Van Gogh Starry Night Art Project for Kids

Teach your children about famous artists like Van Gogh for kids with this fun, creative, and unique starry night art project. Try this starry night for kids activity with kindergarten, preschool, pre-k, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th graders. You will love the different techniques in this easy art projects based on famous artists. Come create a cool project based on van gogh paintings for kids.

Van Gogh for kids

The Starry Night is one of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous works. The rolling waves of night-blue sky, the texture, the stars! It’s the perfect piece to teach your child about the artist, while exploring through the senses and even learning about outer space. If your preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, and grade 5 students are learning about Van Gogh for kids, or you are just explosing them to some fun art project for kids – you will love this starry night art project. In this Art projects based on famous artists kids will use clay to craete texture so it is a finger paint process, but without the mess. In addition, your child will be building fine motor skills and exploring through the sense of touch.

Starry Night Art Project

Before starting with the art, take some time to look at the real Starry Night. Okay, maybe not the real thing. But, at least a reproduction (you can find plenty of copies in art history books or online). Ask your child a few open-ended questions to get her thinking, such as:

• What do you think is going on in this picture?

• How do you think Van Gogh created this artwork?

• Why do you think he painted this subject?

• What story can you tell me about this painting?

As your child begins to talk about the painting, point out the stars as a springboard to talking about outer space. Name a few stars or constellations, having your child create her own celestial objects in her own work of art.

Now, on to the art-making…

Art projects based on famous artists

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• Soft modeling clay (in blue and yellow – you may also want to add some white)

• Cardboard (reuse the front of a cereal or cracker box)

• Scissors

• Markers or oil pastels

• Dark-colored construction paper

• Clear-drying school glue

van gogh famous artist art project for kids

Van Gogh Art Project

Cut the cardboard into a square or rectangle. This will become the base that your child builds the artwork on.
Pull the clay apart into dime-sized pieces.
Draw a town at the bottom of the cardboard with the markers or oil pastels. Your child can make the town look like Van Gogh’s village, re-create your own hometown or make her own magical imaginary place. Use this as a chance to sneak in some math – having your child create geometric shapes for the houses and buildings.

Starry night for kids

‘Finger Paint’ a starry night sky onto the cardboard, above the town. Encourage your child to layer the clay on top of the cardboard and on top of other colors. It will stick as she smears it onto the board. She can use her fingers to make swirls, curves and textures in the clay.

Van gogh paintings for kids

Create a tree for the foreground (use this vocabulary word with your child, describing the front of the painting). Cut the tree from the dark construction paper. Glue it onto the board. It will overlap the clay and the town drawing partially.

Now your child can create her own Starry Night tale. Ask her to tell you a story about the town or about the stars in the sky!

sample of famous artists report from Jackson Polluck

Grab our artist report to help kids write down what they learn about famous arists and add a picture of their art project to make a fun keepsake of their homeschool art appreciation class.