Impressionism Art History Lapbook for Elementary

ByJenn

This Impressionism Lapbook is a good introduction for your elementary student into one of the most popular periods of Western art history.  

Art and Artists of the Impressionism Era for Elementary Students. Western Art history

While completing this art history lapbook with extension activities, your student will be exposed to different impressionist artists and famous paintings from that era.

They will also learn about the style of the Impressionist artists, the history of the Impressionism movement, where and when this new way of painting began, as well as interesting facts about Impressionism and its artists.

Your students will also learn the names of 10 different artists from the Impressionism era and will match them with one of their paintings.

Check out our Impressionism Notebooking Unit Study for a more in-depth study for middle school and high school students.

Not sure what a lapbook is? Find out here. 

Resources for your Impressionism Lapbook

A Look at Impressionist Art by J. Jean Robertson P (I don’t know why this has a terrible rating on Amazon, but it’s perfect for lower elementary students.) Also on Hoopla.

In the Time of Renoir: The Impressionist Era (Art Around the World) by Antony Mason. Also available for free on Open Library. This title is an excellent resource for upper elementary students. However, it does have partial nvdes on pages 20, 26, and 30. Please use your own judgement as to whether or not that is appropriate for your household. Some parents choose to tape a piece of paper over the pictures they don’t want their kids to see, but we’ve found it’s best to not make a big deal of it–which only makes it more enticing– and to just explain that the artists saw the human body as one of the highest forms of art)

Optional Resources about the Artists of the Impressionist Movement

These additional books aren’t needed to complete the lapbook, but they do help extend your child’s learning about the Impressionist era and artists.

There are a number of children’s picture books about the Impressionist artists. I suggest selecting a few from this list. You’ll probably be able to find many of these titles at your local library.

Monet Paints a Day by Julie Danneberg

Ella in the Garden of Giverny (A picture book about Claude Monet) by Daniel Fehr

Vincent’s Colors by Vincent Van Gogh and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Also on Open Library

James Mayhew’s Katie series:

Anholt’s Artists series by Laurence Anholt:

Mini Master’s series (board books for your littles)

Just for Fun

Impressionist Art Masterpieces to Color: 60 Great Paintings from Renoir to Gauguin (Dover Art Coloring Book)

If this is your first time completing a lapbook, read this first to learn how to fold your folders to create the lapbook base.

Impressionism Lapbook Activities

Impressionism Beginnings: Cut along outside lines of the two mini books. Fold each in half and answer the questions on the insides.

History of Impressionism: Triangle Book: Cut out all along solid outer lines. Fold so the image is on the outside. On the inside sections, write a brief history of the Impressionism Movement

Impressionism Facts: Cut along outside lines. Glue the two pieces together by the tab. Write an interesting fact about Impressionism on each circle.

Impressionist Style Book: Cut along outside lines. Fold in half and then write about the key features of the impressionist style on the inside of the mini-book.

Famous Impressionism Paintings: Cut along outside lines. Fold on the dotted lines to make a pocket. Print out the paintings on the next pages. Label them with their title and artist on the back of each painting. Slide them into the pocket for storage in your lapbook. You could also include other information about the painting if you wish. The last pages of this file contain some potential paintings, but there are many others you might wish to include if you want to do your own research.

Impressionism Artists: Cut along outside lines. Using the artist flashcards, glue an artist’s portrait onto each page and write their name on the bottom line. Punch a hole on the blue dot and fasten all of the pages together with a brass fastener. Glue the back of the last page to the lapbook.You can use the images provided or find your own if you prefer different artists.

The Impressionist Artists covered in this lapbook:

  • Édouard Manet
  • Claude Monet
  • Berthe Morisot
  • Camille Pissarro
  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir
  • Edgar Degas
  • Mary Cassatt
  • Gustave Caillebotte
  • Vincent Van Gogh
  • Alfred Sisley

Extension Activities for Learning about Impressionism Art and Artists

Use the included artists portraits and the famous impressionism painting cards to create a matching game. Match the artist with his or her painting.

See what Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny (where he painted the Bridge over Water Lilies) looks like today.

Paint water lilies like Monet with a crayon resist project.

Learn more about Claude Monet in this biography video (has lots of examples of his paintings as well).

Listen to a composer from the same time period as the Impressionist artists, Debussy.

Watch this video about artist Mary Cassatt.

Learn more about Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork and style

Color a printable Van Gogh painting coloring page

Recreate the oil lamp from Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters painting using pastels

Get your Impressionist Art and Artists Lapbook in our HHO Shop

More Impressionism Art History Resources

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Impressionism Art and Artists Lapbook for elementary

Mom to six kids, former pediatric Speech-language Pathologist turned homeschool mom, who has been homeschooling for over 20 years