Primary school workshops
Our free, artist-led workshops support Key Stage 1 and 2 students to develop their creativity, independent thinking, and communication skills.
Our workshops are thematic, cross-curricular and revolve around the creative thinking process. Students will explore artworks through close looking, critical thinking and sharing ideas. Making art will develop confidence and understanding of materials, techniques and individual expression.
Workshops take place in the Clore Learning Centre at the Royal Academy of Arts.
They run from 11:00 – 13:30 (including a 30 minute lunch break between 13.00 – 13.30 in the studio).
If sessions are fully booked and you would like to be added to the waiting list, please email learning@royalacademy.org.uk
Explore and experiment
Too often, we focus on final outcomes when making art.
In this workshop, we’ll focus on the art-making process instead. Students will learn about how artists experiment with different materials and test out their ideas. They will also have the opportunity to explore different materials and techniques.
Curriculum links
- Art and Design – different artists and styles, material practice, looking and talking about art
- Science – working scientifically, using evidence to support findings, identifying differences, similarities or changes related to ideas and processes.
- PSHE – Healthy minds including emotional well-being, resilience, mental health
- EYFS – playing and exploring, active learning, thinking critically
We loved that the children had the opportunity to be entirely experimental and were encouraged by the educators to persevere and embrace accidents.
Year 5 Primary Teacher, SE London
Climate and art
In this workshop, we will explore the ways that artists have responded to the changing world around them, with reference to works in our Collection.
Students will use different materials and techniques to make artworks that express their own ideas about climate and nature.
Curriculum links
- Art and Design – different artists and styles, material practice, looking and talking about art
- Geography – Including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle. Relating to weather and climate, including the change in climate from the Ice Age to the present; and glaciation, hydrology and coasts
- Science - working scientifically, using evidence to support findings, identifying differences, similarities or changes related to ideas and processes
- PSHE – Healthy minds including emotional well-being, resilience, mental health
My students left with new knowledge of how artists show climate in their work and got to experience learning from art as well as creating it.
Year 3 Primary Teacher, SW London
Exploring Emotions
We often hear that artists use artmaking to express themselves, but how do we achieve this?
In this workshop, students will explore how artists use art to share emotions and elicit emotional reactions. We’ll look at artworks from our Collection and use different materials and techniques.
We’ll focus on how looking at art makes us feel and how artists use figures, faces, lines, and colour to create feelings and express relationships.
Curriculum links
- Art and Design – different artists and styles, material practice, looking and talking about art
- PHSE – Healthy minds including emotional well-being, resilience, mental health
- English – building vocabulary, expressing feelings
- Drama – consider and evaluate different viewpoints, participate in discussions and debates
The Art of Storytelling
Is a picture really worth a thousand words? We think so! Learn how artists incorporate stories and narratives in their work, learn how to ‘read’ artworks and how to interpret what you see.
By examining works from our Collection and using different materials and techniques, students will learn how to speak through their artwork and develop their own visual storytelling and literacy.
Curriculum links
- Art and Design – different artists and styles, material practice, looking and talking about art
- English – building vocabulary, articulate answers and opinions, express feelings
- Drama – consider and evaluate different viewpoints, participate in discussions and debates, expressing opinions
- Writing Comprehension – recording ideas, considering characters, settings, and narrative