Cave Painting Art Lesson
Learning Objective: Pupils can create cave-style paintings and explain why Stone Age people made cave art
About this resource
This engaging activity guides Year 3 pupils through the process of creating their own cave-style paintings, fostering an understanding of Stone Age art. Designed for history lessons, it encourages children to explore the motivations behind early human artistic expression, directly supporting the UK National Curriculum's focus on prehistoric Britain. Teachers can use this resource to bring ancient history to life in a creative and hands-on way.
Activity Overview
50 minutesPupils explore real cave paintings from Lascaux and Altamira, then create their own cave-style artwork using charcoal, chalk, and earth-tone paints on crumpled brown paper.
Context
Stone Age people painted on cave walls using natural pigments made from berries, charcoal, and earth. They painted animals they hunted (bison, horses, deer), handprints, and symbols. Historians believe cave art may have been for storytelling, spiritual purposes, or recording hunts.
Instructions
- Show images of Lascaux and Altamira cave paintings
- Discuss: Why did Stone Age people paint? What did they paint?
- Crumple brown paper and flatten it (to look like rock)
- Using charcoal sticks, chalk, and brown/red/yellow paint, create a cave painting
- Include: at least one animal, one handprint (dip hand in paint), and one symbol
- Write a sentence explaining what your painting shows
Differentiation
SEN Support
Stencils of cave animals provided. Simplified materials (just charcoal and one paint colour). Sentence starter for explanation.
EAL Support
Visual examples throughout. Key vocabulary: cave painting, charcoal, pigment, ancient. Paired support.
Gifted & Talented
Research the meaning behind specific cave paintings. Write a narrative from the perspective of the artist explaining why they painted.
Key Vocabulary
Assessment Criteria
- Creates artwork in cave painting style
- Can explain why Stone Age people made cave art
- Uses appropriate materials and techniques