Art and Design · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Art from Around the World

Active learning transforms abstract cultural symbols into concrete understanding for six-year-olds. When children move between stations, press foam blocks into ink, or layer cotton buds into patterns, they build memory through touch, sight, and motion. These hands-on experiences convert ‘foreign’ artworks into familiar processes, making meaning memorable.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Art and Design - Knowledge of Artists and Designers

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: World Art Stations

Display enlarged images of Aboriginal dot paintings and Japanese woodblock prints at four stations with magnifying glasses and description cards. Students in small groups spend 5 minutes per station noting colors, patterns, and subjects in sketchbooks. Conclude with a whole-class share-out of one key difference spotted.

Differentiate the techniques used in Aboriginal dot painting from European landscape painting.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, position yourself midway between stations so you can redirect wandering eyes back to the artwork labels without blocking the flow of movement.

What to look for

Show students examples of Aboriginal dot painting and a Japanese woodblock print. Ask: 'Look closely at these two artworks. What are some differences you notice in how the artists made them? How do these differences help tell us about the people who made them?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 40 min · Pairs

Dot Painting Workshop: Dreamtime Stories

Provide colored pom-poms or cotton buds dipped in paint for students to layer dots on paper, creating patterns for animals or land inspired by Aboriginal art. Pairs discuss what their dots represent before adding labels. Display finished works for peer viewing.

Analyze how Japanese woodblock prints tell stories or depict daily life.

Facilitation Tip

For the Dot Painting Workshop, model how to hold the cotton bud like a tiny paintbrush and remind children to rotate their paper to reach every spot.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet showing a simple dot pattern and a simple line drawing. Ask them to write one sentence describing which artwork might be from Aboriginal culture and why, and one sentence describing which might be from Japanese culture and why.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Block Printing Play: Ukiyo-e Scenes

Students carve simple shapes into foam plates (e.g., fish, flowers) using pencils, roll on paint, and press onto paper to build layered prints like Japanese woodblocks. In small groups, they add details to tell a daily life story. Compare prints to originals.

Explain how art can reflect the culture and traditions of a community.

Facilitation Tip

In Block Printing Play, demonstrate how to press the foam block straight down, then lift straight up—no wiggling—to keep edges crisp.

What to look for

During a hands-on activity where students create their own dot art or simple prints, circulate and ask individual students: 'What are you using to make your dots? How is this similar to or different from the art we saw from Australia?' or 'What tools did the Japanese artists use to make their prints?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Whole Class

Compare Circles: Technique Showdown

In a whole-class circle, pass around real tools like sticks for dotting and rubber stamps for printing. Students take turns demonstrating one technique from each culture while others describe what they notice. Record class insights on a shared chart.

Differentiate the techniques used in Aboriginal dot painting from European landscape painting.

Facilitation Tip

During Compare Circles, provide pre-cut circles of each style so children can physically overlap them to spot shared and different traits.

What to look for

Show students examples of Aboriginal dot painting and a Japanese woodblock print. Ask: 'Look closely at these two artworks. What are some differences you notice in how the artists made them? How do these differences help tell us about the people who made them?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers find the most success when they treat cultural art as living traditions, not static products. Avoid showing only finished images; instead, use videos or photos of artists at work so children see the tools and gestures behind the art. Research shows that when students imitate the process first, their appreciation of the final image deepens. Keep comparisons concrete—focus on materials, tools, and gestures before moving to broader cultural meanings.

Successful learning looks like students pointing to specific symbols in their dot paintings and explaining that the dots represent a Dreamtime story. It sounds like children naming tools—cotton buds, foam—used in each tradition and describing at least one difference between the Australian and Japanese art forms. You will see them transfer these techniques into their own work with growing confidence.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Dot Painting Workshop, watch for children creating random dots without symbols or meaning.

  Prompt each child to invent a tiny story or map using at least three dots of different colors, then have them whisper the story to a partner who guesses what it represents.

• During Block Printing Play, watch for students pressing too lightly or dragging blocks, creating blurry prints.

  Pause the group and demonstrate the difference between a light, quick press and a slow drag, then ask volunteers to show correct and incorrect methods side by side.

• During Gallery Walk, watch for students saying all art looks the same because they see dots and lines in both traditions.

  Hand each pair a blank chart with two columns labeled ‘Dots’ and ‘Blocks’ and ask them to sketch or write one feature unique to each style as they move through stations.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Inside-Outside Circle