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.

A good session balances talk and making. Children who have looked carefully and then drawn a detail tend to remember the work far better than those who only listened to information about it.

Sample session: slow looking (60 minutes)

Ages 8 to 11, whole class. Materials: one large projected or printed image of a historic painting with plenty of people or objects, sticky notes, clipboards, pencils, a timer.

• 0-5 min: Show the image in silence for one full minute.

• 5-15 min: Children write single things they notice on sticky notes and add them to a board. No interpretations yet.

• 15-25 min: Ask: what is going on here, and what do you see that makes you say that? Children must point to evidence in the picture.

• 25-35 min: Share two or three facts about when and where it was made. Children adjust their ideas.

• 35-55 min: Each child draws one small detail from the work and adds something from their own life to it.

• 55-60 min: Pair share: what surprised you about the picture?

Taking children to a museum or gallery

Visit the gallery yourself or check its website first, and ask about school programmes or family trails. Plan to look closely at four or five works, not the whole building. Agree rules on distance from artworks, quiet voices and staying with a named adult. Check the venue's photography policy before children use cameras.

Adapting for ages

Ages 6 and 7 respond well to I-spy searches, finding colours or animals, and acting out the pose of a figure. Ages 11 and 12 can compare two works from different cultures or centuries on the same theme, such as portraits or landscapes, and write a short caption for a class exhibition.

What children take away is a way of looking they can use anywhere: notice details, give a reason, then check the context. They also leave with a drawing that links an old work to their own lives. Keep a class list of the works you have studied, with a date and place for each, so children slowly build a sense of time and geography in art.

Key points

• Look first and share facts later.

• Ask children to point to evidence for every idea.

• Use public-domain or open-access museum images.

• On visits, plan for a few works, not the whole collection.

Ready-made resources

Printable session plans and materials for this topic are available from EduTrend Contents: W4C-130 Art Studio Workshops.

Photos: redcharlie, Elizabeth George / Unsplash