Art and Design · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Exploring Different Types of Lines

Active learning works here because young children learn about lines by doing, not just seeing. Moving between stations, searching the room, and drawing emotions let them feel how lines differ. This hands-on approach builds memory and confidence faster than worksheets or lectures alone.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Art and Design - Drawing

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Line Exploration Stations

Prepare four stations with tools for thick lines (markers), thin lines (pencils), wavy lines (crayons on textured paper), and jagged lines (chalk on black paper). Groups rotate every 7 minutes, draw samples, and note one emotion each line suggests. End with a gallery walk to share.

Differentiate between a thick and a thin line in your drawing.

Facilitation Tip

During Line Exploration Stations, model each tool’s pressure in front of students before they begin, showing how to make thick and thin lines with the same pencil.

What to look for

Show students a collection of images (e.g., a tree, a river, a fence, a lightning bolt). Ask them to point to the image that best shows a wavy line and explain why. Then ask them to point to the image with a jagged line and explain their choice.

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

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Pairs

Line Hunt: Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Give each pair a clipboard and pencil. Students search the room for real-world examples of thick, thin, wavy, and jagged lines, sketch them quickly, and label with a feeling. Regroup to compare findings on a class chart.

Explain how a wavy line can show movement in a picture.

Facilitation Tip

During the Line Hunt, hand out clipboards so children can record finds quickly and stay engaged while moving.

What to look for

Provide students with two drawings: one using only thick lines and another using only thin lines to depict the same object, like a house. Ask: 'Which drawing feels stronger? Which feels lighter? How do the lines change how the house looks and feels?'

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

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Pairs

Emotion Lines: Feelings Draw

Model drawing a line for 'happy' (wavy) and 'angry' (jagged). Pairs draw lines for three emotions provided on cards, then swap to guess each other's feelings. Discuss matches as a class.

Analyze how different line types make you feel when you see them.

Facilitation Tip

During Emotion Lines, provide emotion word cards at each table so students can connect feelings to line types before drawing.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one object using only wavy lines and another object using only jagged lines. Have them label each drawing with the type of line used.

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

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Whole Class

Movement Lines: Whole Class Story

Tell a simple story about wind and rain. Students add lines to a shared large paper: wavy for wind, jagged for lightning. Pause for whole class contributions, then reflect on how lines show action.

Differentiate between a thick and a thin line in your drawing.

Facilitation Tip

During Movement Lines, stand at the side of the circle to narrate the story, keeping momentum and modeling line choices aloud.

What to look for

Show students a collection of images (e.g., a tree, a river, a fence, a lightning bolt). Ask them to point to the image that best shows a wavy line and explain why. Then ask them to point to the image with a jagged line and explain their choice.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by letting children discover differences firsthand. Avoid demonstrating too much at once, as over-instruction can limit their experimentation. Research shows young artists learn best by comparing their work to peers’ and receiving immediate, specific feedback. Keep language simple and visual, using comparisons like ‘This line is bouncy like a spring’ to build understanding.

Successful learning looks like students naming and using thick, thin, wavy, and jagged lines with purpose. They should explain how line choice changes a drawing’s feel and begin to match line types to moods or movements. Look for confident tool use and willingness to try new marks.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Line Exploration Stations, watch for students who use the same pressure for all lines.

  Remind them to focus on how pressure changes thickness, and demonstrate pressing lightly for thin lines and firmly for thick lines using the same tool.

• During Emotion Lines, watch for students who draw only faces to show feelings.

  Guide them to use line types to show emotion in non-face objects, like a jagged cloud for anger or wavy grass for happiness.

• During Line Hunt, watch for students who ignore thick versus thin differences.

  Ask them to hold up their findings and name the line type aloud in pairs, reinforcing visibility and contrast.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation