Six no-prep art activities a substitute can run with just paper, pencils and crayons, plus an art sub plan template. Press Use this activity and the steps, materials and clean-up drop into the plan, ready to print.
Safety first: plan sub days around dry materials such as pencils, crayons, colored pencils and markers. Leave paint, clay, glazes, printing inks, craft knives, hot glue and the kiln for when you are back, and tell the substitute where allergy and medical information is kept.
No-prep art activities
Pattern name design
Grades 2–840–50 minutes
Materials:White paper, pencils, erasers, black markers or fine pens, colored pencils or crayons.
Steps to read to the class:
Write your first name or initials in big bubble letters, touching the edges of the paper.
Draw 8 to 12 lines across the background to split it into sections.
Fill each section with a different pattern: dots, stripes, zigzags, waves, checks or tiny circles.
Go over your pencil lines with marker.
Color the letters in bright colors so your name stands out from the patterns.
Clean-up:Cap the markers and put them back in the tubs. Write your name on the back and put your work in the class tray.
Early finishers:Add a patterned border, or design a second set of initials for a friend.
Mirror symmetry creatures
Grades K–530–45 minutes
Materials:Paper, pencils, crayons or colored pencils.
Steps to read to the class:
Fold your paper in half and open it again. The fold is the line of symmetry.
On one side only, draw half of a creature: a bug, a butterfly, a robot or a monster. Its middle should touch the fold.
Now draw the other half so it matches, like a reflection in a mirror. Check each part: eyes, legs, wings.
Color both halves with the same colors and patterns.
Give your creature a name and write it at the bottom.
Clean-up:Crayons back in the box, paper scraps in the recycling, work in the class tray.
Early finishers:Draw a symmetrical home for your creature on the back.
Blind contour hands
Grades 4–1240–50 minutes
Materials:Paper, pencils, black markers; colored pencils (optional).
Steps to read to the class:
A contour drawing shows the edges of something with lines. Today the goal is careful looking, not a perfect picture.
Warm-up: look only at your non-drawing hand, not your paper. Draw its edges slowly for 2 minutes without lifting your pencil. Expect it to look funny!
Do two more warm-ups with your hand in different poses.
Final drawing: now you may glance at your paper, but spend most of the time looking at your hand. Draw the outline and the lines inside, such as knuckles and nails.
Trace your best lines with marker and fill the spaces with patterns or color.
Clean-up:Pencils and markers back in the tubs. Put your warm-ups and final drawing together in the class tray.
Early finishers:Do a blind contour drawing of your shoe or a classmate’s face (with their permission).
Dream treehouse design
Grades 1–840–50 minutes
Materials:Paper, pencils, crayons, colored pencils or markers.
Steps to read to the class:
List five things your dream treehouse would have, such as a slide, a reading nook or a rope bridge.
Draw a big tree trunk and branches that fill the page.
Build your treehouse into the branches with all five features.
Add labels with arrows to show what each part is.
Color your drawing, then write two sentences about your favorite part.
Clean-up:Supplies back in the tubs, scraps in the trash or recycling, work in the class tray.
Early finishers:Draw a map of how to get to your treehouse.
Shape monsters
Grades K–230–40 minutes
Materials:Paper, pencils, crayons.
Steps to read to the class:
Fold your paper into four boxes and open it.
In each box, draw one big shape: a circle, a square, a triangle and a rectangle.
Turn each shape into a monster: add eyes, a mouth, arms, legs, hair or horns.
Color your monsters.
Tell a partner which monster is the friendliest and why.
Clean-up:Crayons back in the box, work in the class tray, chairs pushed in.
Early finishers:Draw a fifth monster on the back using a shape of your choice, such as a star or a heart.
One activity for the whole day. Choose one activity that can be shortened or lengthened, so a substitute with many classes only has to learn it once. Pick by grade band when classes are very different.
Keep an art sub tub. A box with paper, pencils, crayons and a printed copy of this plan means even a surprise absence is covered.
Write the clean-up routine down. Art rooms run on routines. Say when to start cleaning up, where everything goes and how students show they are ready.
Say where finished work goes, so you can see it when you are back and give students feedback.
What can a substitute do in art class without art knowledge?
Drawing activities with simple steps and dry materials work best: pattern designs, symmetry drawings, contour drawing and design challenges. Each activity here has steps written to be read aloud.
Which art materials should I avoid on a sub day?
Anything messy, sharp or hot: paint, clay, glazes, printing inks, craft knives, hot glue guns and the kiln. Stick to paper, pencils, crayons, colored pencils and markers.
Can I use the same art sub plan for every grade?
Often, yes. Most of these activities work across several grades if you adjust the time and the level of detail you expect. The grade band on each one is a guide.
