"A painter is a choreographer of space."
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)
- 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.
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.
