Child-Size Masterpieces Art Appreciation for Homeschoolers

Child-Size Masterpieces for Art Appreciation is an eight book series that contain postcard-size art reproductions to be cut out and used to do things like match painting, learn about artists, and art movements.

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Child-Size Masterpieces Art Appreciation for Homeschoolers

Child-size Masterpieces are sets of over-sized art postcards that come in an over-sized book printed on thick cardstock. The art prints need to be cut (I do ours with a paper cutter) but you can easily remove them from the pages and use scissors and cut on the dotted line provided.

The instructions for use are printed on the cover and I cut those out and put them along with the prints in an accordion type file. (There is also an instructional book you can purchase for this series called How to Use the Child-Size Masterpieces here.)

I own several sets so each set of prints is kept all together in a slot. On the backs of the cards are the title of the painting, the artist’s name, and a brief description of the art time period.

Activity Steps within Child-Size Masterpieces books

There are several activities suggested with these sets. The steps increase in difficulty and steps 1-3 are easily achievable by preschoolers. Steps 4-8 are appropriate for children from about age 6 and up. The cards for each step come in different sets so make sure you purchase a set that will accomplish what you want.

Step 1 – Matching identical paintings

Step 2 – Pairing two similar paintings by the same artist

Step 3 – Grouping four paintings by each of three artists

Step 4 – Learning the names of famous artists

Step 5 – Learning the names of famous paintings

Step 6 – Learning about the schools of art

Step 7 – Sorting schools of art

Step 8 – Placing paintings on a time line

What Do I Like About Child-Size Masterpieces?

1. Ease of use
2. Variety of prints
3. Inexpensive
4. Able to use them in lots of different ways
5. Aid to learning names of the paintings
6. Durability
7. Able to use them year after year
8. Appropriate for a wide variety of ages
9. Comes with ideas for using them
10. Can adapt the concepts with your own sets of art prints

What Set to Buy:

I would start with Level 1 if I have younger children, but you can use any of the sets that say on the cover that they are for steps 1,2, 3.

They are labeled Easy, Intermediate, and Advanced but they all have the same amount of cards and the same activities.

If you think your children are ready for a bit of a challenge, purchase either one of the sets that say:

Step 4 – For Learning the Names of the Artists or Step 5 – Learning About Famous Paintings on the covers.

These sets come with the painting’s name on separate cards for a matching activity.

There is a set for teaching steps 6 and 7 but I have not looked at it personally.

Here is the product description from Amazon:

“This supplemental set is designed to be used for Step 6 (Learning about the Schools of Art) and Step 7 (Grouping Paintings from the Same School of Art) of the Child-Size Masterpieces program. This volume will introduce children to five of the modern schools of art and some of the artists who are commonly associated with each style.” 

A Homeschool Art Resource That Spans All Ages

Child-size Masterpieces are a resource you will use over and over again.

We pull the cards out from time to time for a little review. I like that the sets can “grow” with your child.

• The first time through you can learn the names of the paintings.
• The second time through you can learn the artist’s names.
• The third time through you can learn the school of art (renaissance, impressionist, etc)
• A fourth time through you can learn to put the paintings in order according to a timeline.

You can make up your own way of sorting the paintings. I use the cards to point out art terms such as shape, line, texture, portrait, landscape, complementary colors, neutrals, and so on. These cards are such a great resource for parents that are just getting started in learning about art with their children. I highly recommend them.

More Homeschool Art Resources

• Discovering Great Artists also by Barb McCoy
• Everything You Need to Know About You ARE An ARTiST Homeschool Art Lessons by Shawna Wingert
• You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Plans for Homeschool Art and Music Appreciation by Tricia Hodges
• Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artist by Allison
• The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips by Heidi Ciravola on our sister site You ARE An ARTiST

Originally posted May 2009, written by Barb-Harmony Art Mom