Art and Design · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Painting Techniques: Brushstrokes and Blending

Active learning works well for brushstrokes and blending because these skills rely on physical control and sensory feedback. When children move paint with their hands, they build muscle memory and spatial awareness that static examples cannot provide. Hands-on practice also makes abstract concepts like texture and gradient visible and tangible.

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

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

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Whole Class

Demonstration: Stroke Sampling

Demonstrate short, long, and dabbing strokes on chart paper, naming effects. Give each child thick brushes and primary paints to copy strokes on individual sheets. Circulate to praise varied marks and prompt comparisons.

Compare the effect of short, choppy brushstrokes versus long, smooth ones.

Facilitation Tip

During Stroke Sampling, circulate with a damp sponge to wipe brushes between strokes so students see immediate differences in clean vs. muddy marks.

What to look for

Provide students with a small piece of paper and two colours (e.g., blue and yellow). Ask them to show you how they would blend the colours to make green. Observe if they are pulling the colours together on the paper.

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

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Brushstroke Zones

Set up stations with textured rollers for dabs, wide brushes for longs, and forks for chops. Small groups spend 5 minutes per station, adding strokes to a shared class frieze. Rotate and reflect on changes.

Explain how blending two colours together creates a new shade.

Facilitation Tip

In Brushstroke Zones, place a small mirror at each station so students can watch their grip and pressure as they work.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a picture of a texture (e.g., grass, clouds, fur). Ask them to draw a small sample of that texture on the card using only dabbing brushstrokes.

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

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs Practice: Colour Blending

Pairs select two colours and practice blending from edge to edge on damp paper. Swap colours midway, note new shades formed. Share one blended sample with the class.

Design a painting that uses a variety of brushstrokes to add interest.

Facilitation Tip

For Colour Blending, provide two identical brushes per pair so partners can mimic each other’s blending motions side by side.

What to look for

Hold up two painted examples: one with choppy strokes and one with smooth strokes. Ask: 'Which one looks more like fast movement? Which one looks calmer? Why do you think that?'

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

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Individual

Individual: Mixed Technique Painting

Children plan a simple scene using varied strokes and blends, like a choppy sea blending to smooth sky. Paint freely, then label techniques used.

Compare the effect of short, choppy brushstrokes versus long, smooth ones.

Facilitation Tip

During Mixed Technique Painting, play soft music matching the mood of each technique (e.g., choppy for fast, smooth for calm) to reinforce the connection between sound and mark-making.

What to look for

Provide students with a small piece of paper and two colours (e.g., blue and yellow). Ask them to show you how they would blend the colours to make green. Observe if they are pulling the colours together on the paper.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach these skills through short, focused demonstrations followed by immediate practice. Avoid talking too long without showing the action—children learn best when they see, try, and adjust right away. Model mistakes openly, like over-blending into mud, so students understand that exploration is part of the process. Use simple language such as 'light touch,' 'quick flick,' or 'slow pull' to connect actions to effects.

Successful learning looks like students using varied strokes deliberately to create texture or movement. They should adjust pressure and speed to match their visual goals and blend colours directly on paper for smooth transitions. Group discussions should include clear reasoning about why certain marks or blends suggest specific moods or scenes.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Stroke Sampling, watch for students using the same pressure and speed for every mark.

  Pause the demonstration and have students practise strokes with exaggerated variations in pressure and speed while you narrate the visual effect aloud.

• During Colour Blending, watch for students mixing colours on the palette before applying them to the paper.

  Provide one colour per brush and guide students to pull the second colour directly onto the paper, demonstrating the wet-on-wet transition step by step.

• During Mixed Technique Painting, watch for students avoiding opposite colours due to fear of muddy results.

  Set up a colour wheel on the board and have pairs experiment with blending red and green, prompting them to describe the new shades they create.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation