1st Grade Dogs

Supplies needed: pencils, erasers, black crayons, watercolor paper, brushes, watercolors

Step 1

Draw a box on the board to represent your "paper." This helps the kids see how big to make the shapes on their paper which introduces them to proportions. Have them draw these two intersecting rectangles for the body and head. Adding the line for the grass now will help their legs be about the same length. 

Step 2

Add the tail, starting from the top left corner of the body. (This gives kids a definite starting place.) Add the outside edges of the legs first, explaining that the line is continuing from the same line as the body, then add the inside edges of the legs. 

Step 3

Add the ear by drawing a straight line up from the top point of the head then curving back down. Draw a line explaining that this forms a triangle for the nose. Add the eye and smiley face. Explain why we don't see both eyes. 

Step 4

Erase the line "Inside of the head" and "between the body and legs." If they have room they can erase the line "between the tail and the body." If you are really specific when you state which line you are going to erase, it helps kids get the right one. If you just say "this line" and point to it, it's really easy for them to get confused and erase something they need. Making the line to be erased dotted or a different color right before you erase it can help too. "I'm going to erase all the blue lines/dotted lines, etc." 

Step 5

Have them trace the lines that they kept with black crayon. They should push firmly. 

Step 6

Teach them how to make brown and green then let them paint! This is a good first watercolor lesson for first graders. This can also be taught as a beginning drawing to 4 year olds. The kids liked this assignment and they turned out well!