Art Deco Pattern Project KS2

A creative 3-lesson Art & Design project introducing upper primary students to Art Deco, cultural motifs, symmetry, repeat, reflection and rotation.

Designed for Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, this resource guides students through exploring the bold visual language of Art Deco before researching cultural symbols and transforming them into their own decorative pattern designs. The project combines art, design, cultural awareness and simple maths links, making it ideal for primary Art & Design lessons.

Students will learn to recognise key Art Deco features such as geometry, symmetry, zigzags, chevrons, sunbursts, skyscraper shapes, Egyptian influence and glamorous metallic-style design. They then complete a cultural motifs treasure hunt before using tracing paper, rulers and protractors to create repeat, reflect and rotate patterns.

Included in this resource:

3 editable PowerPoint lessons
Lesson 1: Introduction to Art Deco
Lesson 2: Cultural Motifs Treasure Hunt
Lesson 3: Pattern-Making Lab
Starter / bell tasks
Lesson objectives and success criteria
Key vocabulary slides
Image discussion and visual analysis tasks
Art Deco mini-talk slides
Cultural symbol research task
Sentence frames for speaking and writing
Tracing paper pattern activities
Reflection, rotation and repeat pattern tasks
Links to maths through symmetry, angles and accuracy
Sketchbook presentation guidance

Skills covered:

Art Deco visual analysis
Pattern design
Drawing and simplifying motifs
Cultural symbol research
Symmetry
Reflection
Rotation
Repetition
Ruler and protractor accuracy
Sketchbook presentation
Speaking and writing about meaning in art

Perfect for:

Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 Art & Design
Upper primary pattern projects
Art Deco lessons
Cultural motif projects
Cross-curricular art and maths lessons
International or multicultural art units
Sketchbook development
Decorative design projects

Materials needed:

Sketchbooks or paper
Pencils
Erasers
Rulers
Protractors
Tracing paper
Colouring pencils
Glue sticks
Tablets or laptops for research, optional

This is a practical and engaging Art & Design project that helps students understand how artists and designers use shape, pattern and cultural inspiration to create decorative designs.