Folk Art Projects for Elementary Students

I am a big fan of cross-curricular art lessons, which is why I love using folk art in elementary art. With folk art, it’s easy to dive into history, culture, geography, language arts, and more. Of course, folk art projects can also be fun, hands-on activities that introduce students to new styles and techniques.

What is Folk Art

Folk art can be a hard art form to define, but essentially, it is art from different cultures and regions that express that society. This is why it’s so hard to put folk art into a box. Each society and culture has a different artistic style and technique that is commonly used to express themselves.

Reasons to Plan a Folk Art Project

Folk art can teach students about more than just art styles and techniques! It can also help them understand the world and other cultures.

Here are a few reasons to implement folk art projects:

#1 Cultural Awareness: Folk art can help elementary school students gain an understanding and appreciation for the art and culture of different countries and regions. When learning about folk art, you can talk about geography, history, and cultural transitions. What a great way to go cross-curricular!

#2 Creative Expression: Folk art can inspire students to express themselves creatively and develop their own unique styles. When studying folk art, students will get a chance to see various techniques, which can help them uncover their own unique style.

#3 Hands-on Learning: Many folk art projects involve hands-on techniques such as weaving, pottery, or paper cutting. Strengthen fine motor skills and introduce students to new artistic mediums through folk art. 

#4 Imagination: A lot of folk art uses imaginative, whimsical, or symbolic elements. You can interpret these elements to develop students' critical thinking and encourage students to use their own imagination and think creatively when creating art.

#5 Critical Thinking: Speaking of critical thinking, with folk art projects, students will analyze the visual and cultural elements of a piece of art. They can also make connections between different works and cultural contexts. This will help deepen their critical thinking skills.

Folk Art Project

Want to plan a folk art project for your elementary students? This done-for-you folk art project makes it simple!

This Folk Art Alligator lesson includes all the materials you need to help students create their own unique piece of artwork. This resource includes a Master Works Analysis, differentiated activities, assessments, reflection sheets, lessons sequence, guided drawings, and more!

This directed drawing project is great for back to school as students are getting comfortable with their artistic abilities. Plus, you can make connections between what they are learning in art class to their social studies and ELA class!

I’m Amanda, and I align standards and integrate content to help teachers meet the needs of the Whole Child in art class! I have yet to find a standard that I couldn’t teach through art, and I want to share it all with you.

Not sure where to start with bringing art and content together? This freebie guide is packed with 25 ideas to align your art lessons with math and ELA standards. Your students will be crafting art and practicing algebraic thinking. Win-win!

I want all students to feel successful in the art room, so I created a standards-based Daffodil Collage lesson to do just that! The lesson includes an artist study, student reflection, and more, so push your artists to their full potential.

Follow along on my Instagram page for more tips on teaching the Whole Child in the art room!

Connecting art and content together doesn’t have to be mind-boggling. I’ve made it simple with 25 math and ELA art lesson starters - for free! Plus, I included 15 worksheets for students to reflect on their art-making journey.