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Reading self-portraits, clay snails, and much more!
We Are Teachers; Easy Peasy and Fun; Saint James School
By Jill Staake, B.S., Secondary ELA Education
Apr 25, 2024
By second grade, students have a better grasp of basic art concepts and will therefore love a chance to try out new techniques and materials. That’s why they’ll embrace these imaginative projects, which use a wide variety of media to create amazing results. Whether you want to introduce a famous artist like Monet to your students or a concept like 3D sculpture, there really is something for everyone on our list. And parents will be impressed by the beautiful masterpieces their kids bring home to display!
Picklebums
1. Design with yarn art
Looking for a way to use up yarn scraps? Try this cool idea! Use pieces of clear self-adhesive shelf paper, and this second grade art project is a breeze.
String-pull painting has become a trendy craft in recent years, and second grade art students will love getting to try it. The abstract designs they’ll create will definitely wow everyone.
First have kids draw landscapes, cityscapes, or seascapes on manila paper. Then show them how to tear construction paper into pieces to fit their designs and glue into place. Finally, mount the masterpieces on large pieces of construction paper.
This is the perfect second grade art project to do in a pinch since all you will need are crayons, tape, and paper. In addition to taping crayons together and coloring with them, you can have your students experiment with crayon etchings and mixing colors by overlaying them.
Once kids learn the trick to making these 3D hot-air balloons, they’ll weave them in no time. Then, they can spend time adding details to the background, like clouds, birds, or kites flying by!
Kids start by painting an abstract background. Then they add a photo of themselves with a collage of text strips about their favorite things, dreams, and wishes.
This would be the perfect craft to do around Thanksgiving, but we think it would work anytime. Bonus: If you have a toy kitchen in your classroom, this craft can double as a toy.
Mixing and contrasting colors are key concepts for young art students to learn. These cute umbrellas are a fun way to see the color wheel in action using liquid watercolors.
Start by having second grade art students paint an oblong cardboard box with terra-cotta paint and fill it with paper shreds for soil. Then, craft paper flowers and plant a fresh display of color!
Take inspiration from artists like Kandinsky and Frank Stella and make bold geometric art pieces. Kids can trace around lids or plates to make circles or try them freehand.
This is a second grade art project that will take multiple classes to complete, but the end result will totally be worth it. Be sure to really bring it in the supply department with different-colored straws, a variety of beads and pipe cleaners, and some jingle bells.
The best art provokes a reaction—in this case, surprise! Fold the paper and sketch your figure’s face, then open it to add a gaping mouth full of teeth.
Art is all about encouraging kids to see themselves in unique new ways. Underwater self-portraits allow kids to imagine themselves enjoying life under the sea!
These sailboats are easy to replicate with just sponges, wood skewers, card stock, and glue. You can even race them in a big tub of water by having students blow air into a straw to push their boat across the water.
Tissue paper art replicates the soft lines and translucent colors of Monet’s impressionist style. Use this technique to create your own peaceful lily pond.
The soft and colorful flowers in the background contrast sharply with the patterned lines of these friendly creatures. Take the pressure off kids by letting them trace the animal shapes so they can focus on adding texture instead.
One of the best things about this second grade art project is that you can really tailor it to the seasons. In addition to spring flowers, consider fall leaves and paper acorns, or holly leaves and poinsettia flowers.
Your students will definitely be excited to bring their favorite stuffed buddy to school. They will be even more excited when they realize it is going to be the subject of their next art project!
Watch trees blowing in the breeze on a windy day. Then take a look at the work of Gustav Klimt and emulate his style for the bendy trees in this project. Let your imagination take hold and add leaning buildings too!
This is a cool project to do if your students are also studying birds in science class, but they’ll enjoy it even if they’re not. Kids can try to re-create real birds, or let their imagination fly and dream up an entirely new species.
Before beginning this project, read the book Not a Box with your students. Be sure to set aside multiple class periods to work on these since your students will likely get carried away—in a good way!
Begin by learning about the importance of totems and totem poles to First Nations people of the northwest coast. Then have kids choose symbols that are meaningful to them to create their own paper totems.
Pick up some Model Magic, then grab your markers and paint and let your students’ imaginations run wild. They will definitely get a kick out of how realistic their ice cream sundaes look!
These collages may just look like random scraps of paper, but there are actually multiple art concepts in use here. Kids should be able to identify organic vs. geometric shapes and primary vs. secondary colors.
Origami whales with curling paper water spouts add dimension and texture to these compositions. Second grade art projects that use folding and cutting give kids a chance to improve their fine motor skills too.
Second graders might be a little young to understand the “fearful symmetry” of Blake’s Tyger, but they’ll enjoy using the paint-and-print technique to make these wild faces.
Kids will be fascinated to see how wetting the bottom half of the paper changes and mutes the paint colors. Use oil pastels to add lines and water effects.
Clay can feel a little intimidating, but it’s not too difficult to roll a long “snake” and coil it up. Add a body with eyestalks, and the sculpting is done!
The watercolor wash in the background is set off by the geometric-patterned lines of the vases in the foreground. The tissue paper flowers add another bit of texture to this mixed-media project.
These unique pumpkin patches are so fun to make. Ask your students to make the pumpkins as realistic as they can. Then, they can set their imaginations free and make the rest of the composition as unrealistic as they like!
These landscape paintings help kids understand the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background. They’ll also use techniques like wax-crayon-resist and cardboard printing.
Take a trip to a tropical isle and learn art concepts like warm colors, silhouettes, and horizon line. Each piece will be unique, but they’ll all be masterpieces!
It will be fun to see how different each of your students’ paintings come out despite starting with the same premise. We love that this second grade art project teaches about perspective as parts of the snake’s body will be visible while other parts will be hidden.
These colorful creations are so simple and fun. Made from paper plates, these crafts get their vibrant color from liquid watercolors and crayons. Kids will love to fly these birds like paper airplanes or hang them as lively decorations.
We love how incredibly versatile and beautiful these are. Use rocks, leaves, flowers, and more to create lasting markings. Kids can be involved in every step of this project, including collecting materials from nature, which can be an endless source of inspiration.
