Year 3 Art and design skills

Developing skills in: design, drawing, craft, painting and art appreciation; making a variety of puppets using different materials, completing a drawing from observation, learning the difference between a tint and a shade and creating versions of a cartoon drawn by a famous illustrator

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Art and design > Lower key stage 2 > Art and design skills

Please note

This unit has now been replaced by the Year 3 unit Ancient Egyptian scrolls. Kapow no longer updates these lessons, and they may not reflect the national curriculum or current guidance. They remain a permanent part of your subscription and will continue to be available for reference and use. We recommend that you explore the new versions of the lessons.

Choose your lesson

Introduction to sketchbooks

This video introduces the sketchbook - a must for all artists to record their ideas, inspiration and a place to practise and refine their skills

Lesson 1: Learning about…Carl Giles

Looking at the Carl Giles cartoon ‘Mother’s Day’ that depicts a family picnic, children consider the humour of the piece and explore the concept of family, drawing their own family having a meal in a cartoon style and giving each member a distinguishing feature

Lesson 2: Painting: Tints and shades - Option 1 (Original scheme)

Learning that a 'tint' is made by adding white to a colour and a 'shade' by adding black, pupils mix their own colours to paint the template of an animal, working across the image from light to dark and completing a contrasting background.

Lesson 2: Painting: Tints and shades - Option 2: Christmas themed

Learning that a 'tint' is made by adding white to a colour and a 'shade' by adding black, pupils mix colours to paint a Christmas-themed template, working across the image from light to dark and completing a contrasting background.

Learning Objective

To understand how to create tint and shade of a colour

Lesson 3: Drawing: My toy story (Original scheme)

Drawing a favourite soft toy from observation, adding texture by applying mark making skills.

Learning Objective

To develop observational drawing

Lesson 4: Craft and Design 1: Craft puppets

Using a polystyrene ball, a selection of paints, card, dowel rods and grey felt, children make a puppet mouse inspired by the book ‘The Dark at the Top of the Stairs’ by Sam McBratney

Lesson 5: Craft and Design 2: Sock puppets

Pupils transform an unwanted, old sock into a cat 'monster' using googly eyes, card, pens and fabric

Lesson 6: Craft and Design 3: Shadow puppets

Children create cat and mice shadow puppets from templates or by drawing their own silhouettes, then make and decorate a puppet theatre using a cereal box, ready for a performance

Assess your pupils

Assessment resources for use at the start of the unit to assess where pupils are in their learning and at the end of the unit to assess progress. Go to assessment resources