• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • About Art Class Curator
    • Contact
    • Speaking
    • Media & Press
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Join
  • SPARK Access
  • Member Login

Art Class Curator

Hands-on and Minds-curious Art Learning

  • Art & Artists
  • Art Appreciation Activities
  • Art Teacher Tips
  • Elements & Principles
  • Downloads & Resources
Home
  • About
    • About Art Class Curator
    • Contact
    • Speaking
  • Blog
    • Art & Artists
    • Elements & Principles
    • Art Appreciation Activities
    • Art Teacher Tips
    • Downloads & Resources
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Join
  • SPARK Access
  • Member Login

April 10, 2018 2 Comments

6 Early Finisher Activities Featuring Works of Art

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Inside: Six art history-focused early finisher activities for students who complete their classwork long before everyone else. These activities are inspired by works of art with a focus on art history.

One of the biggest challenges any teacher faces is what to do with the early finishers. You know the students I’m talking about – the ones who turn in their paper while everyone else is still working and then twiddle their thumbs or distract their peers for the rest of the class period. You want these students to stay engaged and spend their class time productively, but who has time to plan a secondary lesson just in case there are some early finishers? I know I don’t. (If you do, please share your secrets!)

early finisher activities for art class

There is hope for the early finisher activities, though. You don’t have to spend hours brainstorming lessons and creating projects to keep them occupied. Simply choose a few of the meaningful art history-inspired early finisher activities below to keep all of your students learning until the bell rings.

When I finally transitioned from being an “art on the cart” teacher to having my own classroom, I set up an area called Creativity Corner. All of my students knew that when they finished their work early, they were expected to head to the corner. This let them take advantage of the supplies (modelling clay, paper, drawing instruments, etc.) and easy finisher activities there without distracting other students. I know this space was a luxury, so don’t fret if you don’t have the extra room. These art history early finisher activities are mess-free, take up little to no space, and can be done at students’ desks.

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase using links from these links, Art Class Curator receives a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Complete the Picture

The Art Curator for Kids - Complete the Picture - An Easy Art Appreciation Game for Kids

This easy art appreciation game is perfect for all ages. For Complete the Picture, you give students a small part of a painting like the one above and have them draw the scene around it. Be sure to offer several intriguing images that will spark your students’ imaginations. When your early finishers are done drawing the scene they imagine, direct them to a copy of the full artwork so they can compare their drawing with the actual painting. You can download a free printable and see my favorite artworks for this activity in this post.

Free PDF!

Complete the Picture

Ready-to-go Art Appreciation Activity

This is a great activity to have on hand in your classroom. Just print it and give it to your student or the whole class. They draw the scene around a small portion of the artwork. Or, just discuss what they notice in the portion and have them predict what will be in the rest of the painting. When they’re done, show them the full (included) artwork and discuss!

Download

Free PDF!

Complete the Picture

Ready-to-go Art Appreciation Activity

This is a great activity to have on hand in your classroom. Just print it and give it to your student or the whole class. They draw the scene around a small portion of the artwork. Or, just discuss what they notice in the portion and have them predict what will be in the rest of the painting. When they’re done, show them the full (included) artwork and discuss!

Early Finisher Activities: Puzzles

Crowdsource a Puzzle

Have students collaborate across classes to complete a puzzle of an artwork. Putting together a puzzle requires students to use their observation skills and helps them pay attention to details. There are a lot of great artwork puzzles available, from Van Gogh and Hokusai to Vermeer and Renoir. If you’re short on space, use a puzzle mat for easy storage.

Make Your Own Puzzles

Since many art puzzles are in the 1,000+ piece category, an option that might work better for younger students is to create your own art history inspired puzzles. Print some of your favorite artworks and cut them into jigsaw pieces for your students to put back together. For durability, you can laminate the pieces or print the images on card stock or mount to thin cardboard (like cereal boxes).

Early Finisher Activities Art Class Curator

Art Library

Gather art books to create your own classroom library. Visual encyclopedias and artist biographies offer a wealth of information and images for early finishers to comb through while they wait for their classmates. They can explore art history as a whole or research a specific artist or time period. You can purchase your own books or use your school’s library to offer a variety of titles. If you don’t have the space for physical books but do have easy internet access, have students use websites like Khan Academy, The Met Museum or the art history section of Ducksters.

Scavenger Hunts

Art libraries are perfect for scavenger hunts and there are several ways to use the books (or websites) to get students searching and discovering.

  • Create worksheets that direct students to specific pages and have them answer questions about the artwork on that page.
  • Create codebreaker worksheets that ask students to find specific items (such as a seashell or Cupid, etc.) then use the page numbers the items were found on to correspond to letters and reveal a secret message.
  • Have students find and draw a list of specific items.
    • For younger students, add a math component by having them find and draw several of the same item (such as ten hats or three dogs, etc.). For a language integration, have them find objects that start with each letter of the alphabet and draw those (such as an ant for A, a ball for B, a cat for C, etc.).

Art Cards

Postcard sized artworks enable students to quickly ingest a lot of knowledge about multiple pieces. You can create your own or buy a set and write facts and questions on the back for students to ponder. The Louvre compiled a great deck that includes 100 artworks with in-depth historical information on each card.

Early Finisher Activities - Art Class Curator - Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931
Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931

Drawing Prompts

One of my favorite early finisher activities is zany drawing prompts. I write several notecards and separate them into who, what, how, and where categories. Students pick a card from each category and draw the resulting combination. For example, a student might be asked to draw a giraffe (who) dancing (what) slowly (how) on the moon (where).

Early Finisher Activities The Art Curator for Kids - Francisco Goya - The Straw Manikin
Francisco Goya, The Straw Manikin, 1791-92

To put an art history twist on these freeform prompts, create cards based on specific artworks. For example, using The Straw Manikin as inspiration, you could write cards asking for a mannequin (who) being thrown (what) up high (how) in the air (where). Or, you can give them a complete prompt, such as ‘draw time moving slowly’ (based on The Persistence of Memory shown above) or ‘draw dogs in a theatre’ (based on Their Master’s Voice pictured below). When they complete their drawing, you can direct them to images of the artwork that inspired the prompt.

Early Finisher Activities - Art Class Curator - Michael Sowa, Their Master's Voice
Michael Sowa, Their Master’s Voice, 1996

Using Technology

It’s becoming more and more common for students to have their own computers or tablets in the classroom. Whether your students share a computer or have their own devices, utilizing technology is a great way to keep early finishers engaged.

There are endless art resources online, but searching through all of them to find quality content takes a lot of time, so here are some of my favorites:

  • The National Gallery of Art website offers fifteen entertaining, interactive activities that will allow students to explore their own creativity while learning about art history.
  • They can explore the elements and principles with The Artist’s Toolkit.
  • Students get to learn about the myths and legends that have influenced artists around the world on this site.
  • Many Native American languages do not have a word for art, yet their cultures are teeming with artworks that are both functional and, in many cases, sacred. Surrounded by Beauty introduces students to the unique art of Native Americans from across the continent.
  • Inside Art takes students on an interactive adventure that explores the techniques and artists behind four artworks.
  • Students can make their very own Jackson Pollock splatter painting.
  • A. Pintura: Art Detective lets students play the part of a 1940’s noir detective with a degree in art history who must identify the origin of a painting by exploring the works of various artists. The site offers a free worksheet that can be paired with the game.
  • Younger students will enjoy doodling over the masterpieces of artists from Rembrandt and Degas to Miro and Picasso on Toy Theater.

Ultimate Art Appreciation Teaching Bundle

This stellar bundle includes everything you need to teach incredible, engaging art appreciation lessons.

Buy Now
Art Teacher Blogs

This post is a part of The Art Ed Blogger’s Network: Monthly Tips and Inspiration from Art Teacher Blogs. On the first Tuesday each month, each of these art teacher blogs will post their best ideas on the same topic.

