Art and Design · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Paper Relief Sculpture

Active manipulation of paper helps Year 1 pupils grasp three-dimensional thinking without the complexity of freestanding forms. Handling paper through folding, tearing, and layering builds tactile memory of form and space that flat worksheets cannot replicate.

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

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

Activity 01

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Technique Stations: Paper Manipulations

Prepare stations for folding (pleats, fans), curling (pencils, scissors edges), tearing (organic shapes), and layering (gluing scraps). Small groups rotate every 10 minutes, trying each method on A4 paper and noting texture changes in sketchbooks. End with a whole-class show-and-tell.

Explain how flat paper can be transformed into a 3D form.

Facilitation Tip

During Technique Stations, model each fold or tear slowly so pupils see the exact pressure and direction needed.

What to look for

During the activity, ask students to hold up their paper sculpture. Ask: 'Show me one part that sticks out from the paper. What did you do to make it stick out?' Observe their ability to demonstrate and articulate the manipulation technique.

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

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Pairs

Shadow Play Pairs

Pairs build a simple relief like a flower, predict its shadow under side lighting, then test with a torch on a wall. Adjust the sculpture or light angle, redraw predictions, and compare results. Record favourites in books.

Predict the shadows your paper sculpture will cast under different lighting.

Facilitation Tip

For Shadow Play Pairs, position a single torch to one side so both partners observe the same shadow direction before moving the light.

What to look for

Provide students with a small card. Ask them to draw a simple line representing a flat drawing on one side, and on the other side, draw their paper relief sculpture, showing how it has depth. Ask them to write one word describing the difference.

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

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 40 min · Individual

Themed Relief Individuals

Each child selects a theme like underwater world, sketches a base on card, then adds relief elements using learned techniques. Attach with glue sticks, test shadows, and label 2D versus 3D parts.

Differentiate between a 2D drawing and a 3D paper relief.

Facilitation Tip

In Themed Relief Individuals, show a finished example with clear high and low areas so children can feel the difference between raised and flat parts.

What to look for

Gather students around a light source and their paper sculptures. Ask: 'What happens to the shadows when I move the light closer? Further away? What does this tell us about the shape of your sculpture?' Listen for their observations about how light interacts with the 3D form.

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

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Whole Class

Critique Gallery Walk

Display all reliefs on tables or walls. Whole class walks around, using sticky notes to comment on shadows, techniques, and depth. Discuss as a group what makes effective relief.

Explain how flat paper can be transformed into a 3D form.

Facilitation Tip

During Critique Gallery Walk, ask each child to point to one detail they notice about a peer’s work before sharing their own observation.

What to look for

During the activity, ask students to hold up their paper sculpture. Ask: 'Show me one part that sticks out from the paper. What did you do to make it stick out?' Observe their ability to demonstrate and articulate the manipulation technique.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should alternate short demonstrations with ample unguided exploration so pupils discover properties of paper themselves. Avoid telling children exactly what to make; instead, focus on the transformations they can achieve. Research shows that guided tactile experience strengthens spatial reasoning more than verbal instruction alone.

Children confidently explain how they transformed flat paper into raised shapes and describe how light changes their appearance. They use vocabulary such as high-relief, low-relief, fold, curl, and shadow to discuss their work.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Technique Stations, watch for children who try to lift their paper shapes entirely off the background.

  Place a small piece of sticky tack under each fold to remind children that the base must remain attached; ask them to gently press the tack so only the top edge lifts.

• During Shadow Play Pairs, watch for children who assume shadows always look the same no matter where the light is placed.

  Have pairs place their hands between the torch and the sculpture, then slide the torch closer and further to see the shadow stretch and shrink.

• During Critique Gallery Walk, watch for children who describe their own work as ‘just flat’ even after folding and layering.

  Ask them to trace the outline of their sculpture with a finger, then point out the parts that rise above the paper to identify the raised areas.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inside-Outside Circle
• Gallery Walk