One of my favorite elementary back to school art projects is designing a pencil. I mean, what says ‘back to school’ more than a pencil, right?
Chunky pencils. Skinny pencils. Pencils with bright colors and cute patterns on them. I love them all.
That’s why I designed this pencil art project for my elementary kids.
It teaches a lot of the basics: line, color, shape, and pattern.
Not to mention, my students really love it. It puts them in the back to school mood.
It’s perfect for elementary kids. But psst: I’ve had some middle schoolers ask to make one, too.
And, they look great on my bulletin board during back to school. Which is the entire point (literally, the point) here.
Teachers have enough to do at the beginning of the school year. Here’s a project that can motivate kids to start the year off right and decorate your board. That’s a win in my book.
Roll a Pencil Project & Game
I’ve started creating a series of roll a dice art games. Unlike the other art history games I have in store, these give teachers the most flexibility because they’re not content-specific.
The first of these is a Design a Pencil Art Project.
Pair it with the writing prompts that are included or incorporate it into a back to school theme.
All you need to provide to your students is white drawing paper, markers, small brushes, and water containers. Let them do the rest!
Design a Pencil Project
Students roll the die five times to collect different patterns to fill inside the pencil shape.
Included in this resource is a pencil tracer to ensure success for every student.
There are a couple ways teachers can approach this project. Pick which is most suitable for you:
- Follow all the directions as given: have students trace the pencil worksheet onto a sheet or white drawing paper, draw the patterns, color over them, and use water to “paint” it in.
- Print out the tracer as a worksheet for your students, skip the “paint” portion, and just have them color it in with dry media like markers, crayons, and colored pencils. This is great if you’re in a time crunch!
MONEY SAVING TIP: If you’re short on time and paper or you’re in a one-on-one school environment, just post the game board on your smartboard.
You can always have them draw their own pencil, too, if you don’t have time to run to the photocopier. We’ve all been there!
Pencil Art Projects
My fourth graders designed these pencils. Considering they only had one class to work on these, I think they did a fabulous job!
Roll a Pencil Video Tutorial
Watch me paint my pencil art project here:
Pencil-Themed Bulletin Board Phrases
So once your students have designed their pencils, it’s time to turn them into a bulletin board for your hallway. Here’s a list of creative phrases you can post alongside the pencils.
- “Pencil-Perfect Art”
- “Write On!”
- “Colorful Creations”
- “Our Class is On Point!”
- “Pencil Power”
- “Drawing Up Success”
- “A Sharp Group of Artists”
- “Creative Points”
- “Pencil in the Fun”
- “Lead the Way with Art”
- “Sharp Minds at Work”
- “Pencil-tastic!”
- “Art on Point”
- “Sketching Success in Art This Year”
- “Pointing to Creativity”
These phrases should help make the bulletin board eye-catching and fun for everyone.
Ready to Design Some Pencils?
I’ve made it easy for you to implement this art project in your lessons. It’s as easy as print and go!
Bulletin board ideas don’t have to be so much work for teachers. Let it be about what the kids have created.
And put your focus on grading papers, handing back work, and communicating with parents.
You can check out this Design a Pencil Game in my shop. It comes with the game board, step-by-step photo directions, two writing prompts, and a template.
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