Bring festive creativity to your classroom with this Christmas Candy Cane Art Lesson by Ms Artastic — a joyful, classroom-tested art project that blends drawing, painting, literacy, and reflection for a complete cross-curricular learning experience! Designed for Grades 2–5, this resource combines hands-on artmaking with reading comprehension, writing, and social-emotional learning to help your students celebrate the season with creativity and purpose.

Students will learn to draw and paint a Christmas candy cane with holly leaves using oil pastels or permanent marker with watercolor or tempera paint.

Alongside the art project, they’ll read The History and Making of Candy Canes and The Candy Cane Mystery, practice sight words, respond to comprehension questions, and write creative stories inspired by the holiday tradition of the candy cane.

This isn’t just an artwork — it’s a meaningful, skill-building art lesson that helps students express themselves visually and reflectively during the most magical time of year!

🎨 This Resource Includes (Non-Editable, American English)

Everything you need for a complete, cross-curricular Christmas art experience:

Full Lesson Plan (3 Pages)

• Step-by-step instructional guide with objectives, participation strategies, and reflection ideas. (POWERPOINT & PDF VERSIONS)
• Mini creativity challenge warm-up (Draw and Design Art Challenge) to spark curiosity.
• Lesson hook and Think-Pair-Share discussion prompts (What do you know about Christmas? What about the history of candy canes?).
• Guided reflection and gallery walk wrap-up instructions.
• Assessment criteria and notes for future teaching.

Art Tutorial: “How to Draw a Candy Cane”

• 15 illustrated steps with corresponding written directions for easy classroom demonstration.
• Includes techniques for drawing, shading, painting, and adding detail.
• Uses oil pastels, black crayon, or permanent marker with watercolor/tempera paint.

Reading & Literacy Integration

• The History and Making of Candy Canes — nonfiction reading passage explaining the candy’s origins and symbolism.
• The Candy Cane Mystery — fiction reading comprehension story featuring holiday problem-solving and kindness.
• Reading comprehension question pages + full answer key.
• Sight Word Tracking List with high-frequency words for pre-reading warm-ups.
• Word Bank of Tricky Words for vocabulary instruction and literacy support.

Writing & Reflection Activities

• Opinion Writing: “Do you think candy canes are the best holiday treat?”
• Creative Writing: “Write about a magical candy cane you discover on Christmas.”
• The Message: Student reflection about the meaning behind their artwork.
• Top 3 Things I Love About My Art reflection.
• 3 Stars and a Wish self-assessment.
• Artist’s Statement printable pages.
• Artwork Reflection and Look at Mediums worksheets.

Visual Art & Design Extensions

• Explore Line! – intricate pattern practice for backgrounds.
• Shapes and Forms – organic and geometric design activity.
• Integrating the Elements of Art – reflection-based extension.
• Radial Symmetry Mandala Design – inspired by candy cane patterns.

Compare & Contrast Chart

• Christmas Traditions vs. Christmas Treats activity + answer key for critical thinking and writing integration.

Assessments & Display Materials

• Art Rubric (Creativity, Craftsmanship, Responsibility, and Work Habits).
• KWL Chart: Candy Canes (What I Know / Want to Know / Learned).
• Bulletin Board Display Sign — “Merry Christmas” printable to showcase student artwork.