This Piet Mondrian Art Project is part of my kindergarten art curriculum. This is a very simple art project that’s perfect for young kids, letting them explore shape and color in a manageable way. It’s a fantastic, age-appropriate introduction to abstract art, primary colors, and the concept of line.
Famous Artist Series from Kids Art Projects 101
This is such a great approach because it layers art history connections with guided instruction about the elements of art and design principles. The scripted PowerPoint format can be easily utilized in a variety of settings. In this video, I share specific tips and considerations to help you implement the Piet Mondrian unit with ease.
Watch the video, or read the transcript below if you prefer.
~VIDEO TRANSCRIPT~
Hi Everyone,
I am so excited to take you on a little video tour of our very first scripted slideshow and project guide. This month’s slideshow is going to focus on Piet Mondrian. I love to use him with the little guys because his work is such a direct connection to primary colors and straight lines, and these are the kinds of things that are really appropriate for working with younger artists.
PIET MONDRIAN ART PROJECT SESSION 1
This is the first of three sessions, ideally lasting 40 minutes each.
Background Info
The first session I set up for you involves a digital storybook.
I’ve had a really hard time finding a story about Mondrian that I felt was short enough to hold little kids’ attention spans, so I made one! It includes everything they need to understand and how that will connect to the studio project. You can share the YouTube version with your students, too.
Begin Piet Mondrian Studio Project
After reading the story, hand out the supplies they’ll need for the beginning of their studio project: A full sheet of white paper, some red, yellow, blue, and black construction paper pieces, a pencil, and some glue.
Once they have their supplies, have them glue red, yellow, blue, and black paper pieces squarely onto their white sheet, and then write their name on it. Then you (or they) will need to get their sheets on a drying rack to let the glue set.
Early Finishers
I have also included a simple handout to be used as an early finisher activity.
If you have someone who flies through everything, this is a simple activity that just prompts them to draw thick and thin vertical and horizontal lines and then add a little red, yellow, and blue.
It’s a fun way for them to demonstrate their understanding because when they come back for the next session, they’re really going to need to be working on those vertical and horizontal black lines.
That’s it for Session One!
PIET MONDRIAN ART PROJECT SESSION 2
Adding to Their Art
For Session Two, kids will need their art piece from Session One and some black paper strips. I would recommend pre-cutting these and giving each kid somewhere between 5 and 6 strips. You don’t want to give them too many as they will definitely use everything you hand them. Also, be sure to give kids a quick refresher on vertical and horizontal lines before moving on!
Once you feel confident that they understand how to lay out their strips both vertically and horizontally, you can go ahead and have them glue these down.
Trimming
After their strips are all glued down, pass out scissors and let them trim off any lines that go over the edge of the paper.
They will be left with a bunch of trimmings at this point. Take this opportunity to tell them if they want to glue any of these trimmings onto their collage somewhere, go for it!
Once they finish that, they should clean up and put their art away to let it dry.
Early Finishers
There’s an additional printout for this session about Mondrian-inspired fashion that you can use as an early finisher activity. This one is another way for them to have some fun using either markers, crayons, or colored pencils in a way that reflects what they’ve learned about Piet Mondrian.
If they want to make it wild, change some things about it, or put a creative twist, that’s okay! It’s for fun, so let them have fun with it!
PIET MONDRIAN ART PROJECT SESSION 3
Review
The third session will offer a little digital review to check for understanding. Our little cartoon Mondrian will ask questions like “What colors do I like?” and “What kind of lines do I like?” that your kids will get a kick out of!
Then, take all of their finished projects and spread them all out on the floor. There will be certain similarities, but they’ll all be unique in their own ways.
Art Show
Have an art show and pose some questions for the class to discuss! “Which one is catching your eye the most out of all these?” or “Ask your shoulder partner which one stands out to them and why” are great options.
Since you’re getting them to talk simultaneously, you get 100% engagement! Instead of calling out one kid to share their answer, leaving everyone else staring silently. Any little trick you can do to get them all actively participating is awesome. Kids love it, and your admin will love that too.
Self-Assessment
If you have time left after the art show, there’s a short self-assessment included as well. These questions are simple statements like “I have red, yellow, and blue shapes in my collage” and will have smiley, neutral, and unhappy faces next to them. Kids will need to examine their art and circle the option that best fits their piece.
So, that’s basically it. I hope that you have fun with this one!
More About the Piet Mondrian Art Unit
Introduce children to famous artworks and details about Piet Mondrian in this series of three elementary art lessons. Use the done-for-you digital storybook to look at his famous artworks and introduce students to a brief history of Piet Mondrian and his work with lines and primary colors. Then, use the digital presentation with step-by-step art project directions to guide young artists as they play and experiment with lines and primary colors to create a Mondrian-inspired art project.
Inside the unit, you’ll find a 19-page PDF unit guide full of information and tips for teaching this series of art lessons to students in preschool through grade 2.
✨You don’t need a lot of background knowledge of the artist or art curriculum, and you don’t have to do any extra research to teach these art lessons. I’ve included all the details here for you to open and go. Think of how much time you’ll save on planning!
The unit is broken down into three 40-minute sessions.
For each session there is a guided digital presentation that has already been prepared for you and can be used via Google Slides or PowerPoint. The presentation also introduces and guides you through the completion of a studio project and follow-up activity.
The 66-page combined PDF and Google Slides full resource includes:
- An original digital storybook designed to expose students to famous artworks and details about Piet Mondrian
- A digital step-by-step studio project guide with clear directions, supply lists, and work sample photos
- A printable studio project follow-up activity
- A printable early finisher activity
- A digital lesson overview
- A printable self-assessment
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