Art classes give children the opportunity to stretch their creative muscles and explore topics that interest them personally. Unfortunately, students often lose interest before the activity is complete, usually moving on to messier, more entertaining activities. Fortunately, there are tried and true strategies for organizing artistic activities that keep kids engaged and provide tangible benefits.

Allow them to make decisions

Regular courses like math and reading are structured - and for good reason. Children need these rules and regulations to maintain focus and properly absorb information. With art class, things should be a little more fluid, The Art of Education found. For instance, instead of forcing your kids to use crayons during coloring activities, give them choices. Put out colored pencils, markers and watercolor paint. This will allow your students to make pieces of art that fit their vision, which will keep them engaged. Plus, this simple organizational shift will help them develop their decision-making skills and understand the impact of the choices they make.

Assign group work

Teachers often organize group work when teaching traditional subjects. However, during art class, many hand out individual assignments. Though this method does give children space to explore their individual artistic tendencies, it fails to equip them with the tools they need to function in group creative settings. This is, of course, an immensely important skill to have. Every day, people are forced to defend their ideas and work with others toward a common goal - you must start preparing your kids for these situations.

With this in mind, split them into groups and assign a collaborative project, Edutopia advised. As class comes to a close, reconvene everyone and have each group explain their creation and the work that went into their finished product.

To gain more insight about art projects and other fine motor activities for your students, check out our Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers course.