25 Fantastic 3rd Grade Art Projects That Teach and Inspire

We partnered with some of our favorite art teacher influencers on Instagram to bring you the best 3rd grade art projects! They use a variety of media, from paint and pastels to clay and collage, and teach kids about art concepts as well as famous artists.

“I believe the art room is a joyful place where every child’s imagination can bloom and grow, with the right amount of nurturing!” says elementary art teacher Caroline M., known on Instagram as @scs.artteacher. “I love creating mixed‑media projects with my students, especially those that celebrate nature and the world around us.”

Caroline encourages art teachers to embrace a wide array of materials and supplies to encourage creativity at home and school: “In my art room, students explore a variety of materials that invite experimentation: We love using tempera paint, paint sticks, oil pastels, pan and liquid watercolors, Crayola Model Magic, and so much more. (Even basic black Sharpies provide endless creative possibilities!) My goal is to provide an environment that supports curiosity, celebrates process over perfection, and is ultimately a welcoming space where every student’s creative voice and spirit will grow and flourish.”

Explore some of Caroline’s favorite 3rd grade art projects below, along with ideas from Lauralee Chambers (@2art.chambers), another Instagram favorite, and the talented Ms. D (@art.party.with.ms.d). Visit their pages for more details and photos of each project!

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3rd Grade Art Projects

Yarn weaving on painted paper plates — Courtesy of @scs.artteacher

String Art

With scratch art discs for the bases and coordinating yarn colors over the top, this is one of those projects that seems effortlessly cool!

Learn more: String Art

Blue Dogs

Share contemporary artist George Rodrigue’s work with kids, then use guided drawing and painting skills to have them create their own blue dogs.

Learn more: Blue Dogs

Abstract art faces painted by 3rd grade art students — Courtesy of @scs.artteacher

Sandra Silberzweig Selfies

Here’s another contemporary artist to inspire young art students. With chalk pastels and creativity, they’ll create selfies like no other!

Learn more: Sandra Silberzweig Selfies

Paintings of wintry pine branches — Courtesy of @scs.artteacher

Wintry Evergreen Paintings

These snow-covered branches are the perfect project for the colder months. Try this 3rd grade art project in the days leading up to winter break or to welcome students back in January.

Learn more: Wintry Evergreen Paintings

Snowmen painted on ice cream cones by 3rd grade art students — Courtesy of @scs.artteacher

Snowman Ice Cream Cones

Speaking of winter art projects, your students are going to love this one! Each of these snowmen can reflect the personality of the student who paints it.

Learn more: Snowman Ice Cream Cones

Warm colored fish painted and cut out on cool color background — Courtesy of @scs.artteacher

Cool Oceans, Warm Sea Creatures

This art project is excellent for teaching warm and cool color palettes. Try this one with sea turtles too—see Caroline’s post for more!

Learn more: Cool Oceans, Warm Sea Creatures

Charley Harper Inspired Cardinals painted by third graders — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Charley Harper Cardinals

The crisp clean lines of Charley Harper’s wildlife art is always a hit with kids. Take a look at his work, then personalize some of your own cardinals using this project idea from Lauralee Chambers.

Learn more: Charley Harper Cardinals

Colorfully patterned dinosaurs painted by 3rd grade art students — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Collage-a-saurus

Kwik Stix paint sticks and Posca markers are the secret to these incredibly colorful dinos. Students will love dreaming up the craziest possible designs.

Learn more: Collage-a-saurus

Paper Plate Donuts

“This was a really engaging and successful lesson for all 7 third grade classes!” Lauralee says. “I had my husband drill holes in stacks of 10 plates with a circle drill.” Students used tempera paint to color the donuts and frosting, then had a blast adding toppings of their choice from a variety of craft supplies.

Learn more: Paper Plate Donuts

Colorful circle compositions created in 3rd grade art class — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Kandinsky Circles

Lauralee notes that this project is all about repetition and variety in size and color. “We use Black crayon to draw our circles tightly, and then fill in any spaces. Liquid watercolor paints the rest.”

