Adding Art to a Homeschool Day Without More Lesson Planning
Somewhere on every homeschool parent's list is “art,” sitting there next to math and reading, except art is the one that requires you to also be the lesson planner, the supply manager, and the person who has an opinion about whether today's project is any good.
Most days, it's the first thing that gets skipped, not because it doesn't matter, but because it's one more thing to build from scratch. I spent five years teaching art in a public elementary school, which means I've planned approximately one million lessons 😜.
So I get why this is the subject that falls off the list first. Here's what I think actually solves it, and it's not “try harder to make time.”
What “Low-Prep” Actually Needs to Mean
Low-prep doesn't just mean short. It means you're not the one building the lesson. If you still have to figure out what the project is, gather references, explain the technique, and check the work, that's not really low-prep. That's just a shorter version of the same job.
For art to actually become the thing that happens instead of the thing that gets pushed to tomorrow, three things have to already be done before your kid sits down: the project has to be chosen, the instruction has to be built in, and there has to be a clear finish line so nobody's asking you if they're done.
What This Looks Like With a Workbook
That's the whole design behind mine. Open to a project, and everything's already there: a full color example so your kid knows what they're making, written directions and a video so they're not asking you what to do next, and pre-drawn lines on the page so there's no blank-page moment where the project stalls before it starts. You're not teaching the lesson. You're just handing over the book.
All your kid needs is a basic watercolor paint palette, just like this one, a paint brush, and a cup of water.
How to Actually Slot it into Your Week
The easiest way I've seen this work for homeschool families is picking one thing this stays attached to: a Friday afternoon, the end of a unit, the reward for finishing a hard math week, whatever already has a slot in your rhythm.
It doesn't need its own lesson plan or its own day. It just needs a repeatable spot where a kid can grab the book, paint one project start to finish, and be done. If you've got more than one kid, this is also where a full collection earns its keep.
Many different themes means nobody's fighting over the same book, and everyone finishes with their own set of paintings instead of sharing one.
The Takeaway
You don't need to plan art. You need one thing your kid can open and finish on their own. $26 per workbook, or grab any 4 for $80 with code HOMESCHOOL.
Want to learn more about how these can support your homeschool curriculum? You can find that right here.
Shop workbooks, and happy painting!
-Alyssa
