I love the first days of school. They are chaotic and a little stressful, but I love them anyway! My favorite part of a new school year is getting to know my students. Here are two fun art projects for back to school! Your students will love them, and the bonus is that they will help you get to know your students better.
SUMMER HAPPENINGS SELF-PORTRAIT:

This is one of my all time favorite activities because when I put the finished portraits on display, the students LOVE studying their peers’ portraits. I too pore over their artwork so I can get to know the students better. Funny enough, their self-portraits often do look a lot like the artists that drew them!
The goal is for the students to create a simple self-portrait with text boxes to help explain the things they did over the summer. What I love is that the descriptions can be super-simple because not everyone is able to go on grand vacations during the summer break. I first saw this activity on Art Projects For Kids website. Her directions and sample have changed, but her super easy directions are available on her site. (Her original sample, “Kathy” is shown here.)
WHO AM I? WATERCOLOR POSTER

Another one of my favorite art projects for the beginning of the year is a Who Am I? Watercolor Poster. The simplicity of the project means that with a little guidance, everyone is successful! Each of the images represents something having to do with the artist. In this image, for example:
– the KRW is the artist’s initials
– the umbrella represents April, the artist’s birth month
– the lighthouse symbolizes North Carolina, the artist’s birthplace
– the jack o’ lantern represents fall, their favorite season
– the image in the upper-right hand corner shows their two favorite colors
Click on the link to check it out in my TPT store!
I hope you and your students enjoy these two fun art projects for back to school! Please reach out if you have any questions.