Goals for an appreciation session

Children should practise three things: noticing details, giving reasons for their ideas and linking a work to when and where it was made. Facts about artists support these skills but should not replace them.

Choose works that are old enough to be in the public domain, or use a museum's own online collection images under its stated terms. Many large museums publish open-access images of historic works.

Art Detectives

Primary · Ages 7–10

Foundation · 60 min

Pupils become art detectives, using slow looking and the See, Think, Wonder routine to find clues in paintings and build evidence-based ideas about them.

Cave Art Studio

Primary · Ages 8–11

Developing · 60 min

Pupils explore prehistoric cave art, learn how early artists made pigments and hand stencils, and create their own cave-style artwork on textured paper.

Classical Sculpture Up Close

Middle School · Ages 11–14

Intermediate · 60 min

Students analyse ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, explore contrapposto and proportion by posing and drawing, and discover that many ancient statues were originally painted.

Modern Art Movements

Middle School · Ages 12–14

Intermediate · 60 min

Groups research a modern art movement, identify its key features and artists, place it on a class timeline, and create a small artwork in its style.

Art, Power and Public Space

High School · Ages 15–18

Advanced · 75 min

Students analyse murals, monuments and public commissions, examining who commissions them, whom they represent and how meanings change, then propose a public artwork.

Liked the free activities? Go further with a 20-week programme.

Each free activity comes from a full EduTrend Contents programme: a Family Guide or Teacher's Guide with one-page session plans for 20 weeks, plus an Assessment Toolkit with rubrics, trackers and certificates. Choose the one for your child's age or your class below. Instant PDF download after checkout.

Browse all programmes in EduStore →

W4C-451 · 20 WEEKS · $29

Art Explorers at Home

Family · Ages 6–11 with a grown-up

20 one-page art appreciation activities for home: looking closely, art through time, art around the world and a family museum. Includes the Family Guide and an Assessment Toolkit with a star chart, tracker and certificate.

W4C-452 · 20 WEEKS · $39

Young Art Historians

Primary · Ages 7–11

Four units on looking and talking about art, art through time, art around the world and a class museum. Includes the Teacher’s Guide with 20 session plans and an Assessment Toolkit with rubric, baseline challenge and tracker.

W4C-453 · 20 WEEKS · $39

Art History Studio

Middle school · Ages 11–14

Visual analysis, ancient to Renaissance art, modern and contemporary art, and curating an exhibition. Includes the Teacher’s Guide and an Assessment Toolkit with concept checks and answers.

W4C-454 · 20 WEEKS · $45

Art History and Theory Lab

High school · Ages 15–18

Art historical methods, art and society, global art histories and a research symposium. Includes the Teacher’s Guide and an Assessment Toolkit with a rubric and concept checks.