Visual & Performing Arts · Kindergarten

Active learning ideas

Meet the Artist: Vincent van Gogh

Active learning helps young children connect emotionally with art by engaging their senses and bodies. For Van Gogh, whose work bursts with movement and feeling, hands-on experiences with color and texture make abstract ideas concrete and memorable.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Responding VA.Re7.2.K
• NCAS: Connecting VA.Cn11.1.K

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

Activity 01

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Guided Painting: Starry Night Swirls

Display Starry Night image and demonstrate thick, swirling brushstrokes with white and yellow paint on black paper. Students in small groups paint their own night sky, swirling brushes to show movement. End with a share-out where each child describes the feelings in their painting.

Analyze how Van Gogh used color to express his feelings in his paintings.

Facilitation Tip

During Guided Painting: Starry Night Swirls, demonstrate how to load the brush with thick paint and press firmly to create raised strokes.

What to look for

Show students two paintings, one by Van Gogh and one by a different artist studied previously. Ask students to point to and describe one element (color or brushstroke) that makes them feel a specific emotion, and name the artist.

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

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 20 min · Pairs

Color Emotion Sort: Van Gogh Feelings

Prepare cards with Van Gogh painting details and emotion words like happy or calm. Pairs sort colors from paintings to matching emotions, then paint a quick picture using those colors. Discuss why Van Gogh chose specific hues.

Explain what Van Gogh might have been thinking when he painted 'Starry Night'.

Facilitation Tip

During Color Emotion Sort: Van Gogh Feelings, circulate and ask each student to explain their color choice to you in one sentence.

What to look for

Present Van Gogh's 'Starry Night.' Ask students: 'If Van Gogh could talk to us about this painting, what do you think he would say about the colors he used? What feelings might he have wanted us to have when we look at it?'

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

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Brushstroke Stations: Thick and Swirly

Set up stations with varied brushes, thick paint, and images. Students rotate to try Van Gogh's short, thick strokes versus smooth ones, recording favorites on charts. Compare results as a class.

Compare Van Gogh's painting style to another artist we have studied.

Facilitation Tip

During Brushstroke Stations: Thick and Swirly, play soft classical music to set a calm mood while students explore different tools and pressures.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one type of brushstroke Van Gogh used and write one word to describe the feeling that brushstroke gives them.

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

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Whole Class

Artist Comparison: Van Gogh Pairing

Show Van Gogh and one prior artist side-by-side. Whole class draws one object in each style, noting color and stroke differences. Vote on which feels more energetic.

Analyze how Van Gogh used color to express his feelings in his paintings.

Facilitation Tip

During Artist Comparison: Van Gogh Pairing, guide students to find at least one difference in brushwork between the two images before sharing out.

What to look for

Show students two paintings, one by Van Gogh and one by a different artist studied previously. Ask students to point to and describe one element (color or brushstroke) that makes them feel a specific emotion, and name the artist.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model expressive mark-making with their own brushes first, emphasizing that art can show feelings, not just objects. Avoid over-directing; instead, narrate what you see students doing to build their observational language. Research shows that when young children use large, physical motions to paint, they later describe their work with more emotional detail.

Successful learning looks like students using rich vocabulary to describe colors and brushstrokes, confidently explaining how these choices express emotions. They should show curiosity about Van Gogh’s life and art, and take risks with their own expressive mark-making.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Guided Painting: Starry Night Swirls, watch for students who try to make tiny, realistic stars instead of bold, swirling strokes.

  Pause the class and hold up your painted sample, tracing a swirl with your finger while saying, ‘Van Gogh’s stars spin like a dance in the sky. Can you make yours swirl too?’ Then model a second try.

• During Color Emotion Sort: Van Gogh Feelings, watch for students who pick colors based on favorite hues rather than feelings.

  Prompt each student with, ‘Tell me about a time you felt happy. What color was that moment for you?’ Guide them to connect emotion to color choice before placing it on the board.

• During Brushstroke Stations: Thick and Swirly, watch for students who use light, sketchy strokes instead of thick, textured ones.

  Show them how to press down hard with the bristles and lift to leave a raised line. Let them feel the raised texture with their fingertips to reinforce the difference.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Inside-Outside Circle