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Year 9

The family in art

I can create an artwork to represent family connections

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New
New
Year 9

The family in art

I can create an artwork to represent family connections

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Artists often explore family as a theme in their work, reflecting on relationships and connections to others.
  2. Artists explore wider aspects of what family means, both literally and conceptually.
  3. Artists use various creative methods, including portraiture to explore family relationships.

Keywords

  • Family - family means the people who care for us, support us, and help us feel safe, whether related by blood, by choice, or by circumstance

  • Connections - A relationship in which a person is linked or associated with someone or something

  • Represent - to serve as a sign or symbol of something

Common misconception

Pets are not part of a family because they are animals.

Many people give their pets names, celebrate their birthdays, and care for them every day. Pets can be part of the family.


To help you plan your year 9 art and design lesson on: The family in art, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to think beyond traditional ideas of family. Remind them that families and relationships come in many forms including biological, chosen, cultural, or emotional. Create a safe, open space where pupils feel comfortable representing their version of family.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A3 or A4 paper, acrylic or ready mix paint, oil pastels, pencils, erasers, figure outlines or templates, pieces of card

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following would most likely represent a melting ice cream?
Torn, layered paper
Stripes made with purple and black oil pastel
Correct answer: Dripping shapes using pastel colours
Q2.
In art, what does it mean to express something?
To copy something exactly
Correct answer: To show an emotion, idea, or personal feeling
To use expensive materials
Q3.
Why might an artist use memories in their artwork?
Correct answer: To express personal experiences or feelings
To copy another artist
To make people laugh
Q4.
How can an artist show sound in a drawing or painting?
By drawing musical instruments only
By writing the lyrics from songs
Correct answer: By using colours, lines, and patterns to represent how the sound feels
Q5.
How could a pleasant smell be expressed through art?
Correct answer: Drifting lines
Black dots and red stripes
Black lines
Q6.
How can memories be captured?
Correct answer: By creating art, taking photographs or writing in a diary or journal
In your hand
You can't capture memories

Assessment exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Why is family important for many people?
Correct answer: Because family provides love, support, and a sense of belonging
Because family always agrees on everything
Family are there to borrow money from
Q2.
Which of the following best shows how artists can represent different types of families in art?
By showing only traditional families with a mother, father, and children
Correct answer: By using shapes or figures that reflect a wide range of family structures
By copying photos from magazines
Q3.
For what reasons do families have difficult relationships?
Because family members don’t live in the same house
Correct answer: Differences in opinions, stress, or lack of communication
Because all families argue every day on purpose
Q4.
Which of the following is a common misconception about pets and families?
Pets are important members of many families and can be included in family art
Pets can provide love, comfort, and companionship just like people do
Correct answer: Pets are not part of a family because they are animals
Q5.
Does a family portrait have to be realistic?
Artists must always follow strict rules when drawing people
Only realistic portraits are considered as art
Correct answer: Family portraits can be represented through abstract shapes or symbols

Additional material

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