Teacher resources

Art lesson plan builder

Pick an age and how long you have. The builder makes a complete art lesson from the free FirstArtBooks pages: a warm-up, a step-by-step lesson, an extension for early finishers and a wrap-up. Print it, or press “Another plan” for a new one.

Art lesson plan · ages 5–6 · 30 minutes

How to Draw a Hippo

Students will practice: breaking a drawing into simple shapes, following steps in order, adding your own details.

Materials: Pencil and eraser; Paper, or the printed page; Crayons, markers or colored pencils.

5 min
Warm-up. Squiggle game: draw one squiggle and turn it into an animal or a monster.
15 min
Lesson. How to Draw a Hippo (Step-by-step drawing) Show one step at a time with classroom mode, or print the page.
5 min
Extension. Make it your own: Add a speech bubble: what is it saying?
5 min
Wrap-up. Share one drawing with a partner, then give the character a name and write one sentence about it.

National Core Arts Standards: VA:Cr2, VA:Cr3 (a starting point, not full coverage).

Free to print for your class from FirstArtBooks.com. Every lesson page has Print and PDF buttons.

How the plans are made

The lesson matches the age: tracing and coloring for ages 3–4, step-by-step drawing for 5–8, grid drawing for 9–11.
Video lessons get five extra minutes for pausing between steps.
The extension is a second page on the same theme, or a “make it your own” twist when time is short.

Good to know

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Need a ready-made 45-minute plan for a sub? See the no-prep sub plans.