With Women’s History Month quickly approaching, it’s important to celebrate and honor the powerful figures of the past. Instead of simply talking about these important women, show your students how their contributions have made a lasting impact with creative art projects. These three creative ideas—creating a timeline of important figures, designing paper dolls of influential women and painting portraits of iconic women—will help you show the impact of these inspiring women in a tangible and memorable way.
Idea #1: Create a Timeline of Important Figures
Creating a timeline of important female figures is a great way to honor Women’s History Month. It visualizes the milestones in a woman’s life and celebrates her contributions to the world.
Creating a timeline helps students understand the woman’s impact and the importance of her work. By researching, compiling, and designing a timeline poster, students can learn about the contributions, struggles, and triumphs of women through history.
How to Create a Timeline
To create a timeline, students should begin researching key figures in female history. From there, they should choose a few figures to feature on their timeline and create a design for the poster. To further expand their knowledge and the poster’s visual appeal, students should add a brief biography of each figure and visual elements such as photos.
When assembling the timeline poster, students should keep in mind the stories that explain how each figure contributed to society. By giving context and including relevant stories, students can more fully understand the significance of each woman’s role in history.
Display the Timeline
The timeline poster can be displayed in the classroom or to students at home. It is also a nice way to bring in elements from the local community and show other women’s contributions.
Additionally, seeing the timeline design can inspire students to research and explore the lives of even more women who have contributed to our understanding of history.
Resources
To help students get started in their research, there are a few books and websites available. For example, the website 365 Women a Year hosts a comprehensive list of women’s biographies. On Amazon, students can find interesting books such as The Book of Colors and Women’s Power to Shape History.
Students can also turn to their local library and history museum to find information about significant female figures.
Overall, creating a timeline of important female figures is an effective way to honor Women’s History Month and an important reminder of the power of women throughout history. Designing a timeline poster enables an interactive, engaging form of learning and celebrates the accomplishments of women everywhere.
Idea #2: Design Paper Dolls of Influential Women
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, there is no better way to honor accomplished women from our past than to join in the historical and artistic craft of paper doll-making. In many cultures, paper dolls have been an important way to learn and remember stories of those that came before us, either through the paper dolls themselves or the stories told while hand-crafting them.
Different Cultures, Different Dolls
Paper dolls have been around for centuries, each with corresponding traditional costumes and stories that reflect the culture they are from. For example, paper dolls from Japan, called Kokeshi, typically wear a kimono made of paper and tell stories of a people’s history and traditions. Mexico’s paper dolls are called Papel Picado and celebrate the Day of the Dead. The intricate designs are typically made out of colorful tissue paper with stories about family, legends, and love.
Read Design Paper Dolls of Influential Women
Designing paper dolls of influential women from our past is a great way to introduce children to stories of the women who have made an impact on our society. They can have fun piecing together doll bodies and faces, dressing them up in outfits that reflect the woman’s career or accomplishments, and create or illustrate a back-story for her.
For example, guidance counselors can provide activity instructions for students to design paper dolls of female political figures, like Rosa Parks or Eleanor Roosevelt. These dolls can remind the students that despite the struggles and limitations of their respective times, these women blazed trails and achieved great accomplishments. Sharing their stories through a simple art project like paper doll design helps ensure their legacy lives on.
Crafting Paper Dolls
Designing paper dolls of influential women is a wonderful way to teach kids in the classroom or at home to honor the accomplishments of these women, as well as learn a bit of history and bring art into their lives. In order to make these paper dolls, readers will need craft supplies like card stock, construction paper, scissors, pencil, markers, crayons, and glue. Additionally, pre-made paper doll outlines can be printed out from the internet for those who might not have crafting supplies at home.
Hanging Paper Dolls as a Reminder
Once readers have completed their paper doll, they can hang them in the classroom or in their home as a reminder of the legacy of the inspirational women from our past. This simple art project creates a connection between the reader and the history of women through the child’s own creations.
Paper dolls remain a simple but powerful way to teach children the importance of recognizing influential women of our past, and remind them to strive towards their own greatness. This Women’s History Month, let’s look to the arts to appreciate and create a connection between the readers and today’s society.
Idea #3: Paint Portraits of Iconic Women in History
Painting portraits of iconic women of history is a great Women’s History Month art project for kids of all ages. Not only does this project allow kids to be creative and engage in the history of past women, but it also helps them gain a unique appreciation of these iconic women by reminding us all of their accomplishments.
By selecting a few prominent women of history—such as Susan B. Anthony, who fought tirelessly for women’s rights to vote, Rosa Parks, who began the civil rights movement, or Jane Goodall, who revolutionized our understanding of animals for a lifetime—we can spark conversations and bring new awareness to their achievements.
Choose a Historically Accurate Art Style
When creating art pieces, it is important to choose an art style that reflects the historic period the woman was in. For instance, if we were painting a portrait of Susan B. Anthony, we should opt for styles of dress and backgrounds reflective of the late 1800s, not necessarily more modern styles. For example, we could pick fabrics and trims that were popular during the time period Anthony was alive, instead of using more billowing and transparent garments. This will help inform our audience about the time period and add a creative and unique touch to the artwork.
In doing so, we will bring each portrait to life as well as to educate our children and viewers about the importance of choosing an art style appropriate to the historic period. Not only that, this can also be a great teaching tool that can teach kids how art and related styles have changed with the times.
Empower Through Art
All in all, allowing children the opportunity to take a creative and active role in learning about women’s history during Women’s History Month can be an incredibly empowering and rewarding experience that can be shared by adults and kids alike. We all can discover the accomplishments of these women, explore the advantages of creating portraits in a historically accurate style, and learn about the true beauty of art.
Conclusion
Women’s History Month is an especially inspired time to celebrate the contributions of famous, influential women in history. With these art project ideas -creating a timeline of important figures, designing paper dolls of influential women, and painting portraits of iconic women in history- you can bring to life the stories of these inspiring, trailblazing women. Get your art supplies ready, and start your project today!