Get the tutorial: Kandinsky Circles

Colorful fish kites made in 3rd grade art class — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Paper Carp Kites

This is the kind of project that will be a hit with students year after year. It’s an easy project, too, when you start with Roylco carp windsocks, then add personalization with ink daubers and construction paper eyes.

Learn more: Paper Carp Kites

Mixed media bird nests made by third grade artists — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Mixed-Media Bird’s Nests

Make bird eggs from Crayola Model Magic or another kind of air-dry clay. Then, source a variety of materials like paper shreds, unraveled twine, and others so kids can build the perfect nest.

Learn more: Mixed-Media Bird’s Nests

Patterned paper turkeys on colorful backgroounds — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Patterned Turkeys

“I always love guiding young learners to see the potential beyond their preconceptions,” Lauralee notes. These turkeys are instantly recognizable as turkeys due to their shape, regardless of the kooky patterns students create with metallic markers and Wonder Stix.

Learn more: Patterned Turkeys

Miniature clay pies made in bottlecaps — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Bottle Cap Clay Pies

These are so incredibly adorable! They also help kids develop their fine motor skills as they re-create the tiniest details in these delicious-looking miniatures.

Learn more: Bottle Cap Clay Pies

Mushrooms drawn with colored pencils on black paper — Courtesy of @2art.chambers

Metallic Mushrooms

Bring real mushrooms in for students to examine, then start their drawings with the white pencil outlines. When they’re ready, add color with metallic markers for an amazing finish.

Learn more: Metallic Mushrooms

Origami Cranes

What makes these cranes so special? Kids design their own patterned paper before folding them! Display them individually, or hang them together for a cool collaborative project.

Learn more: Origami Cranes

Symmetrical Paper Cut Animals

Create a sparkling background with black paper sprayed with watered-down gold paint. Then, design and cut out paper animal designs for a cool Lunar New Year–inspired project.

Learn more: Symmetrical Paper Cut Animals

Dog head photos with hand-drawn art to make them look like pirates — Courtesy of @art.party.with.ms.d

Dog Costumes

Need a quick and easy project? Have kids create dog costumes! Provide doggie head photos and give a guided drawing lesson for the bodies. Then, let students have fun designing costumes for their canines.

Learn more: Dog Costumes

Mixed-Media Dog Vases

Here’s another puppy-inspired project your students will love. The “vases” are paper, but the 3D clay flowers really bring this project to life.

Learn more: Mixed-Media Dog Vases

Haunted Art Museum

Here’s a project that you can work on throughout the spooky month of October. Students give ghostly twists to famous pieces of art, re-created in miniature to display in their “museums.”

Learn more: Haunted Art Museum

Mixed media insect art — Courtesy of @art.party.with.ms.d

Rubbing Plate Insects

This project uses insect rubbing plates from Roylco for the backgrounds. Students trace or follow a guided drawing lesson to create the insect outlines. Then, they use neon and metallic oil pastels, finishing the whole thing off with sprayed watercolors.

Learn more: Rubbing Plate Insects

Paper narwhals on black paper with northern lights in the background — Courtesy of @art.party.with.ms.d

Arctic Animals

Projects like this really bring the wow factor! Chalk pastels provide the dreamy northern lights background, while the water is made of scratch art paper. Let students choose their own arctic animal to add, like narwhals, walruses, or seals.

Learn more: Arctic Animals

City skyline made using printing plates and watercolor markers — Courtesy of @art.party.with.ms.d

Printing Plate Buildings

One of the coolest things about this project is that kids create a reusable printing plate they can bring home at the end. With a few simple instructions, they can make lots of new artwork on their own.

Learn more: Printing Plate Buildings

Mixed media cat head with artificial flower crown — Courtesy of @art.party.with.ms.d

“Frida Catlo” Cats

Start by sharing the book Wild Bios: Frida Catlo with your students. Then, teach them to create their own cats using markers, adding artificial flowers for a 3D crown.

Learn more: “Frida Catlo” Cats

Origami Animals

“Origami is such a great way to teach students about perseverance,” says Ms. D. “Yes, you are going to struggle. Yes, this is going to be hard. I tell my students this is how we grow as artists. If we only do things that come easily, we can never see our true potential and what we can achieve.”

Learn more: Origami Animals

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