Composition refers to how shapes and forms are arranged in order to create art. Cut out a variety of figures, from photographs, magazines or construction paper. They may include things like people, trees and inanimate objects. Place a large poster at the front of the room. Have children come up one at a time and tape an element onto the poster. Tell them that each image must be placed in a manner that helps to balance out those that are already on the poster. Do not correct them during the exercise, instead wait until the picture is complete and discuss the results. Ask children if they feel that the resulting picture is well composed. Children have a good eye for composition, as they tend to enjoy organized and understandable images. If they think that something is off about the image, have them continue to rearrange it while stating why they are moving pictures from one area to another. Continue until the children agree on the arranged image. A well-composed image will be pleasing to the eye overall.
Teaching children about shape helps them understand how images are put together and teaches them to see art in everyday life. Separate children into small groups of two or three. Give each group a piece of paper, a glue stick and a pile of paper shapes. Instruct them to paste the shapes onto the paper in order to form an image. You can allow abstract work, or only realistic depictions. Upon completion each group can present their work to the class, while everyone can discuss their opinions on how the shapes work together and what it may remind them of from daily life.
Show the children posters of different colors. Start with the primary colors of red, yellow and blue. As you hold up each color, ask children to tell you what emotion it immediately brings to mind. For example red is commonly associated with anger, while yellow coincides with happiness. Then have children paint their own images using only the primary colors. They may mix them or leave them as is. This will help them to understand how colors work, and that they are all derived from the primary three.
Texture is tactile and challenging at the same time. Give each child a pencil and paper. Say a tactile word such as soft, and have the children begin to draw a picture with a line of that kind. Then say a new word, like bumpy, and have them incorporate a bumpy line. Continue on until most tactile words have been used and children have completed their pictures. Children can use their own creativity, the only restriction being the type of line used. It can be interesting for everyone to see the varying types of art created with the same line types. Go over the resulting work as a class.