60 Fantastic 3rd Grade Art Projects That Teach and Inspire

1. Grow a garden of Georgia O’Keeffe flowers

O’Keeffe’s big brilliant blooms are very accessible for kids. Paint enormous flowers in a variety of colors and mount them on contrasting backgrounds for a gorgeous display.

Get the tutorial: Georgia O’Keeffe Flowers

2. Paint watercolor winter landscapes

Capture the gorgeous colors of a winter sunset with this 3rd grade art project. Painting on cardboard pizza rounds makes this art project for 3rd graders extra fun!

Get the tutorial: Watercolor Winter Landscapes

3. Use dots to paint aboriginal-style animals

Explore the history of Australian aboriginal art, then create some of your own. The results of this 3rd grade art project are truly impressive.

Get the tutorial: Australian Aboriginal Dot Art

4. Learn to add dimension with watercolor donuts

Use jar lids in two different sizes to draw donut shapes. Then, fill them in with watercolors, using different shades to add depth.

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Donuts

5. Paint trees from a new vantage point

Explore one-point perspective with these cool tree paintings. Have your students use a Q-tip to create dots for leaves. Be sure to have them make the dots smaller as they get closer to the top since those leaves should appear farther away.

Get the tutorial: One-Point Perspective Trees

7. Build Ton Schulten–style cityscapes

Ton Schulten paints landscapes using bright blocks of color. This is an easy concept for kids to try, and the results are vivid and joyful.

Get the tutorial: Ton Schulten Cityscapes

8. Discover tints and shades with ice cream

Artists create tints by mixing colors with white and shades by mixing colors with black. Try out some paint mixing with your 3rd grade art students by creating these yummy ice cream cones.

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Tint/Shade Ice Cream Cones

9. Paint some Jim Dine–inspired hearts

Students often learn about Andy Warhol in school, but why not teach them about other pop artists like Jim Dine? Inspired by his painting The Confetti Heart, this project would make for a nice Valentine’s Day gift!

Get the tutorial: Pop Art for Kids: Painted Heart Inspired by Jim Dine

10. Paste together collage bugs

Collages are always a hit with kids, so we love this version where kids use paper scraps to craft colorful insects. Combine this art project for 3rd graders with a science lesson to expand the learning.

Get the tutorial: Bug Collage Project

11. Craft an Asian paper fan

These traditional fans are simple to fold—the impressive part comes in the prints or designs you decorate them with first.

Get the tutorial: Asian Folding Fan

12. Pose paper chickens

Add folded paper strips to a papier-mâché chicken, stand it tall on its skinny legs, and admire your creation!

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Chicken Sculptures

13. Collage like Picasso

First, introduce your students to Pablo Picasso and some of his more famous works, including the painting Weeping Woman. Then, encourage them to use different shapes and colors to create a self-portrait collage.

Get the tutorial: How To Make Picasso Collages for Kids

14. Arrange a box furniture room

Start by teaching 3rd graders how to create simple paper boxes. Then, they can use different sizes and colors to build their own miniature room!

Get the tutorial: Box Furniture Room

15. Grow paper flowers

There is something so whimsical and sweet about these eight-petal paper flowers. Have a variety of paper available in different colors and patterns so students can really get into personalizing them.

Get the tutorial: Folding Paper Flowers

16. Fold 3D paper snowflakes

These look more complicated than they are, though they will take some strong fine motor skills to make. Kids won’t believe the incredible results of this papercraft art project for 3rd graders!

Get the tutorial: 3D Paper Snowflake

17. Sculpt fantastic clay birds

Start by having your 3rd grade art students dream up the bird they’d like to sculpt. Then pull out the clay and get to work!

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Clay Birds

18. Design a beaded snowflake

This is the perfect art project to do during those long winter months. Supplies are minimal since all you need are pipe cleaners, some string, and a large assortment of beads.

Get the tutorial: Beaded Snowflake

19. Mold sweet ceramic flowers

Kids love getting their hands on some clay. These pretty flowers are accented with frogs, butterflies, and bugs for a special touch.

Get the tutorial: Ceramic Flowers With Third Grade

20. Scoop up some papier-mâché ice cream cones

How adorable are these papier-mâché triple-scoop cones? Kids will really have a blast putting together this art project for 3rd graders.

Get the tutorial: Super-Delicious Papier-Mâché Ice Cream Cones

21. Make bead mosaics

Teach your students about the rich history of mosaic art, which dates back to ancient times. Then, supply your students with a variety of beads and let them create their very own mosaics.

