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10 Art Challenges for The First Day of School

Hope Creek Studios
Aug 11
3 min read

Updated: Aug 12

First Day of School Ideas for the Art Classroom

The first day of school in the art room is a little magical, isn’t it? Fresh pencils, unbroken crayons, paintbrushes waiting to be dipped — and a room full of students you’re just beginning to know.

For me, the goal on day one is simple: set the tone, spark curiosity, and give students a chance to create without the pressure of perfection. Here are some of my favorite first day of school art activities that work across grades and get those creative wheels turning.

Person in orange jacket paints "First Day of School" on an easel. Includes a paint tube and blue pen. Bright, cheerful setting.

1. Name Art with a Twist

Let’s start with the basics — learning names! I have students design their names in bold letters, then fill them with patterns, doodles, or symbols that represent who they are. Older students can experiment with typography or graffiti styles. It’s fun, personal, and gives me a peek into their interests.

2. “Draw Your Summer” Postcards

I hand out small rectangles of cardstock and ask students to

draw a favorite summer memory or even a dream vacation. When they’re done, we display them together like a “class quilt.” It’s a great conversation starter and a gentle warm-up into drawing again after summer break.

3. The Collaborative Mural

Every student decorates a small square — just patterns, textures, or colors — and we piece them together into one giant mural. It builds instant teamwork, and the bulletin board is filled before the first week is over. Bonus: assign colors from the color wheel to sneak in a little art theory!

4. Creative Profile Pages

Instead of a traditional questionnaire, students respond to prompts visually:

Draw your favorite food.
If you could be any animal…
Your favorite color as a pattern.
Something you’re great at drawing.

It’s a playful way for me to see skill levels, styles, and personality in one sitting.

5. Mystery Bag Drawing

This one is a hit! Students pull an object from a bag and get 5–10 minutes to sketch it however they want. Odd-shaped, textured, or combined objects get the most giggles — and the most creative results.

6. Roll-a-Doodle Game

We roll dice to determine what kind of line, shape, or texture goes on the page. Then we pass the paper to the next person and keep going. It’s silly, fast, and helps break that “first-day stiffness” in the room.

Four white dice with black dots are suspended mid-air against a dark, textured background, showing various numbers.

7. Selfie Silhouettes

We trace students’ profiles and let them fill the inside with images, words, or colors that represent them. They make a striking hallway display and double as a getting-to-know-you activity.

8. Art Room Scavenger Hunt

I turn classroom orientation into a game. Students get a checklist:

Find where the paint is stored.
Locate a famous artist’s work.
Spot the cleanup area.

They learn the space and rules without me talking at them for 20 minutes.

9. Color Personality Mini-Abstracts

Students pick colors that match certain prompts — “a color that makes you happy,” “a color that represents your dream” — and arrange them into an abstract design. It’s a sneaky introduction to color theory, and every piece is unique.

10. One Rule Mini-Posters

I hand out small sheets of paper and ask each student to illustrate one classroom art rule. These become colorful reminders on the wall all year long — and students love spotting their rule when we review expectations.