**Lesson Plan: Primary Colors for Kindergarten**
**Grade Level:** Kindergarten
**Subject:** Art
**Duration:** 45 minutes
**Topic:** Primary Colors
**Objectives:**
1. Students will identify the three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.
2. Students will understand that primary colors cannot be made by mixing other colors.
3. Students will apply the primary colors in a simple art project.
**Materials Needed:**
- Red, blue, and yellow tempera or watercolor paints
- White paint for mixing demonstration (optional)
- Paintbrushes
- Water cups
- Paper towels
- Large sheets of white paper (one per student)
- Smocks or old shirts to protect clothing
- Primary color flashcards or color swatches
- Book or video about primary colors (optional)
**Lesson Outline:**
**Introduction (10 minutes):**
1. **Warm-up Activity:** Gather students in a circle on the carpet. Show flashcards or objects in red, blue, and yellow.
- Ask, "What colors are these?" Encourage students to call out their answers.
- Introduce the term "primary colors" and explain that they are special because we can’t mix other colors to make them.
2. **Engaging Activity:** Read a short colorful book or show a quick video clip about primary colors. Some recommended books include "Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh or "The Color Factory" by Cathy Bennett.
**Demonstration (5 minutes):**
3. **Mixing Colors:** Show students that you have only red, blue, and yellow paints.
- Verbally demonstrate and discuss that you cannot make red, blue, and yellow by mixing other colors.
- Optional: Show how mixing two different primary colors can create secondary colors (e.g., mixing blue and yellow to make green), but emphasize this is for another lesson.
**Guided Practice (5 minutes):**
4. **Art Project Instructions:** Explain the art activity.
- Each student will create a painting using only the primary colors. They can make patterns, shapes, or paint objects they like.
- Show a sample artwork to inspire them.
**Activity (20 minutes):**
5. **Art Project Time:**
- Hand out smocks or old shirts to students.
- Distribute paintbrushes, water cups, and paper towels.
- Give each student a sheet of white paper.
- Set up areas with red, blue, and yellow paint where students can easily access them.
- Walk around to assist students, offering encouragement and commenting on the different ways they are using the colors.
**Clean-up (5 minutes):**
6. **Clean Up:**
- Guide students in cleaning brushes, putting away paints, and tidying up their areas.
- Collect paintings and lay them flat to dry.
**Closure (5 minutes):**
7. **Group Discussion:**
- Gather students back on the carpet and ask a few to share their artwork.
- Ask, “What colors did you use in your painting?” and “Why do you like these colors?”
- Reinforce the lesson by revisiting the term "primary colors."
**Assessment:**
- Observation of students identifying and using primary colors during the activity.
- Informal questioning during the group discussion to assess understanding.
**Extension Activities:**
- Create a bulletin board display of students’ artworks labeled with the primary colors.
- Plan future lessons to explore secondary colors created from mixing the primary colors.
Note: Always ensure that all materials are safe and non-toxic, especially for young children, and adapt any part of the plan to suit the needs and dynamics of the class.