Homeschool Art Ideas: How To Set Up Art Sessions In Your Homeschool

The very mention of "Art" can send a lot of parents into a tizzy. "I'm not an artist!!!" they exclaim. "I can't even draw a straight line, so what can I teach my kids?" ponder others. Art, whether as an after-school activity or a homeschooling activity, seems to be best left to arty Youtubers and drawing & painting classes. 

I'm here to tell you that whether you're an artist or NOT, you can still initiate happy, arty sessions with your kids, right inside your homes. 

Homeschool Art Projects

Yes, you may say that I'm a self-taught artist and enjoy art, and so like doing these arty activities with my son. But really, with the beautiful resources (tutorials and books) available these days, most of the time, what we need is some energy and enthusiasm to 'facilitate' these sessions. 

When your children sit down with your to draw, paint and create, often they are not looking for Pinterest-perfect creations from you; but the attention and bonding that comes with making things together. 

Homeschool Art Activities - working together

So, if you would like to Do Art At Home, here are some simple ways to begin.

You can see some of the art projects we do at home on Instagram at chandanamilspo or on Facebook at Chandana Banerjee Writer.

1. Put together a basket of basic art materials to work with. Over the years, doing art with my little boy at home, I've noticed that not having art and craft materials in one place can actually take the fun out it because you end up spending the better part of your day hunting down crayons, paper, paints and glue.

Some of the things you will need to begin are a watercolour set, marker pens, poster paints, a small set of acrylic paints, crayons or oil pastels, cellotape, washi tape, glue, a few paint brushes, a container for water and child-friendly scissors.  Also, slip in a packet of watercolour paper, a drawing book with normal paper and printout sheets with one side plain. I also like to collect cardboard packaging and discarded bubblewrap for recycled-reused projects. Tuck these in a place where you can easily access the material. Either in a basket or tote bag is good. 

A Book On Simple Living: Destination Simple by Brooke McAlary

Simple living isn't simple any more. Even for someone like me, who doesn't follow the standard pace (read: alway on the buzz) and trends of the world, simplifying takes some amount of thought and practice. 

Like a lot of you, I enjoy packing my to-do list with multiple tasks, can't help myself multi-tasking and feel a little lost when I have a spare moment to sit down and stare into space. As it turns out, living a slow simple life, does take some practice. Like meditation.

Brooke McAlary's second book "Destination Simple" is just the book to curl up with for those of us, who are craving a measure of slow and a cuppa of simple living tips. Many of us intuitively know what it is we need to do to simplify but still need a guide to hold our hands and lead us into a simple way of living. 

McAlary of Slow Your Home, who champions the slow lifestyle, packs quire a punch in this little book of simple living tips. She lays out the basics to creating morning and evening rituals, unplugging from screens, initiating a gratitude practice and looking at our priorities and lifestyles from a perspective of "tilting" rather than complete balance. 

There are a few more rituals and ideas on simplifying, and I found each one of these relevant and necessary.

As you read this short book, you realise that you probably know about many of the ideas, but even though these seem very basic, the art is in implementing them into your daily lives and creating a habit. 

Destination simple is a book that you may want to read once but revisit several times as you take baby steps towards creating simple and satisfying days.

When I was reading the book, I realised that even though I had dabbled in some of the ideas (like morning and evening routine, gratitude, tilting, brain dump), I had not been doing them consistently, which is why probably, I wasn't able to enjoy the measure of calm that I have been hoping to create. This book is a gentle reminder of all those little things that can enrich our lives considerably.

Get ready to wrap yourself in a blanket of peace and calm as you read Destination Simple by Brooke McAlary.

Call To Action: For more ways to create a joyful stay-at-home life, check out my new book "Queen Of The At-Home Lifestyle". You can download it here.

For more ideas on creating a simple and joyful stay-at-home life, which includes homeschooling and working-from-home as your own boss, check out my Youtube Channel.