Get the tutorial: Kids Craft: How To Make a Bead Mosaic

22. Sculpt like Giacometti

Introducing sculpture to your 3rd grade students is important, and learning about one of the 20th century’s most influential sculptors, Alberto Giacometti, is a great way to get started. Once they’ve learned a bit about his style, they can try re-creating their own Giacometti-inspired sculptures using tinfoil.

23. Weave yarn bowls

This is a simple 3rd grade art project with cool results. The video walks you through the whole process.

24. Stitch a simple sampler

Embroidering on burlap is a fun way to introduce sewing skills to kids. They can create any design they want, adding beads or other embellishments too.

Get the tutorial: Simple Samplers

25. Use a paper plate for tree weaving

This is a different take on the usual circle weaving project. For extra fun, have kids paint or draw a background scene on their paper plate first.

Get the tutorial: Paper Plate Tree Weaving

26. Create giant God’s-eyes

By 3rd grade, students have probably made the traditional God’s-eye craft before. But they’ve probably never made one quite this big! These make for an impressive display once they’re finished.

Get the tutorial: Giant God’s-Eyes

27. Tell a story through weaving

Weaving can be very personal and has long been used to tell stories through art. In this 3rd grade art project, kids choose colors to represent things that are important to them, making each weaving unique.

Get the tutorial: Personal Story Weaving

28. Draw Popsicles with chalk

Teach your students about value, then have them create these Popsicles using Crayola chalk on black card stock. Let your students pick light and dark shades of a color to use on their Popsicles.

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Popsicles With Values

29. Trace and color your hand

You’ll only need simple supplies for this 3rd grade art project. Kids trace their hands, then use markers to make lines, adding small arcs to create the illusion of 3D. This art project for 3rd graders seems simple, but students will really have to concentrate as they work.

Get the tutorial: Illusional-Delusional Hand Art

30. Color hands with warm and cool colors

Here’s another take on a hand-tracing project. In this one, students learn about warm and cool colors and use those contrasts to make striking pieces that feature their own hands.

Get the tutorial: Warm and Cool Hands

31. Color birch trees and add cardinals

Get step-by-step instructions at the link to help your 3rd grade art students make this fun pop art birch tree scene. Cut out and add the red cardinals last.

Get the tutorial: Birch Birds

32. Explore identity with these self-portraits

Teach your students about Frida Kahlo and her self-portraits, then have them create their own. Have them include at least six personal symbols that make their creation more meaningful.

Get the tutorial: Self-Portraits With Personal Symbols

33. Draw symmetrical patterns

Have students draw symmetrical patterns, then fill each half with contrasting cool and warm tones. It’s a simple art project for 3rd graders with cool results.

Get the tutorial: Symmetrical Warm and Cool Compositions

34. Chalk still-life compositions like Cézanne

Explore the style of Paul Cézanne, then have students try creating still lifes of their own. Use oil pastels to create the look of visible brushstrokes.

Get the tutorial: Cezanne Still Lifes

35. Teach perspective with 3D letters

Kids love drawing bubble letters so why not use it as an opportunity to teach one-point perspective?

Get the tutorial: 3D Letters in One-Point Perspective

36. Color folk art–inspired trees

This project packs a big punch since it teaches about line, pattern, shape, and painting technique. And it can be completed in a single class!

Get the tutorial: Winter Folk Art Trees

37. Practice lines with a fun hair-redo

Before beginning this fun 3rd grade art project, you will need to take a digital photo of each of your students. Once the photos have been printed, have them cut their hair off of it. Finally, practice different types of lines as your students create crazy and fun hairstyles for themselves!

Get the tutorial: Bad Hair Days

38. Fold pop-up Van Gogh chairs

Take a look at Vincent van Gogh’s chair paintings, then challenge students to create pop-up chairs that reflect their own personalities.

Get the tutorial: Van Gogh Chairs

39. Finish the picture

This is such a cool project! Provide kids with a selection of scenes cut from magazines. They choose one, then draw or paint the rest of the picture around it. They can keep it realistic or use their imagination to jazz things up.

Get the tutorial: Finish the Picture

40. Sketch mesmerizing mandalas

Students use a compass to create concentric circles and patterns with radial symmetry. Then they choose markers or colored pencils to color them in.

Get the tutorial: Mandalas

41. Illustrate a simple comic strip

Kids in 3rd grade love to read comics or graphic novels like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dog Man, so have them create their own. A simple version is shown in this video: Fold a paper into thirds to create a beginning, middle, and end.

