When it comes to teaching art, many homeschool parents (including us, at first!) feel unsure about where to begin. Words like “form,” “value,” and “texture” can feel intimidating, especially without a background in art education. But understanding the Elements of Art is like learning the ABCs before reading—they’re the building blocks that help children make sense of what they see and create. 

Whether your child is just starting with crayons or experimenting with mixed media, the Elements of Art provide a foundation for confidence, creativity, and deeper thinking. 

This guide breaks down each element in an easy-to-understand way, offering practical suggestions for how to explore them at home. Let’s get started.

What are the 7 Elements of Art?

Let’s break down each of the seven elements of art. 

1. Line

A line is a mark that moves from one point to another. Lines can be straight, curved, zigzag, thick, or thin. They can outline shapes, show movement, or express emotion. In children’s art, lines are often the first marks made. Teaching the line element can be as simple as drawing different types across a page or creating an artwork using only one kind of line. 

Lines help organize visual information and guide the viewer’s eye across the page. Encourage your child to use lines to describe motion, boundaries, and even feelings—like sharp zigzags for excitement or soft waves for calmness.

2. Shape

A shape is a flat, enclosed area created when a line connects back to itself. Shapes can be geometric, like circles and squares, or organic, like clouds and leaves. 

Shapes are everywhere—from the sun in the sky to the plate on the table. When children begin using shapes in their artwork, they start to understand how objects are constructed. 

Activities like paper collages or cut-out shape drawings help reinforce this. Ask your child, “What shapes can you find in this picture?” to build recognition and discussion.

2. Form

While shapes are flat, forms are three-dimensional. A form has height, width, and depth. Think of a ball instead of a circle, or a cube instead of a square. 

Teaching form helps children understand how to make their drawings look more realistic and dynamic. You can introduce form through sculpture with clay, folded paper, or stacking blocks. When children build with form, they’re developing spatial awareness and problem-solving skills. 

When starting to teach form, challenge students to create something from real life, like a fruit or a toy, using only basic forms.

 

4. Space

Space refers to the area between and around objects. It also includes the illusion of depth—how close or far things appear. Teaching space helps children make their art feel more complete and thoughtful. 

You can explore space by showing how objects look smaller when they’re further away or how overlapping items can create depth. 

Try drawing a road that narrows as it recedes into the distance, or place items on a table from front to back. Ask questions like, “What’s in front? What’s behind?” to guide spatial thinking.

 

5. Texture

Texture is how something feels or looks like it would feel. It can be rough, smooth, bumpy, or soft. In art, texture can be actual (you can feel it) or implied (it appears to have texture). 

Children love exploring textures—whether it’s through rubbings, fabric scraps, or nature items like leaves and bark. Teaching texture helps build sensory awareness and detail in their work. 

A fun project might be creating a “texture collage” using a mix of materials found around the house. Encourage your child to describe each texture they use.

6. Value

Value refers to how light or dark something appears. This element is crucial for creating contrast and mood in artwork. 

Learning to use value helps children understand light, shadow, and depth. You can introduce value by having your child create a grayscale with pencil shading or by painting with one color and adding black or white to make it darker or lighter. 

Show them how shadows fall on objects or how light affects different surfaces. Ask, “What would happen if we made this area darker?”

 

7. Color

Color is often the most exciting element for children. It includes hue (the name of the color), value (lightness or darkness), and intensity (brightness or dullness). Color sparks emotion and creativity and helps kids tell visual stories. 

Teaching color can include exploring the color wheel, mixing primary colors to make new ones, and experimenting with warm and cool tones. 

Ask your child how certain colors make them feel, or let them create a mood painting using only blues or reds. Color is not only expressive—it teaches planning, prediction, and decision-making.

Why Are the 7 Elements of Art Important?

The Elements of Art help children break down complex images into understandable pieces. They also give young artists the tools they need to observe, describe, and create. Just like a writer needs grammar to form sentences, artists need elements to build visual meaning. 

These elements also encourage critical thinking—when a child considers how color affects mood or how space changes a picture, they’re practicing decision-making, communication, and focus. By giving names to what they already see and do, we help kids talk about art more confidently and explore it more deeply.

When you regularly explore the Elements of Art in your homeschool routine, you build a strong foundation that your child can grow from. You’re not only teaching them how to draw, you’re also giving them the tools to see the world in a new way.

The Bottom Line

Teaching the Elements of Art doesn’t require an art degree—just a willingness to explore alongside your child. These seven building blocks—line, shape, form, space, texture, value, and color—are more than just concepts. They are the vocabulary of visual learning and expression. With a strong foundation in the elements, your homeschooler will be better equipped to analyze, interpret, and create art with confidence.

Outside the Box Creation’s monthly art curriculum kits are designed to make this easier. Each kit introduces and reinforces art elements through engaging lessons, high-quality materials, and expert guidance—without the overwhelm. With art history, literacy tie-ins, and creative play all rolled into one, our approach supports well-rounded homeschool learning and makes teaching art stress-free for parents.

So the next time you see a scribble, a circle, or a color explosion on paper, remember: it all starts with the elements. And with the proper support, your child’s creativity can grow in bold, beautiful ways.