Art and Design · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Exploring Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night

Active learning works here because young learners grasp emotional expression in art through their own movements and choices. When pupils swirl paint or pair colours, they connect physical sensation to the feelings in Van Gogh’s work. This hands-on bridge makes abstract ideas about mood and technique concrete and memorable.

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

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

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Whole Class

Close Looking Circle: Starry Night Details

Display a large print. Pupils sit in a circle and pass a soft brush to point at swirls, colours, and shapes while naming what they see. Discuss one key question per turn. End with whole-class mood vote.

Analyze how Van Gogh's swirling brushstrokes create a sense of movement in the sky.

Facilitation Tip

During Close Looking Circle, invite pupils to trace swirls in the air with their fingers before they paint, building muscle memory for curving strokes.

What to look for

Hold up a print of 'The Starry Night'. Ask students to point to a swirl and describe it using one word. Then, ask them to name one colour they see and say if it makes them feel calm or excited.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Small Groups

Brushstroke Mimicry: Swirl Stations

Set up stations with thick paint, wide brushes, and black paper. Pupils practise swirling strokes for sky, dotting for stars, straight for village. Rotate stations, then label emotional effect.

Explain how the colours in 'The Starry Night' contribute to its emotional impact.

Facilitation Tip

Set up Brushstroke Mimicry stations with different tools (brushes, sponges, fingers) so pupils feel how varied tools change mark-making.

What to look for

Show students a simplified version of 'The Starry Night' with only blue and yellow. Ask: 'What if Van Gogh had used red and orange for the sky? How would that change the feeling of the painting?' Record their ideas.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Colour Mood Pairs: Emotion Swaps

Pairs view the painting, list its feelings, then paint a 'what if' version with swapped colours like greens. Compare originals to new moods and share one prediction.

Predict how the painting's mood would change if Van Gogh had used different colours.

Facilitation Tip

For Colour Mood Pairs, provide only primary colours and guide pupils to mix secondaries, reinforcing how hues create mood.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one swirl like Van Gogh's and write one word to describe the painting's mood.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 35 min · Individual

Personal Starry Night: Individual Creation

Pupils choose a feeling, select colours, and paint their night sky with swirls on small canvases. Add a village or cypress. Display for peer comments.

Analyze how Van Gogh's swirling brushstrokes create a sense of movement in the sky.

Facilitation Tip

In Personal Starry Night, limit the palette to two colours to focus on mood, then allow one contrasting accent for emphasis.

What to look for

Hold up a print of 'The Starry Night'. Ask students to point to a swirl and describe it using one word. Then, ask them to name one colour they see and say if it makes them feel calm or excited.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model expressive brushwork first, exaggerating movements to show how marks carry emotion. Avoid over-directing; instead, ask open questions like, ‘What does this swirl feel like to your hand?’ to guide discovery. Research shows young children learn art concepts best when they physically engage with materials before analysing, so prioritise sensory exploration over technical precision at this stage.

Successful learning looks like pupils describing how brushstrokes and colours create feelings, not just naming what they see. They should use expressive language and confidently experiment with their own marks and colour mixes. By the end, pupils connect their choices back to Van Gogh’s methods.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Close Looking Circle, watch for pupils describing the painting as a ‘real’ night sky with straight stars.

  Pause on a swirl and ask, ‘Does this curve remind you of wind, waves, or fire?’ Model tracing the shape in the air to reinforce its expressive purpose.

• During Colour Mood Pairs, listen for pupils calling colours random or naming them without linking to feelings.

  Hold up a yellow and blue mix and ask, ‘Does this feel warm or cool? Quiet or lively?’ Have them adjust until the colour matches their chosen mood.

• During Brushstroke Mimicry, notice pupils making only small, neat strokes rather than bold, curving marks.

  Demonstrate using your whole arm to paint a swirl, then ask pupils to stand and ‘draw’ with their whole bodies before returning to the paper.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share