Participating Art Teacher Blogs:

  • Art Class Curator
  • Art Ed Guru
  • Art is Basic
  • Art Room Blog
  • Art Teacher Tales
  • Art with Mr. E
  • Arte a Scuola
  • Artful Artsy Amy
  • Capitol of Creativity
  • Create Art with ME
  • MiniMatisse
  • Mona Lisa Lives Here
  • Mr. Calvert’s Art Room Happenings
  • Mrs. Boudreaux’s Amazing Art Room
  • Mrs. T’s Art Room
  • Ms. Nasser’s Art Studio
  • Party in the Art Room
  • shine brite zamorano
  • Tales from the Traveling Art Teacher
  • There’s a Dragon in my Art Room

Please note, this post includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Art Appreciation Activities, Art Ed Blogger's Network, Art Teacher Tips
Tagged With: francisco goya, michael sowa, salvador dali

 

You May Also Enjoy These Posts:

Complete the Picture: An Easy Art Appreciation Game and PrintableBeyond Dogs Playing Poker Dogs in Art-pinBeyond the Poker Table: 25 Dogs in ArtDrawing Description Art Learning Activity - Art Class CuratorSuper Fun Art Description and Drawing Activity for Developing Language Skills

Reader Interactions

2 Comments

  1. Mikela Moss-Ukena

    April 10, 2018 at 9:39 am

    I’m excited to get these.

    Reply to this comment to Mikela Moss-Ukena" aria-label=' Reply to this comment to Mikela Moss-Ukena'> Reply to this comment
  2. 4th.grade

    December 12, 2019 at 3:13 am

    This was very helpful with a lot of good resources.

    Reply to this comment to 4th.grade" aria-label=' Reply to this comment to 4th.grade'> Reply to this comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Cindy Ingram, the creator of Art Class Curator and The Curated Connections Library

I’m on a mission to revolutionize education with the power of life-changing art connections. Art is not “extra”. Art is essential. We are empowering teachers to bridge the gap between art making and art connection, kindling a passion for art that will transform generations.

More About Me

Free Worksheets!

Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Download

Free Worksheets!

Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Enrollment in Curated Connections Library is currently open for enrollment. Click here for more information or to join. If you are purchasing for a school or school district, head over here for more information.

Check Out What’s New In The Shop

SPARK Elementary Distance Learning Curriculum
SPARK Hybrid Learning Art Curriculum
Artwork of the Week Lesson: Yayoi Kusama, My Heart is Dancing Into the Universe
Artwork of the Week Lesson: Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)

More Products

Have You Listened to the Latest Podcast Episode?

Art is Everything: Our Classroom is Not a Bubble

More Episodes

Testimonials

I like how this program, unlike other art class resource membership programs, feels authentic. It's like art matters more here, and not fancy flash-in-the-pan trendiness. The goal of Art Class Curator seemed to be helping kids develop a lifelong love and art appreciation versus "Hey, look. I painted this fish."
Erin A.
Your questions are helping me to delve into much deeper learning, and my students are getting better at discussion-and then, making connections in their own work. Art Class Curator is awesome!
Denise W.
Interestingly, my lower performing classes really get engaged in these [lessons] and come away with some profound thoughts!
Melissa G.
I had the most amazing 6th grade class today. They were jumping out of their seats with hands raised just to respond and give input. It was as if I was waving candy in front of them! They saw more and more and the ideas and interpretations unfolded. So cool!!! This is what makes teaching art so wonderful – thank you!!
Caroline G.
I just wanted to thank you for the invaluable resource you have through Art Class Curator. Not only do you have thought provoking activities and discussion prompts, but it saves me so much time in preparing things for myself! I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface with your site.
Maryjane F.

Get Art Inspiration To Your Inbox!

Enter your email address to get regular art inspiration to your inbox
plus a BUNDLE OF 6 FREE WORKSHEETS!
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.

Copyright © 2021 Ignite Art, LLC DBA Art Class Curator •  All rights reserved  •  Privacy Policy  •  Terms of Service  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs