5 Ways to Teach Kids about Art

Since it’s never too early to cultivate a lifelong appreciation for art, introducing children to the world of painting, sculpture, and design can be both fun and enriching. Here are some simple and engaging ways to teach kids about art and spark their interest in it.

1. Museum Visits and Workshops

The obvious place to start one’s adventure with art is a museum. Taking your kids to museums can be a fun and inspiring way to introduce them to the world of art. Look for exhibitions that are visually engaging or designed specifically for children. Many major institutions now offer dedicated spaces for children, sometimes even separate museums, such as Young V&A in London—a museum specifically designed for young people to explore creativity and design. In Paris, the Centre Pompidou offers the Galerie des Enfants, a space filled with hands-on exhibits for young visitors.

In addition to exhibitions, many museums run workshops and creative programs for families. These hands-on sessions allow children to make their own art and learn through play. For example, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York hosts Family Art Labs, where kids can engage with modern art through creative hands-on activities. Even smaller, local museums often organize weekend classes, drop-in art corners, or holiday events—perfect opportunities to spark creativity and make art feel fun and accessible. Check out the ones around you!

2. Online Lesson Plans and Activities

Cindy Ingram, aka the Art Class Curator, is an educator with an art history degree who has an entire website about teaching art history to kids of all ages. She has tons of ideas, lesson plans, activity sheets, and more. On the website, you can buy individual products like the “Art Appreciation Worksheet Bundle” ($12.00) or “The Four Steps of Art Criticism Lesson Plan” ($14.00).

Art History Kids is run by a California home school mom and seems aimed at a younger audience than the Art Class Curator. It features activities like “Easter Egg Color Theory” and “Pin the Nose on the Picasso”, many of which focus on modern art in particular. Art History Kids also offers many free materials in its weekly email newsletter. All you have to do is subscribe by entering your email address on the Free Fun page.

3. Art with Mati and Dada

What could be better than learning from cartoons? Art with Mati and Dada is an adorable little animated video series starring a young artist and her Humpty-Dumpty-like friend. They travel through time to meet famous artists. Videos are short (less than ten minutes each) and full of childlike energy, but they’re also very educational. Each one focuses on a particular artist, clearly and engagingly highlighting a few important points about that artist’s work. Honestly, art history for grown-ups should aim to be this entertaining, since I actually had a really nice time watching these videos. Art with Mati and Dada currently has 40 episodes.

4. Museum Website Content

Most art museums create tons of online resources for children, like art projects and lesson plans. For example, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, offers children’s video tours dedicated to individual works of art as well as an iPad app. London’s Tate has a special X account and YouTube channel for children, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has an interactive #metkids website. Visit your favorite museum online and look for tabs that mention “education” or “families” to find these goodies.

5. Art Books & Coloring Pages

I love books, and I believe that you can almost never go wrong with DK (Dorling Kindersley) books. DK books are informative, well-written, and easy to learn from. To teach kids about art history, DK offers the Children’s Book of Art, featuring artworks from prehistoric to contemporary, and My Art Book, which is full of art projects inspired by world art history. Both look excellent! Older children might appreciate the many grown-up DK art books, which are more sophisticated but very accessible. Just check that the subject matter is age-appropriate. When I was a preteen and teen, my two favorite art books were DK’s Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting by Sister Wendy Beckett and The Story of Architecture by Jonathan Glancey. DK books are available on Amazon.

Coloring pages are lots of fun for kids (and often for adults, too)! Museums and libraries around the world have created printable coloring pages based on artworks in their collections. In addition to being an all-around great activity, coloring requires paying close attention to the details of the artworks. Find links to many fine art coloring pages here.