42. Look into this surrealist lesson

Before doing the visual art lesson, begin with an art history lesson on the Surrealist movement and, in particular, Belgian artist René Magritte. Be sure to introduce them to his painting False Mirror, which shows clouds inside an eye. Then, let your students create a scene of their choosing inside the drawing of an eye.

43. Draw some wacky monsters

This is the perfect single-class art lesson for really any elementary school–age student, 3rd graders included. While students will follow some basic steps to create these cute and crazy monsters, there is still a lot of room for creativity and personalization.

44. Handwrite and create cursive bugs

Third graders are often working to perfect their cursive writing, so that makes this project a great fit. Have kids write their name and mirror it below. Then, add colors and details to turn it into a cute name bug.

Get the tutorial: Cursive Name Bugs

45. Draw a portrait of Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Pair an ELA lesson with this art project for 3rd graders and read some of Angelou’s poetry while your students color their portraits.

Get the tutorial: How To Draw Maya Angelou

46. Paint with salt

First, have students create a design on paper using Elmer’s Glue. Then, have them pour salt over the paper and clean the excess salt off. Finally, have them dip a paintbrush into watercolor paint and watch as their designs come to life!

Get the tutorial: How To Make Raised Salt Paintings

47. Add cotton steam to 3D mugs

Cotton batting adds such a cool detail to these colorful mugs. Use oil pastels and the watercolor resist method to create the background and mug pattern.

Get the tutorial: 3D Winter Mugs

48. Weave two paintings together

“You want me to cut up my paintings?” Students may be surprised at the instructions, but once they weave the two together, they’ll be wowed by the results.

Get the tutorial: Weaving Paper—Joining Two Paintings

49. Use mixed media to create owls or other animals

Although this project will take a week to complete, the end result will be worth it! First, teach about artist Jackson Pollock and create splatter paintings. Then rip them into triangular shapes that will be glued to a piece of card stock to form the owl’s head. Once these steps are finished, have your students paint the eyes and beaks. Finally, put everything together.

Get the tutorial: Animal Collage Art Lesson

50. Include goals in your art

Before painting, have your students lay painter’s tape across their canvas to create different shapes. Then, have them splatter paint across their page. Once dry, peel the tape off to reveal white areas in the artwork. Finally, have your students fill in the blank spaces with goals or positive attributes.

Get the tutorial: Inspirational Splatter Paint Art Project for Kids

51. Add a cityscape to Starry Night skies

Van Gogh’s Starry Night series is one of his most famous. In this 3rd grade art mashup, kids paint a starry night background, then glue black construction paper skyscrapers over the top.

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Starry Night Cityscapes

52. Create something out of this world

This project incorporates mixed media as well as several different processes. We love how much variety there will be in your students’ finished pieces since there are a lot of opportunities in this project for individuality.

Get the tutorial: Outer Space Artwork for Kids

53. Get inspired by nature

While this project would be harder to do during the winter, some store-bought flowers could help with that. If you’re doing this project in the spring or fall, bring your students for a nature walk to collect their own found media!

Get the tutorial: Easy, Fun, DIY Activities You Can Do With Your Kids

54. Cut and curve colorful lines

First, color a series of thick and thin marker lines. Then cut them into strips and create colorful curves.

Get the tutorial: Moving Lines

55. Fill in hexagon honeycombs

Use a hexagon template to draw the honeycomb, then shade it in with oil pastels. Cut out and add some bees on top to finish it off.

Get the tutorial: Beautiful 3rd Grade Bee Hives

56. Put together Matisse collages

First, color squares of paper with tempera paint. Then, cut out free-flowing organic shapes and paste them together into a collage, just like Henri Matisse did.

Get the tutorial: Matisse-Inspired Collages

57. Tuck textured tigers into a forest collage

Start by having students create textured prints in orange paint. Turn those into tigers, then surround them with paper leaves and flowers in a forest of the night, inspired by Henri Rousseau’s well-known Tiger in a Tropical Storm.

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Painted Paper Tiger Collage

58. Transfer sugar skulls to foil

Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead with colorful sugar skulls. Re-create them with super-cool texture and shine with this fun aluminum foil project.

Get the tutorial: Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Drawings

59. Fly away with folk art birds

Before doing this project, introduce your students to the “folk art” movement and provide them with examples in that style. Then let them get creative as they put their newfound knowledge to the test making their own folk art birds!

Get the tutorial: 3rd Grade Folk Art Birds

60. Get inspired by Joan Miro

Begin with a quick lesson on Spanish artist Joan Miro, who was especially well known for the childlike quality of her art. Then let your students create their own Miro-inspired masterpieces using watercolors, markers, and crayons.

Get the tutorial: Easy Joan Miro Art Project