What age?

I will guess about this for now... 10 to 12 years old maybe? Not toddlers anyway.

I think maybe offer two mediums for children that age.

I have found kids that age like to pound in clay...maybe some type of clay project where they make their own vase, bowl, or something flat like a tile or stepping stone and put in marbles, seashells, draw out their design to paint, etc.

Then, some kids don't want to get their hands that dirty and may prefer chalks or pencils...some type of medium where mistakes/mishaps can be easily corrected.

Best of luck with this.
It's a wonderful idea.

I remember when my very talented little grandson
was drawing cars, boats and many cartoon characters.
I thought it would be great to give him art lessons.

It bombed big time for him when the teacher gave them
fruit to draw. Sissy stuff he called it.

I'm sure the teacher was great and had good intentions but
my grandson wasn't impressed.

Making collages is fun for any age. 10-12 year olds can be taught to use oil pastels effectively. Wanda's idea about pottery is good if you have access to a kiln for firing the pieces.

Mosaics are good for that age and don't require access to a kiln. Pebble mosaics [where they search locally for different colors of small gravel and pebbles to arrange in geomeric patterns] do very well to make 6" trivets. Do use silicone bumps on the bottom!

Papier machè is another hands-on art that has great scope for different projects: pot cover for houseplants, puppets, book ends, picture frames. Don't buy the ready-to-use stuff, but let them make it from scratch.

Hypertufa seems to be an enjoyable project for pre-teens and teenagers, but do follow safety precautions. A moss garden [in a hypertufa pot, with miniature sculptures] can be an ongoing project incorporting other art forms.

I seem to remember that 9-12 y.o. need to have a purpose, that is, art for art's sake isn't too interesting; but it's okay to learn to weave a basket and then fill it with [toddler-safe] hollow cubes/globes/shapes made from papier mache and painted with child-safe colors for a young sibling. Also, stepping stones may be clichè, but have them figure out how to make a decorative [and weatherproof] hose guide - the ultimate in usefulness for a gardener, lol.

Soap sculptures are still popular, and Ivory is still the recommended bar.

Google for books, instructions, and ideas!

Here is a link that might be useful: art for children

Something I have done with kids is buy the ready-made plain stepping stones from the home improvement store.
They have lots of shapes and sizes.

Mix cement mortar into a toothpaste consistency.
Spread the mortar over the top of the stepping stone with a spatula.
Let it set for 3-4 minutes and then let the kids draw pics with pretty much any object (skewer, pencil, screwdriver) or let them push marbels, small mirrors, seashells, etc. into the mortar.
(Be sure to have them wear gloves. The cheap ones you use for food service or hair dying work fine. The mortar dries the skin out really bad.)

The one Christian likes the most he made is made from different size stars that glow in the dark.
He loves to check it out at night.

There are cheap (99 cents a bottle) paints out now that are permanent on outside items.
Some have to be baked on in an oven to 250 and/or air dried.
I have experimented with these and they really do work.
I have used them on terra cotta without any preparation to the pot (just clean) and the paint has lasted over two years outside winter and summer so far.

There are some several clays on the market that don't have to be fired in a kiln...either air dry or bake in a 250 degree oven.
Check with a larger hobby store.
Sculpey is the brand I prefer.
It comes in lots of colors.
The hobby store will also have books of tips and projects.

The kids absolutely love to put it through the pasta maker to flatten, make hair/fur, etc.

Like someone stated earlier, not art for art sake but something the kids can see an end result in a couple of lessons.
They will be learning the whole time but hands-on learning and not so much like 'school work.'

Check with your local library.
They should have a lot of books on this subject.

There are some great ideas here.
I guess my point was, make it fun for both boys and girls.
The art teacher lost all the boys in her class by not
having things they could relate to and have fun with.
It kinda soured my grandson on art classes forever
which was a shame because he really does have talent.

And, then, there is always plain ole' paper and pencil.

{{gwi:139333}}

LOL!!