amazing_artists), two more Instagram favorites. Visit their pages for more details and photos of each project!
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4th Grade Art Projects
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Origami Pencils
Lauralee notes that she loves doing a lesson on “pencil power” at the beginning of the year. Origami pencils give kids a bit of a challenge, just enough to encourage a growth mindset and set them up for a terrific year ahead.
Learn more: Origami Pencils
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Spring Blossom Paintings
Start by having kids paint or draw in the branches on their background paper of choice. To make the petals, students will be amazed at the cool effect they can get when they double-dip their brushes in two colors of pink paint, then “stamp” the brush down and twist.
Learn more: Spring Blossom Paintings
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Stained-Glass Butterflies
This can be a quick project when you use supplies like Roylco butterfly frames and Hygloss cellophane sheets. For a more complex project, have students trace and cut out their own butterfly frames from black construction paper.
Learn more: Stained-Glass Butterflies
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Guided-Drawing Castles
Start by spending time looking at pictures of castles from around the world with your class. Then, lead them through a guided-drawing session to create their own castles with the details of their choosing.
Learn more: Guided-Drawing Castles
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Zentangle Hearts
Geometric black-and-white patterns contrast beautifully with neon in this striking project. Try it around Valentine’s Day or any time you need to brighten up your art room.
Learn more: Zentangle Hearts
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Foil-Printing Leaves
If you haven’t tried foil-marker printing with your students, what are you waiting for? You’ll need water in spray bottles to create that beautiful blended effect. It makes the perfect background for patterned black-and-white leaves.
Learn more: Foil-Printing Leaves
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
3D Pop Art Mugs
Here’s another terrific 4th grade art project contrasting color with black-and-white. This one teaches students about depth and 3D effect, as well as shapes like cylinders and ellipses.
Learn more: 3D Pop Art Mugs
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Snowy Evergreens
Capture the magic of a snowy day with this painting project. Lauralee notes that this lesson teaches composition, texture, and value. Plus, kids will love adding the white paint splatter for snowflakes!
Learn more: Snowy Evergreens
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Spider Symmetry
Put the power of symmetry to work by having students paint one half of a spider along the crease of a folded page. While the paint is still wet, fold the paper and press gently to create a balanced spider painting.
Learn more: Spider Symmetry
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Mini Van Gogh Studies
For this project, students take a close look at one part of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” and re-create the brush strokes with oil pastels. Spend some time telling them about the artist’s life while they work. “Talking about art is just as important as creating,” Lauralee reminds us. “We hope to nurture well-rounded students who can appreciate art. Not all of them will become artists, but all will need to be visually literate in this world of images.”
Learn more: Mini Van Gogh Studies
Courtesy of @scs.artteacher
Clay Cupcakes
Every kid will be excited to create these vibrant cupcakes! Art teacher Caroline from @scs.artteacher uses Crayola Model Magic for this project. Try using silicone cupcake “wrappers” as molds for the bottom.
Learn more: Clay Cupcakes
Courtesy of @scs.artteacher
Astronaut Selfies
What better way to urge kids to shoot for the stars than by asking them to draw themselves as astronauts? Chalk pastels give these drawings their vibrant color, with each student choosing the “groovy” design that suits them best.
Learn more: Astronaut Selfies
Courtesy of @scs.artteacher
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkins
This modern artist’s style is sure to strike a chord with students. Use the foil-printing method to create colorful backgrounds after students draw the pumpkins.
Learn more: Yayoi Kusama Pumpkins
Courtesy of @scs.artteacher
Directed Drawing Toucans
Students can develop real confidence in their artistic skills through directed drawing sessions. This makes them much more likely to try more drawing activities on their own too.
Learn more: Directed Drawing Toucans
Courtesy of @scs.artteacher
Foil Print Gingerbread Houses
What a brilliant twist on gingerbread art! The background uses the popular foil-marker printing method. (Caroline notes that this time around, her students used Dab-o-Ink bingo daubers.) Students can sketch any style of gingerbread house they like; it’s the perfect project for those crazy days that lead up to winter break.
Learn more: Foil Print Gingerbread Houses
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Paper Acorns
Start by having students draw their own patterned paper—Lauralee’s kids used metallic markers on black paper. Cut out acorn caps from their designs, then add them to acorn bottoms cut from wood-grained scrapbooking paper.
Learn more: Paper Acorns
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Left Brain, Right Brain
Talk with your students about the differences between our left brain and our right brain. Then, ask them to illustrate the part of their brain they feel is their strongest. (Or they can do both!)
Learn more: Left Brain, Right Brain
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Cardboard Sandcastle
When you rip the top layer off a piece of cardboard, you expose the cool textures underneath! Use them to create these fun sandcastle collages—add some real shells for detail if you can.
Learn more: Cardboard Sandcastle
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Quilled Paper Hearts
Use color theory or explore all the colors of the rainbow with this simple project. Lauralee used empty heart-shaped candy boxes, then had students cut strips of construction paper and roll them into tight scrolls. Glue them into place once you have a design you like.
Learn more: Quilled Paper Hearts
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Color Theory Boxes
Here’s another project that’s fun for learning color theory, as well as perspective and drawing 3D shapes. Let students choose their own way to “fill” each black-and-white box with color.
Learn more: Color Theory Boxes
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Mini Clay Pumpkins
Need a simple project with fantastic results? Try these little Crayola Model Magic pumpkins. Use a stiff piece of cardboard to add the segments to flattened balls of clay in colors of your choice. Make the vines from green wire or pipe cleaners.
Learn more: Mini Clay Pumpkins
Courtesy of @ackermans_amazing_artists
Circle Weaving Silhouettes
Circle weaving on paper plates is a pretty standard primary art project. So we love the twist Yvette Ackerman puts on it, using the circle weaving as a background with black paper silhouettes glued on top.
Learn more: Circle Weaving Silhouettes
Courtesy of @ackermans_amazing_artists
Clay Slab Ghosts
Here’s another surprisingly simple clay project. Roll out a slab of clay, then drape it over an object to create a ghost shape. Cut out the eyes and mouth with a craft knife or pointed stick. Spooky and cool!
Learn more: Clay Slab Ghosts
Courtesy of @scs.artteacher
Mixed-Media Donuts
How fun are these colorful donuts? They mix oil pastels, paint scraping, and other techniques with clever touches like paper doilies.
Learn more: Mixed-Media Donuts
Courtesy of @2art.chambers
Negative-Space Shamrocks
Make this a simple project by starting with rainbow-colored paper. Then, guide kids through tracing shamrocks with black markers, adding patterns and using negative space for interest.
Learn more: Negative-Space Shamrocks
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