Teaching art is one of the most rewarding professions, and it’s also one of the most demanding. So, we asked art teachers to share their best art room hacks to help you streamline your school day, organize your classroom, and manage student behavior. Read what they had to say.
Art room hacks from real teachers
- Number tools. Students are more responsible when they know you are keeping track. Counting at the beginning and end of class also helps. – Marica S.
- Make melted crayon art with all those extra broken crayons sitting around with a crayon sharpener, parchment paper, and an iron or heat press. – Natalie E.
- Don’t throw away old pens! I like to take my Bic Round Stic pens and repurpose them into scratch art tools or etching tools. I pull out the ink tube and replace it with a push pin! – Bryant B.
- Use no-spill dog bowls for water! – Micahlyn W.
- I put watercolor refills in clear containers by color so I can tell how many refills I have left! It is much easier to see through the clear containers than a white box. I also love having blue painter’s tape on a giant tape dispenser. It’s so much easier to tear the pieces and hang up posters or give students a piece when learning the stencil watercolor technique. – Hannah M.
- I like to use recycled soup or vegetable cans with the labels peeled off for water. They won’t break if they are dropped and are easily replaceable if they get a lot of paint on them. – Danellen D.
- I use icing containers to corral markers or colored pencils and individual applesauce cups for water. I also like dollar store plastic plates for reusable palettes. – Heidi L.
- Start art at the beginning of the year with one color and explore it thoroughly. One color at a time, get to know it, then they can explore how each color interacts with its different friends one at a time. – Katie A.
- I use a small piece of paper and write homerooms on them and then use a small bulldog clip to attach to the side of the drying rack. This helps me keep several classes drying, and still organize the artwork. – Carey G.
- I put my liquid glue in plastic ketchup and mustard bottles. It makes it much easier to refill and they don’t clog up as much. The glue also comes out easier for younger students who don’t have as much fine motor control. – Laura D.
- It’s not really a hack but I love to do the project with my students or show them something I’m working on. You’d be surprised how many times you’ll hear, “Wow, I didn’t know you could draw!” – Rebecca C.
- Exit ticket: When there is a lot of scrap on the floor, the exit ticket is pick up the trash, make them count, and then toss in the can. Also, if they miss the inevitable paper ball to the trash can, they pick up 10 things off the floor. It makes the inevitable fun. – Wendy M.
- Guided drawings with kids. Using baby food jars for paint. – Michele D.
- Color-coordinate everything! –Mary Lou K.
- Organize students into groups and give each one a weekly job. – Angela L.
- Use recycled pop-up wipes containers to keep yarn tangle-free. – Jennifer H.
- Color-coordinated tables are assigned a day each week of cleaning duty. It teaches responsibility and teamwork. – @chasor08
- Don’t clean anything yourself that can be given as a student task. – @collaborate.create.cultivate
- For elementary level: Color-code your drying racks with colored duct tape on the end of each rack (ROY G BIV order, of course). A fellow art teacher friend suggested that to me years ago and makes for a much quicker organized cleanup. – @fineartstcs