How to Teach Space | Elements of Art Series

"A painter is a choreographer of space."

Barnett Newman

It’s hard to find information about this last of the elements – and that’s because when you search, you’re going to find outer space, rockets, and Pluto. And not to put them aside (because who doesn’t like spaceships?), what the element of space really means is this:

the area around objects
positive and negative space (where have you created, and what’s still empty)
perspective – how can you make it look more 3D

But there’s a different way to teach this to a kindergartener and to a 7th grader. So here’s how to teach space to kids, broken down by ages and stages.

Ages & Stages: What to Teach and When

🟢 Beginner (K-2nd)

Often students these ages like to draw smaller and draw in the center of the paper. So we’re trying to get them to use the entire paper or canvas – and to know what to do with it!

Space can be one of the hardest elements for younger students to grasp. Therefore, the objective is to keep it simple boiling it down to these two ideas.

Fill the entire space of an artwork or area – using the ENTIRE space
Understanding the difference between a foreground, midground, and background

🔵 Intermediate (3rd-4th)

It’s time to start branching out into different ways to utilize space. One focus during these ages is how to use line, both for perspective, and as a filler!

Another concept is positive and negative space. Easy ways to show this concept is with paper snowflakes or Japanese notans.

Here’s a snapshot of what to cover:

How to create a simple one point perspective artwork
Using line and pattern to fill the space
How to use positive and negative space in a creative way

🟣 Advanced (5th-7th)

Now that students understand the basics of space, it’s time for a deep dive of previous concepts.

Have fun creating multiple layers in the foreground, midground, and background
Create optical illusions
Use two-point perspective in relevant ways, such as architecture of famous buildings, or their house

5 Books for Teaching the Element of Space

Here’s 5 of our favorite books for teaching space (there’s more inside our PEP Curriculum inside the Glitterbombers membership). These are Amazon afflinks which means we earn a small percentage that goes towards coffee at no additional cost to you.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwell

The Great Eggscape by Jory John

Dragons are the Worst by Alex Willan

Because of an Acorn by Lola M Schaefer

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

Wondering about an easy way to teach space to kids right now?

Try our Dream Door project which utilizes line to create perspective, as well as uses the entire page.

Or try Galaxy in a Jar – a free video lesson on our Youtube page which utilizes a foreground and a background, and encourages students to fill up the paper with fun jars and bottles.

Join the Glitterbombers Membership!

You’ll find hundreds more art projects, videos, and resources at your fingertips for whatever you’re studying, or whatever art concept you’re ready to teach. Head here to hop on the waitlist and find out when we open next!