Confidence first, skill second
By the time children leave primary school, about half of them say "I can't draw" or "I'm not arty". Almost none of them said this in Year 1.
What happens? They start judging their own work against an imagined standard, often picked up from grown-ups. Your single biggest job is to keep the confidence alive.
1. Praise the PROCESS, not the result
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Instead of "that's amazing!", try one of these:
"Tell me about it."
"I love how you used so many colours."
"What was the trickiest bit?"
"Which part are you most proud of?"
The first gets a story. The others teach the child to notice their own choices — which is what evaluating art actually means in KS1.
2. Never say "I can't draw"
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If your child asks you to draw something and you say "I can't draw", you teach them that there's a SKILL of drawing some people have and others don't.
There isn't. There's only practice. Say instead: "I haven't drawn one of those in a long time. Let's do it together — neither of ours has to be good."
Then make a wonky drawing yourself. Your child will see you trying. That's the whole lesson.
The art bank + the museum trick
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Make an "art bank" — a box of paper, crayons, pencils, scrap card, foil, bottle tops, leaves, glue, scissors. Keep it accessible. Children who can REACH art make art.
And once a week, look up an artist together. Type "Van Gogh sunflowers" into Google Images with your child watching. Most major museums (Tate, the National Gallery, the V&A, the Royal Academy) have free websites with proper art images. Talking about a real painting for 60 seconds is real KS1 Art & Design — the "know about artists" requirement done.
One thing to remember: art at this age is mostly about FEELING confident enough to put pencil on paper. Everything else follows.
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Well done!
You finished this lesson. You worked hard and learned something new today. 🎉
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